Education to be privatised in Rawalpindi
RAWALPINDI:
The provincial government has decided to hand over 26 colleges, including four in Rawalpindi division, to the private sector. The decision was said to have been taken to increase the efficiency of these institutions. Around 100 more colleges are expected to follow suit.
Commissioners of the respective divisions will head the board of governors of the schools, while the DCO and members of the National Assembly will be its members.
The principal of the college will also serve as the secretary of the board.
Hiring for the institutions will be conducted by its board of governors.
The new institutions will have the authority to issue their own degrees, to be awarded in affiliation with the Punjab University.
Schools to be privatised in the first phase are Gordon College and Government Post-Graduate Girls’ College, Satellite Town, along with two more in Rawalpindi. Others, including the Government Degree College, Chakwal, and the Government Post-Graduate colleges in Jhelum, Lahore, Multan, Sialkot, Bahalwalpur, Faisalabad, Dera Ghazi Khan and Sahiwal.
The biggest impact of this transition is expected to be on the fee-structure of these schools, which are being forecasted to witness an increase of around 500 per cent.
Rejecting the proposed measure, Punjab Professors and Lecturers Association has announced to launch a protest movement.
Ilyas Qureshi, who is a member of the association, expressed deep concerns over handing institutions such as Gordon College, Rawalpindi along with 25 others to private sector. “The increase in fee would be unbearable. Presently the fee for degree classes in the colleges is Rs17,000 per annum, which will shoot up to Rs120,000 after the implementation of this policy. They are basically shutting the doors of education upon poor people,” he said.
He said that under the new system lawmakers, bureaucrats and other politicians would influence the college admissions and appointments for posts.
“This would spell disaster for the academic system,” said Qureshi.
Published in the Express Tribune, June 7th, 2010.
The provincial government has decided to hand over 26 colleges, including four in Rawalpindi division, to the private sector. The decision was said to have been taken to increase the efficiency of these institutions. Around 100 more colleges are expected to follow suit.
Commissioners of the respective divisions will head the board of governors of the schools, while the DCO and members of the National Assembly will be its members.
The principal of the college will also serve as the secretary of the board.
Hiring for the institutions will be conducted by its board of governors.
The new institutions will have the authority to issue their own degrees, to be awarded in affiliation with the Punjab University.
Schools to be privatised in the first phase are Gordon College and Government Post-Graduate Girls’ College, Satellite Town, along with two more in Rawalpindi. Others, including the Government Degree College, Chakwal, and the Government Post-Graduate colleges in Jhelum, Lahore, Multan, Sialkot, Bahalwalpur, Faisalabad, Dera Ghazi Khan and Sahiwal.
The biggest impact of this transition is expected to be on the fee-structure of these schools, which are being forecasted to witness an increase of around 500 per cent.
Rejecting the proposed measure, Punjab Professors and Lecturers Association has announced to launch a protest movement.
Ilyas Qureshi, who is a member of the association, expressed deep concerns over handing institutions such as Gordon College, Rawalpindi along with 25 others to private sector. “The increase in fee would be unbearable. Presently the fee for degree classes in the colleges is Rs17,000 per annum, which will shoot up to Rs120,000 after the implementation of this policy. They are basically shutting the doors of education upon poor people,” he said.
He said that under the new system lawmakers, bureaucrats and other politicians would influence the college admissions and appointments for posts.
“This would spell disaster for the academic system,” said Qureshi.
Published in the Express Tribune, June 7th, 2010.