Adviser to Prime Minister on Institutional Reforms and Austerity Dr Ishrat Husain has emphasised the need for collaboration and cooperation among the public sector, private sector and civil society in a bid to overcome economic challenges.Addressing the South Asian Management Forum on the theme “Challenges of Inclusive Growth and Sustainability: The South Asian Context” on Tuesday, Husain said despite all the progress South Asia’s economy had made, there were still “challenges ahead of us and we still have the largest number of poor in this region as we have growing inequalities”.“Business and management education can play a pivotal role in addressing these challenges,” he suggested.The event was organised by Sukkur IBA in collaboration with the Association of Management Development Institutions of South Asia and the Association of Management Development Institutions in Pakistan.Husain underlined the importance of employee retention in a business organisation and suggested that organisations should not lay off experienced employees by keeping short-term goals in the view instead their efforts should be directed towards continued effectiveness.Sukkur IBA Vice-Chancellor Professor Nisar Ahmed Siddique, in his inaugural address, said the major challenges posed to education systems in member countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) included globalisation, the emergence of technology, population growth, water shortage, environmental issues and capitalism that led to the unjust distribution of wealth.He pointed out that the conference was aimed at providing solutions to different challenges and issues. The key objective was to provide a platform for scholars, researchers, academics, practitioners and business leaders to share their thoughts, ideas, solutions, and empirical evidence.The two-day conference included five-panel discussions on topics like inclusive growth, local entrepreneurship, etc. There were also parallel sessions in which researchers from all over South Asia presented their research work related to the theme of the conference.Delegates from various countries including Sri Lanka and the Maldives participated. Deans, directors and vice-chancellors of reputable institutes of Pakistan took part in the Vice Chancellors Forum and discussed the role of management development institutions in inclusive growth and business education.Published in The Express Tribune, October 2, 2019.Like Business on Facebook , follow @TribuneBiz on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.