HEC gives nod to first public varsity in Hyderabad

Even before the varisty has opened its doors, it has been beset by financial troubles

KARACHI: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has issued the No Objection Certificate (NOC), subject to different terms and conditions, to Government College University Hyderabad, allowing it to enroll students for a year.

However, despite the issuance of the NOC, funds for Government College University Hyderabad have not been allocated in the annual budget 2019-20 by the Sindh government. As a result, the university administration is left with no other option but to intake students without having any funds to run the university.

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Additionally, due to lacks of funds, appointments on key administrative and academic posts have also been delayed.

The varsity is the first government university of Hyderabad, and as per the NOC, it has been permitted to intake students for graduation programmes in eight departments, each comprising 40 seats.

The extension of the NOC, is however, subject to the fulfillment of certain conditions set by the HEC. These conditions bind the varsity to form all statutory bodies on an immediate basis. But the university has only been able to form the syndicate and board of studies so far. Other bodies like the senate, academic council and affiliation committee are yet to be formed.

However, the university's acting vice-chancellor Nasiruddin Sheikh told The Express Tribune that the administration was in talks with Nawabshah University and Sindh University, for the formation of an affiliation committee.

The NOC also binds the university to appoint faculty in accordance with HEC's terms and conditions. The HEC's terms and conditions state that the faculty of each department should include a professor, an associate professor, two assistant professors and two lecturers.

The professors and associate professors should have PhD degrees. It also necessitates that immediate appointments be made on key posts such as that of registrars and finance officers.

Currently, the university needs to appoint at least 13 faculty members holding PhD degrees, but it seems a near impossible task in the absence of sufficient funds.

According to Sheikh, advertisements for appointments on academic and administrative posts have been published but it would be difficult to make any appointments without any funds. The university doesn't have any funds released by HEC or the Sindh government, he said, adding that it only has funds amounting to Rs100 million allocated to the Government College Mori. He informed that these funds would be used to pay for college expenses and couldn't be spent on the university.

He also informed that for the time being, staff members transferred from other universities have been given the charge of key designations and the university was in talks with Universities and Boards secretary, who had assured that he would try to release some amount for the university from collective funds set aside for universities across Sindh.

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Besides, as per the NOC, the university is also required to separate itself from the college built in its premises.

The NOC also restricts the university from initiating postgraduate programmes without the HEC's permission for an unspecified time period.

The HEC's terms and conditions also require the university to establish a quality enhancement cell and appoint staff for it, further improve internet facilities on its premises, devise a policy to award scholarships to 10% of the students and submit a compliance report on its progress to the HEC by December 2019.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 22^nd, 2019.