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Rs480m for upgrading BZU sub-campus to chartered varsity

By Shafiq Butt 2014-09-28
SAHIWAL: The local sub-campus of the Bahauddin Zikariya University, Multan, will be upgraded to a full-fledged chartered university (subject to approval from the Punjab Assembly) with the initial seed money of Rs480 million.

The autonomous university will spread over 57 acres of land with 11 different departments. The college will not be disturbed, converted or merged into a university campus.

It is learnt that the Government Post Graduate College will function as a public sector college to cater to the need of lower and middle class students.

Three proposals were under-consideration -one was the up-gradation/conversion of the GPGC into Government College University, Sahiwal; second was the up-gradation/conversion of the existing subcampus of the BZU, Sahiwal, into an independent charted university and the third was the establishment of university after merger of the GPGC and the sub-campus of BZU in Sahiwal.

The local commissioner office has reportedly held many deliberations with stakeholders to explore the merit and demerit of the three proposals.

Local elected PML-N leadership led by Punjab Minister for Zakat and Usher Malik Nadeem Kamranwas strongly favoring first and third proposals. But the two proposals were strongly opposed by the divisional and localleadership of the Punjab Professor and Lecturer Association (PPLA) and 150 college teachers of GPGC.

The PPLA had demonstrated against the conversion of the GPGC into an autonomous chartered uni-versity by changing its board.

The PPLA and local college teachers sought public support from the district bar association, civil society and the Sahiwal Chamber of Commerce and Industry for not changing the existing status of GPGC.

Supporters of PPLA argued that merger, conversion and changing college existing status would not only bring resentment among 835male/female college teachers of the Sahiwal division, but it would also close door of education for the low and middle class income group who get benefit from the subsidized fee structure.

`The government college is the only college of the city providing quality education to students of lower and middle class,` saidAbdus Salam Dolla, the divisional president of PPLA.

Divisional Ittehad-i-Asatiza head Dr Mirza Moeen said that any change in the status of college might result in mushroom growth of private institutions with enhanced fee structure for lower and middle class. `This will harm our constitutional obligation where the state is responsible for citizens` education`, he said.Interestingly, the elected representatives of PML-N were supporting the conversion of college into a university, but the PPLA leadership had conveyed to Malik Nadeem Kamran that it would harm him in the next elections.

`He (Malik Nadeem Kamran) himself remained a student of the same college to whom he is now recommending privatization`, said Prof Tahir Islam, the local president of PPLA.

It is in this background that Sahiwal Commissioner Muhammad Sadiq Shaikh had been tasked with analyzing three alternative proposals.

Sources said the commissioner met all stakeholders and sought their opinion and, later in a letter No. C-2/Dir (D&F) Comm(SWL)/2014/488 dated Sept 19, 2014, to the Higher Education Secretary, he recommended the up-gradation of the BZU sub-campus to a university without changing the existing status of the GPGC.

The commissioner confirmed to Dawn that he favored the up-gradation proposal in the larger public interest.

He said before launching the proposal he personally talked to BZU vice-chancellor Prof Dr Alqama, who in writing had given him commitment to upgrade the Sahiwal sub-campus to an autonomous chartered university.

A source privy to situation at the commissioner office said that MPAMalik Nadeem Kamran had also beentakenonboardbeforelaunching the proposal.

Currently, two academic blocks, one administration block, a guesthouse, a studentservice center are operative in the BZU sub-campus.

The commissioner say there are 12 PHD doctors with more than 3,000 male/female students who are already admitted to eight different disciplines at the BZU sub-campus.

`It`s easy to start a new chartered university by upgrading BZU campus without creating unrest at large by converting GPGC into an autonomous university`, he said.

The commissioner admitted there was sufficient grant available for extension and provision of allied facilities for the university.

PPLA divisional president Abdus Salam Dola thanked divisional administration for being `sympathetic` with larger community cause.

The PPLA announced full support to the divisional administration for converting the BZU campus into the chartered university without changing existing status of GPGC.

BZU, Multan, registrar Malik Munir told Dawn on phone that the provincial government could change the sub-campus status into a chartered university but only through an act of the provincial assembly. `The same was done by making Ghazi University in Dera Ghazi Khan,` he said.