BAHAWALPUR: The Higher Education Commission(HEC)hasaccorded accreditation to the Government Sadiq College Women University (GSCWU).

According to a press release issued by the varsity`s registrar office here on Tuesday, the accreditation, had been granted provisionally by the HEC after about three years of establishment of the institution.

The HEC had issued a provisional NOC to the university displaying its name on its website, the release added.

Dawn has learnt that the Punjab government had, on March 18, 2012, after disbanding the historic Government Sadiq College for Women, announced its upgrade to a varsity.

The college was established in 1944 during the period of late Nawab of Bahawalpur to promote girls education in the now defunct state. The college offered free of cost education to the girls.

The disbanding of the college sparkedresentment among the locals who argued that the government should set up a new varsity with its own campus instead of depriving the area of a girls degree college.

Though the HEC finally accorded accreditation to the women`s varsity, the `favour` is provisional.

Because of the delay in grant of accreditation to the varsity by the HEC, the institution had been without a full-time vicechancellor for three years, despite having its own syndicate, board of studies, board of faculties and academic council.

The press release says that Prof Dr Qaisar Mushtaq, the VC of Islamia University (IUB), holding additional charge of the women university since Jan 27, 2015, has promised the varsity`s take-off with the appointment of PhD academics and through giving priority to improving its neglected infrastructure.

It said recently the university`s finance and planning committee had approved its Rs604 million budget and the administration had established contacts with both federal and provincial governments for funds to be utilised for the purpose.