Pakistan Animal Science Council Bill: New Council or New Challenges for Veterinary and Animal Sciences in Pakistan?
Pakistan Animal Science Council Bill under consideration, PVMC to give comments. The Pakistan Animal Science Council Bill has been presented in the Senate Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research. To avoid possible overlapping due to the existing regulatory body of veterinary education, the committee has written a letter to the Ministry of Interprovincial Coordination. Information has been sought from the PVMC in this regard.
Animal Science Council Bill Presented Before Senate Standing Committee
The Pakistan Veterinary Medical Council has said in its response that a five-year DVM degree has been started in place of the four-year Animal Husbandry and four-year DVM, which is part of the PVMC Act. The PVMC also deals with animal husbandry, animal nutrition and other postgraduate subjects. The council has said that a detailed response will be submitted after looking at the proposed bill. This is a very sensitive matter and consultation with all members will be necessary.
Longstanding Demand of Animal Husbandry Graduates
Professor Dr. Muhammad Younis says who is responsible for what happened to animal husbandry graduates for twenty years. We kept begging but we were not included in the PVMC. Now it is our right to form our own council.
There is a perception of the increasing number of degrees related to animal science and the problems arising from the regulation of various institutions in this regard. The establishment of the Pakistan Animal Science Council will solve many problems. They say that once the council is formed, then we will also sit with the PVMC.
اینیمل سائنس کونسل بِل منظور، سینٹ قائمہ کمیٹی نے متفقہ منظوری دی
Animal Science Council Bill – Proposed Structure and Functions of the Council
The draft of the alleged proposed bill of the Pakistan Animal Science Council is initially structured on the lines of the Pakistan Veterinary Medical Council Act.
This council will regulate the registration, practice and conduct of animal science (livestock and poultry) graduates as well as the uniform standard of education for undergraduate and postgraduate programs.
The Pakistan Animal Science Council will consist of representatives of the Vice Chancellors of the concerned universities, Dean Faculty of Animal Husbandry, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, representatives of the Heads of Departments of the concerned institutes, representatives of the provincial governments, four members of the Pakistan Animal Scientists Welfare Association (PASA), representatives of non-animal husbandry institutes providing training and diplomas related to animal production, two representatives of the livestock and poultry industry and the Animal Husbandry Commissioner.
The term of each member will be three years but can be re-elected or nominated. The President and Vice President will be elected by the registered members through secret ballot. An executive committee of this council will also be formed on the model of PVMC.
Universities and Degree Programs Included in Animal Science Council Bill:
The first schedule of the alleged proposed bill includes various degree programs of the University of Agriculture Faisalabad and its various campuses, Agriculture University Peshawar, Veterinary University Lahore, Cholistan Veterinary University, Bahauddin Zakaria University, Arid Agriculture University, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Agriculture University, Gomal University, Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam, Lasbela University, Agriculture University Dera Ismail Khan, University of Sargodha and Rifaa Veterinary College.
It includes degree programs in Animal Husbandry, Animal Science, Dairy Science and Poultry Science as well as related postgraduate programs.
Regulatory and Legal Complications
It should be noted that the National Agriculture Accreditation Council of the Higher Education Commission is also registering and regulating various programs in Animal Sciences. Furthermore, the Pakistan Veterinary Medical Council also regulates postgraduate programs related to Animal Sciences.
In the presence of these two councils, the establishment of the Pakistan Animal Science Council will lead to legal complications. All legal steps are necessary for the establishment of the new council so that the institutions and graduates do not face problems in the future.
Registration of the same degree from two different councils in the same place and registration of one council for one job and another council for another will create problems for veterinary and animal sciences graduates and postgraduates. This situation will become very serious after twenty years.
Animal Science Council Bill Raises Questions About the Legislative Process
The surprising aspect is that how this bill reached the Senate without taking both the councils into confidence or at least without informing them. How this whole matter was kept so secret and who played a role despite being aware of the current situation and the past, should be investigated.
Animal Science Council Bill and the Return of Animal Husbandry
In theory, the establishment of the new council can awaken a silent tension and increase its intensity. A few individuals, who will now be over fifty years old, may once again revive their personal greed, which will have to bear the brunt of the entire livestock sector and related education sector of Pakistan.
Based on personal ego and interests, not national interests, a few individuals got the Animal Husbandry degree discontinued in the past and converted the four-year DVM program into a five-year degree.
This so-called victory proved to be temporary; after that, degrees in Animal Science, Poultry Science and Dairy Science were started and now the Animal Husbandry degree has also come to the fore.
Like the Pakistan Veterinary Medical Council, which some people had great faith in, a similar Council for Animal Husbandry is also being established.
The fruits of patience have been very sweet for the Animal Husbandry people; instead of one, four degrees were introduced and now a Council is also being established.
Future Employment Problems
The establishment of this council will perhaps satisfy the egos of a few people, just as the egos of a few people were satisfied in the past, but in the future it will create serious problems for veterinary graduates as well as animal science graduates.
More Animal Science, Veterinary Science, Poultry Science, Dairy Science and Animal Husbandry graduates will also have to face mutual problems.
In the presence of DVM, the justification of a degree in Animal Science may arise, but in the presence of Animal Science, the justification of Animal Husbandry, Dairy Science and Poultry Science degrees is beyond comprehension.
Parallel degrees in the same field will create employment problems and all these graduates will have to bear the consequences.
Requires National Consensus Instead of Ego Battles
It is better not to sacrifice this profession for ego wars. All stakeholders should sit down and create a consensus and try to minimize the number of related degrees.
Furthermore, a new council should be formed in place of the Pakistan Veterinary Medical Council, which regulates veterinary sciences as well as animal sciences degrees and their graduates.
If the establishment of the Animal Science Council now evens out the equation and satisfies ego, then the Pakistan Animal Science Council should also, through mutual consultation and consensus, limit itself to only one undergraduate degree.
It should not create problems for the youth and the next generation under the guise of increasing scores.
Animal Science Council Bill Should Protect the Future, Not Divide the Profession
The Animal Science Council Bill has reopened an old debate regarding the regulation of veterinary and animal sciences education in Pakistan. While the proposed council may address longstanding concerns of animal husbandry graduates, it also raises important questions about regulatory overlap, legal complications, degree proliferation and future employment opportunities.
Rather than allowing institutional rivalries or personal interests to shape the future of the profession, all stakeholders should work toward a unified and consensus-based regulatory framework that protects both current professionals and future generations of graduates.
