PESHAWAR: Delay in convening meeting of the University of Haripur syndicate has put many PhD scholars` pursuit of higher studies in peril.

Sources said that after repeated requests by the varsity vice-chancellor, the governor, who is its chancellor, had agreed to convene the senate meeting, but to no avail.

The governoris under an obligation as chancellor of the university to convene the meeting and approved statutory bodies so the university could function properly and award degrees to the poor students, said the sources.

They quoted the vice chancellor as saying that until the senate meeting was held no degree could be awarded and no thesis processed.

The sources said that there were over 350 scholars, many of whom had completed course and research works and had paid all the fee of the university.

`Some even submitted their thesis in February 2013 and have been waiting for processing of the same to be able to join service or continue further studies, they maintained.

They said that the Haripur campus was anestablished campus of the Hazara University, running the departments of environmental sciences, religious studies, agriculture and education.

`M.Phil and PhD scholars have been carrying out research work since 2012 when the campus was upgraded to a full university,` added the sources.

The sources said that the students were told by the university administration that they would be dully awarded degrees, but the varsity neither sent the synopsis and thesis for approval to the Hazara University nor did it form the required statutes for approval.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the sources said, the situation of higher education was worsening day by day as the PTI-led government had no time to concentrate on this vital matter.

They added that the provincial government, which was mandated by young generation to bring change, was busy in sit-ins at Islamabad, and had no time to convene the senate meetings of the University of Hazara and University of Haripur despite the fact that minister for higher education belonged to Hazara division.-APP