LAHORE: The Punjab government has passed the Universities and Institutes Laws (Amendment) Act 2025, introducing sweeping changes to the composition of syndicates in public and private universities across the province.

The new law mandates the inclusion of three members of the provincialassembly(MPAs), with at least one female legislator, in the governing bodies of the institutions.

A private member submittedthe bill and it was passed by the assembly.

The amendments, which take immediate effect, modify the Acts of over 26 public and private universities. The public sector universities include the University of the Punjab Lahore, Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan, Islamia University Bahawalpur, University of Engineering and Technology Lahore and Taxila, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture Multan, University of Sahiwal, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi, Fatima Jinnah Women University, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Lahore, University of Health Science Lahore, University of Rasul Mandi Bahauddin, Mir Chakar Khan Rind University of Technology Dera Ghazi Khan, Punjab Tianjin University ofTechnology, Kinnaird College for Women Lahore, University of Okara, University of Sialkot, University of Narowal and the University of Kamalia.

The private sector entities include the University of Southern Punjab Multan, Qarshi University, Lahore Garrison University, Times Institute of Multan, Global Institute Lahore and NUR International University.

Previously, syndicate membership for MPAs varied, with some universities allowing only one or two nominees. The revised law standardises this by requiring three MPAs, all nominated by the Speaker of the Punjab Assembly, with a clear provision ensuring female representation.

The move have been largely criticised, with experts concerned over the increased legislator`s participation creating problems between policymaking and academia.Education experts were of the view that one MPA, secretaries of the Higher Education and Finance departments, and one person from the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan were members of the syndicates and only the number of MPAs was increased.

They said that the increase was challenging the autonomy of the varsities, which had already been diminished by bringing changes in their Acts.

They said that they conveyed their position on the new amendments to the Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC) chairperson and were waiting forhisresponse.They said they would also challenge the amendments if their concerns were not be addressed.

They also called for a transparent nomination criteria to ensure that appointments were based on merit and expertise rather than politicalconsiderations.

They said that it was not a positive step for higher educationin the province.

PHEC Chairperson Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan told Dawn that the bill was presented by private members and it was passed.

He said that during meeting of the committees, PHEC, HED and Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat also opposed the bill, but some private members did not budge and they passed the bill.

He said that they had submitted their reservations and it was part of the committees` documents.

With the amendments now in force, universities across Punjab are expected to reconstitute their syndicates accordingly.

The reforms mark a pivotal shift in the governance of higher education in the province, with potential long-term implications for institutional autonomy, resource allocation, and genderbalanced leadership.