EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
DEPARTMENT OF SOIL & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
The Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences has been offering education in
the field of soil and environmental sciences for B.Sc (Hons) and M.Sc (Hons) degree
programs since 1966 and for Ph.D degree program since 1997. In addition to teaching, the
department is implementing viable research programs on various aspects of soil and
environmental issues focusing mainly to increase soil fertility, crop productivity and minimize
environmental pollution and in this regard, have completed number of research projects on
various aspects of soil and environmental management.
In order to assess the strength and weaknesses of the department in general and of the
programs offered (i.e., B.Sc, M.Sc and Ph.D) in particular, a self assessment report was
prepared by the Program Team which comprised of Prof. Dr. Zahir Shah, Prof. Dr.
Farmanullah and Prof. Dr. Mohammad Sharif. The SAR was then assessed by the Assessment
Team which included Prof. Dr. Sajida Parveen, Prof. Dr. Zahir Shah and Prof. Dr. Jamal
Khattak.
The department has well qualified 12 faculty members and has basic infrastructure
facilities. The department has four teaching and research laboratories which are fairly well
equipped with basic facilities. Students, faculty, employers and alumni were generally
satisfied with the teaching and research programs at the department.
However, few short comings are also pointed out by the Department. For example, the
practical training of students is relatively less compared with the theory. It was suggested that
students exposures to field/practical work should be enhanced and should be given
opportunities to expose to as many research and other related national organizations as
possible. Other major short comings in the department pointed out in surveys were
insufficient class rooms, lack of advance lab equipments, soil and plant samples preparation
rooms, seminar room, committee room, computer lab, green houses, equipment repair cell,
insufficient funds, books, transport, trained lab technicians, trainings and young faculty. The
existing infrastructure of the department, therefore, needs to be further strengthened and
upgraded to cope with the new challenges in agriculture, new dimensions, increasing growth
in students’ enrollments, increasing pressure on soil to produce more, increasing soil and
environmental problems, and new technological.