How to run a university into the ground

Eight years on, BBSU in Lyari does not have a registrar or examinations controller

KARACHI: Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University (BBSU) in Lyari was inaugurated amid much fanfare by the Pakistan Peoples Party government in 2010. Eight years on, the varsity seems to struggling to meet the academic standards pledged at the time of its creation.

Upgraded from the Lyari Degree College after being given degree-awarding status, the varsity currently boasts five faculties - Pharmacy, Management Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Computer Science and IT and Law. None of these faculties currently have a dean.

The varsity itself is being run by Vice-Chancellor Prof Akhtar Baloch for the past four years. Meanwhile, it has been unable to fill the posts of registrar or examinations controller for the past several years. The finance director stationed by the provincial government is also due to retire soon.

The outgoing provincial government failed to fill in the vacant posts, including those of the registrar and examinations controller, leaving the varsity in an administrative mess for the past several years. The founding registrar, Dr Mehboob Sheikh, completed his tenure in July 2014, after whom the seat has been lying vacant.



Ever since, the day-to-day matters are being looked after by a 17-grade assistant registrar Mohsina Sikandar, who has been given the additional charge of deputy registrar.

For the first three years, the university's examination office was led by 75-year-old Prof Noor Muhammad Memon, who stayed on the seat long after his tenure ended, before handing over the charge to a contractual examinational controller. The university does not have any full professor except its vice-chancellor, while the rooms of associate professors also remain vacant.

Sources affiliated with the varsity told The Express Tribune that BBSU has failed to attract any qualified professors even after numerous calls for vacant positions and newspaper advertisements. This, despite the fact that the varsity has made an attempt to incentivize the jobs by offering an additional emolument for professors under the title of 'Lyari allowance'.

Meanwhile, the provincial government has turned a deaf ear to the demands by its administrators, including calls for land allocation to set up a proper university campus. After several letters to the CM House, the university did receive written approval for a 200-acre piece of land at Hawkes Bay, but the provision remains in limbo at the provincial board of revenue for the past eight years.



Since its inception, the varsity has held only one meeting of its senate body on November 21, 2014. According to reports, the university's budget was spent without approval from its senate body, prompting the chancellor's office to order an independent audit into any embezzlement of funds.

The current administration did publish a call for proposal in the newspapers, but did not receive expression of interest from any audit firm. The second ad for the same brought one audit firm on board and the tender was awarded without any competition. According to sources, the company that had undertaken the task, left the varsity without completing its audit.

BBSU boasts seven departments within its five faculties, the latest being the Pharmacy department. It does not, however, have a single PhD among its over 30 staff members. Nor does the varsity publish any research journals of its own, putting a big question mark on its academic and research standards.

According to VC Dr Baloch, following the approval of the Sindh Universities Amendment Bill 2018, the university has been given powers for recruitment on top administrative posts, including the registrar and controller of examinations. "Both posts will now be filled in by the varsity's selection board," said the VC, adding that that the case for an independent audit will also be reopened in the upcoming senate body meeting and a letter in this regard will soon be sent to the relevant stakeholders. On the appointment of full-time professors, Dr Baloch said the university had received applications and the administration was hopeful that the faculty requirements would soon be met.