Punjab governor prohibits varsities from expelling students

Governor directs authorities to facilitate students in depositing fees in installments

LAHORE: Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar on Wednesday barred the public and private universities from expelling students over non-payment of fee owing to financial challenges posed by the lockdown in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic.

In a letter to the vice chancellors and rectors of public and private sector universities across the province, he also directed to facilitate students in depositing their semester and other fees in installments, and stopped the varsity from taking any adverse action against the students which may affect their future.

The letter further read: “Covid-19 pandemic has severely affected the social and economic life of all segments of society wherein the middle and poor classes are bearing the brunt of the financial crisis. In such testing times, they might be facing difficulty in payment of academic fee of their children.”

Earlier on June 22, university students had given out a call for a protest outside the Governor House to press for relief in fee payment and other matters.

The governor, in his capacity as the Chancellor of private and public sector universities, held a meeting with the protesting students from the 'Universities Student Action Committee' and asked them to call off their strike while promising them to look into their demands compassionately.

The students committee had called off the strike after assurance of the Governor Punjab.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 25^th, 2020.