HYDER ABAD: The Sindh University is neither interested in taking back around Rs100 million it has spent in over five years on a number of faculty members who were sent abroad for doing PhDs but either refused to come back or returned without finishing the doctoral studies, nor has it taken any legal action against them.

Sources in the university told Dawn on Monday that the huge amount had been spent during the Snancial years 2006-07 to 2010-11 on eight faculty members, whohad exceeded their stay abroad after successfully doing PhDs and never returned. They were: Issa Abbasi, Sadaf Naseem Jutt, Aijaz Ahmed Soomro, Mehtab Sindhi, Zohra Ahsan Khuwaja, Mohammad Akhtar Rind, Mohammad Zeeshan Patoli, Meena Kumari, said the sources.

The university had not recovered even a single penny from them and in a belated action just moved their cases to courts after expiry of study leave instead of recommending to the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to use diplomatic channels to seize their passports and bring them back, said the sources.Meena Kumari, for instance, who spent Rs10 million in 2006-07 on her doctoral studies in the UK, came back to the SU only to participate in balloting for residential plots worth over Rs5m and left again.

The SU administration did take back some dues but only in selective cases of the teachers who returned without getting degrees like Sujo Meghwar (Rs4.5m), Mohammad Ali Pasha (Rs0.6m-Rs0.7m), Aneel Kumar Bhatia (Rs0.7mRs0.8m), Kamran Brohi (Rs1.8m) and Sajjad Chachar (Rs3.7m).

But the varsity had not so far taken any action to recover dues from seven oth-ers who also returned without having completed doctoral studies. They are: Mohammad Siddique Soomro (Rs4.6m), Sikandar Hussain Soomro (Rs5m), Mazhar Mustafa Memon (Rs0.6m), Allah Wadhayo Halepoto (Rs5m), Fareeda Panhwar (Rs6.5m) and Ayaz Chachar (Rs4.6m) and Farwa Shah.

Except Halepoto and Ms Shah, the other five had joined the university without facing any action or having to pay back the taxpayers` money, said the sources.

Around 115 faculty members were sent abroad between 2006-07 and 2010-11 under the Faculty Development Programme(FDP) and the University Strengthening Programme (USP) for PhD.

The university had adopted a policy of selective accountability in recovery of expenses. The teachers who failed to complete their PhDs take advantage of `thesis trade` to cling on to their jobs. `In this unscrupulous trade, experienced teachers write thesis for them and help them get PhDs from local varsities,` said a source.

HEC officials and the Sindh government`s audit teams had pointed out irregularities and financial embezzlement in SU accounts on this account.

The audit report (2012-13) says: `SU is extending unduefavour to unsuccessful `scholars`. Rs45 million may be recovered from the (absconding) teachers with 14 per cent interest. Money from unsuccessful candidates has not been recovered under the rules`.

Sindh University Teachers Association president Arfana Mallah said: `The HEC should take action and the SU must write to the HEC for legal action against absconding teachers.` She, however, did not agree that `thesis trade` was flourishing.

The SU spokesman confirmed in his Feb 26 email to Dawn the termination of services of five teachers out of 21 but did not say anything about `thesis trade`