DERA GHAZI KHAN: The sole university and majority of colleges in the division have been functioning without a vice chancellor (VC) and principals owing to a lack of interest by the Punjab higher education department that has left the higher education system of the division in a pathetic condition, sources told Dawn.

The Ghazi University has been running without a vice chancellor and is housed in an old, dangerous building of a postgraduate college, which was merged into the university. The university does not even have proper hostel facilities to board students from other areas. Its syndicate had been unable to hold meetings to provide avision for smooth functioning of the university and address problems it was faced with.

Currently, the vice chancellor of Islamia University Bahawalpur (IUB) held additional charge of the Ghazi university, which could not ensure efficient operations of the university for long. Despite a sanctioned post of a project director of the university, it has not had an official who could contribute to the development of the university that possessed land for expansion.

The posts of deputy director colleges and assistant director colleges were lying vacant for a long time and creating problems in smooth functioning of colleges of the division.

It is a cause for concern that out of 65 colleges of the division, 38 were running without principals. Colleges without administrative heads have demonstrated poor performance regarding enrollment and annual results. Problems in holding regular classes at government colleges have paved the way for private academymafia to thrive.

Sources told Dawn that Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had issued directives four years ago to establish four new colleges in Dera Ghazi Khan -Bakhar Wah, Kot Chhutta, Chowk Borana and Shahdan Lound. However the people of these areas have been waiting for those colleges since then.

Sakhi Sarwar, an old shrine city located in the foothills of the mountainous Sulaiman Range, needs a postgraduate college for the people of the tribal area that could bring social change to the area.

An educationist told Dawn that the HED criterion for establishment of a college was one college against a population of 20,000. Considering this, Dera Ghazi Khan city should have at least six colleges. But there was only one college struggling to fulfil educational needs of the city with its cramped building.

Moreover, the building for a women`s college in Dera Ghazi Khan had been constructed over a couple of years but had yet to start functioning.