LAHORE    -   President Dr Arif Alvi has urged the need for utilising online and virtual platforms to promote and market Paki­stan’s fashion design, textile, and art and craft products at the international level, adding that increasing the presence of goods on virtual and online platforms could help popular­ise innovative Pakistani fash­ion products.

The president expressed these views during his visit to the Pakistan Institute of Fashion Design (PIFD), here on Monday. First Lady Begum Samina Arif Alvi also accom­panied the president during the visit. The president was briefed by the Institute’s ad­ministration about the role, performance, educational fa­cilities and the future plans of the institute.

During the briefing, the president said that in order to make students productive part of society in a brief period of time, they should be equipped with skills through short-term courses. He added that the world was already imparting education and skills to fulfill the market needs through short-term courses. He said that the associate degree holders and specialised certificate holders were being given employment in different sectors of the econ­omy across the globe. 

The president said that uni­versities must adopt innova­tive and out-of-the-box solu­tions to enhance the number of graduates and skilled profes­sionals. He added that in West­ern countries, especially the USA, universities had already started imparting education at mass scale, using the online courses. He said that online education could help reduce the educational costs, besides training a greater number of students within a short period of time. He stressed the need to increase the number of gradu­ates using online and virtual modes of learning. 

The president also appreciat­ed the PIFD, Lahore for its aca­demia-industry linkages and its collaboration with national and international universities and organisations for promotion of research and innovation in the field of Fashion and Design. The president also visited the theses display and appreciated different Fashion and Design products, prepared by the Insti­tute’s students.