As part of its initiative of ‘Indigenizing Policy Research in Pakistan’, IPS LEAD – the learning, excellence and development program of IPS – arranged a session of ‘Brainstorming Research Ideas’ with the students of the Department of Social Sciences, Government College Women University (GCWU), Sialkot, on September 5, 2018.
The University’s students were addressed on the occasion by Khalid Rahman, director general, IPS, and Dr Noor Fatima, assistant professor, Government College Women University, Sialkot, in the preliminary session.
Rahman spoke on the need and significance of researchers’ role in modern day settings, exclusively stressing on the importance of fueling the research being produced in Pakistan with indigenous narratives and native solutions to local problems in order to make it relevant, applicable and useful for the society.
Dr Fatima backed Rahman’s opinion urging the research students to make their studies pragmatic and relevant to the local needs.
The preliminary session was followed by a brainstorming session where the students were divided into four groups. Each group was facilitated as resource persons by experts like Dr Fakhr-ul-Islam, director, Pakistan Study Center, University of Peshawar, Dr Shahzad Iqbal Sham and Dr M Khan, research associates at IPS, and Dr Noor Fatima herself, all of whom advised the students on the selection of research topics while guiding them on how to carry out their research studies pragmatically.
