Ms. Sabahat discussed various initiatives undertaken by Jazz in relation to providing packages, livelihood, education & business opportunities for women’s empowerment.
In order to address the equity gap in women’s higher education leadership here at City Campus, the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Lahore organised a closing ceremony for the three-month-long First UVAS Women Leadership Program (WLP). WE-WILL stands for Women Empowerment through Women Involvement in Learning and Leadership.
Faculty of Biosciences Dean Prof. Dr. Habib-ur-Rehman, Faculty of Animal Production & Technology Dean Prof. Dr. Saima, Director Diversity & Inclusion Jazz Ms. Sabahat Bokhari, Chairperson Department of Anatomy and Histology Prof. Dr. Hafsa Zaneb, and numerous other senior female faculty & administration staff members presided over the concluding session of the Women Leadership Program.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, Prof. Dr. Nasim Ahmad noted that over the past 20 years, the number of women in UVAS’ faculty and administration has increased by almost 50%, and they enjoy equal rights and perform their jobs with complete dedication.
He recognised the contribution of Prof. Dr. Hafsa Zaneb for completing this programme successfully and for taking the lead in both the founding of the UVAS Veterinary Academy and the faculty development programme run by the Center for Educational Policy and Administration (CEPA).
He claimed that in order to improve women’s leadership, financial management, administration, and governance skills, such woman leadership programmes must be organised continuously throughout the year.
He also expressed his congratulations to Assistant Professor Dr. Saima Ashraf, who was chosen for the “Aspiring Leaders Cohort” of the programme for Pakistani women leaders in higher education, which is run by Michigan State University in the US and supported by the US Embassy in Islamabad.
Ms. Sabahat Bokhari discussed various initiatives undertaken by Jazz in relation to providing particular packages, livelihood, education, and business opportunities for women’s empowerment.
Earlier, Prof. Dr. Hafsa Zaneb spoke about the various inquiry (awareness, research-based, networking) projects submitted by UVAS female faculty members related to empowering women by making their needs count, awareness about workplace ethics, attitudes, and practises among female students in universities; creating awareness about the importance of women in leading academic positions in higher education in Pakistan; stress management at the workplace; the challenges of women in leadership positions in universities; a qualitative assessment of the challenges faced by Pakistani female leaders; the UVAS women’s book club and networking; and capacity building for female administrative staff.
During the women leadership program, many well-known professors/experts from national and international institutions delivered lectures to participants on leadership, governance, gender issues in academia, equity, sexual harassment, networking, career trajectories, and financial management, among other topics.