Dr. Muhammad Ajmal, National Institute of
Psychology (NIP) is an autonomous organization under the Federal
Government with a mandate to carry out research in the discipline
of Psychology and teaching at higher levels of education.
The organization has passed through three distinct phases.
The NIP was established in 1976 by the Ministry
of Education under a resolution with main objectives to undertake
social psychological research and to look into the factors
which impede national integration, and thus also to discover
new ways of installing a sense of nation-hood among the people
of the country. In 1983, the Federal Ministry of Education
decided to give NIP the status of a Centre of Excellence in
Psychology and to locate it in Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad.
As a Centre of Excellence in Psychology, the objectives of
this Institute have been defined in Parliament's Act No. IX
of 1976. They are as follows:
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to engage in goal-oriented high-level
teaching and research;
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to train research workers;
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to establish MPhil, Ph.D. and other
educational program in psychology (in accordance with
the requirements of the Quaid-i-Azam University in
which the Centre is established);
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to promote co-operation in inter-disciplinary
relationship with other teaching and research establishments;
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to arrange conferences, seminars and
refresher courses for the development of teaching and
research; and
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to conduct teaching and research in
psychology as assigned to it by the Federal Government
in consultation with the University.
The Institute, while keeping its emphasis on applied research intact, substantially increased its teaching and training activities. It started its M.Phil. and Ph.D. in Psychology programs, both the degrees requiring development of high level research skills among students who produce research theses on successful completion of their studies.
In 1983 when the Institute was given status of Centre of Excellence at Quaid-i-Azam University, it was located in shared offices spaces in the Mathematics and Computer Sciences blocks of the University. During early eighties, the government approved a scheme for a purpose-built building for the Institute. This building was completed in 1996 and the Institute shifted to it in the first quarter of 1997. This building is situated towards the southeastern corner of the University and occupies a location of scenic beauty. A link road, has been constructed which connects the main campus of the University with the Institute. It can also be approached from Shahdara Road, which branches off from Murree Road.
After Dr. Ajmal's death in 1994, in order to honour him, the Government of Pakistan renamed the Institute as Dr. Muhammad Ajmal Institute of Psychology.
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