Barani University makes AI courses compulsory across faculties

According to APP, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi (PMAS-AAUR), commonly known as Barani University, has made Artificial Intelligence courses mandatory across all faculties. APP reports the decision was taken at the 81st meeting of the Academic Council, chaired by Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Qamar-uz-Zaman, and attended by Registrar Muhammad Aqeel Sultan along with deans, directors, professors, and associate professors. APP reports the council also approved several new degree programmes aimed at improving employment opportunities, encouraging entrepreneurship, and delivering skill-based education, and that the vice chancellor directed deans and directors to improve facilities and strengthen students' research and practical competence.

The APP report does not detail curriculum content or course modules, nor whether instruction will emphasize applied areas such as machine learning, data science, or agriculture-specific AI. It also does not mention faculty capacity, lab or compute investment, or partnerships with industry or online providers.

Cross-faculty AI requirements of this kind are intended to raise baseline AI literacy across disciplines. In practice, comparable mandates tend to increase demand for qualified teaching staff, computing resources, and dataset access, which largely determine whether such requirements translate into practical skills.

Watch for follow-up on syllabi, whether the new degrees include practical components or internships, any faculty hiring or training plans, and industry or platform partnerships. APP has not published implementation timelines.