Rules and regulations: PU unlawfully grants admission to 26 students

Syndicate member says VC has unlawfully created additional seats.

LAHORE: The Punjab University (PU) administration has granted admission, in violation of rules, to 26 students at its College of Engineering and Technology on the sports quota.

Additional seats were created for the purpose on the instructions of the vice chancellor (VC). The students were admitted for the 2014-2015 academic session without approval of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology dean, according to documents available with The Express Tribune.

According to Admission Rules for Faculty of Engineering and Technology, only five outstanding sports persons might be admitted to the college on the recommendations of a committee appointed by the VC.

The students have been admitted to BSc programmes in chemical engineering, electrical engineering, fuel engineering and energy technology, industrial engineering and metallurgy and materials engineering.



The list is available with The Express Tribune.

The students have been given a “100 pre cent fee waiver … in the interest of promotion of sports”.

“The Faculty of Engineering and Technology has one of the highest admission merits in the province. Creation of 26 additional seats is a violation of merit,” said a member of the PU Syndicate.

“No rules allow the VC to create additional seats in the name of promoting sports,” he said.

The dean of a faculty is also chairman of the admission committee of that department.

“The dean was by-passed and the PU administration allowed his juniors to complete the admission process. This makes the entire process illegal even if the VC had granted special permission to create additional seats.”

Sports Admissions Committee Chairman Shahid Kamal said the Sports Department had recommended the 26 students for admission to the Faculty of Engineering and Technology.

“I had forwarded the request to the VC who approved it by creating additional seats.” He said the allegations of corruption were baseless.

He said the number of students admitted to the university was no greater than the previous years.

“Some very good sportsmen applied for admission. Some seats in other departments were converted to accommodate them in engineering.”

Kamal said the VC had the authority to convert seats from other departments under “special circumstances”. He said all the 26 students were sportsmen and had been admitted after trials.

However, the Syndicate member said the trial of those admitted on the sports basis should be taken by an independent team. He demanded that the chief minister look into the matter.

PU Registrar Liaquat Ali said he had no knowledge of such admissions. “I will look into the matter if I receive any complaint in this regard.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 13^th, 2015.