Women varsity’s 11 depts shut

Departments are working in a building rented by Swabi Model School

SWAT:

Around 11 departments of Women University Swabi (WUS) were closed down by Swabi Model School (SMS) after the university failed to pay the building rent.

Officials told The Express Tribune that WUS has rented building from Swabi Model School (SMS) in Kota village where 11 departments are functional for the past few years but the university has failed to pay the rent and it has Rs6.4 million in dues to be paid to the school.

“On Monday, after repeated warnings, the SMS staff closed down all the 11 departments working in its building and didn’t allow the students to enter,” said another official, adding that like the rest of the universities in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) the WUS is also passing through a financial crisis.

It is worth mentioning here that Swabi Model School was established during the MMA government by the then minister education Fazal Ali Haqqani on a large piece of land in Kota village. He named it Fazal Ali Haqqani School but the ANP government renamed it Swabi Model School. Since the school has a large building which is more than enough for its own use so it rented a large part of the school building to WUS which established 11 departments in the building where hundreds of female students are enrolled. Its own main campus is under construction adjacent to the school.

The payment of rent is a perennial issue between the school and university administration.

The school administration says that they are not treated well by the university administration and they don’t pay on time. On the other hand the university administration claims that the school was merged into the university by its first vice chancellor Shahzadi Akhunzadi.

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There are allegations and counter allegations from both sides. After the merger, the school experienced financial losses three years ago following which the university started efforts to end the merger on one pretext or the other.

The university didn’t want to share the financial burden of this school in the face of its own financial losses so Minister Education Shahram Tarakai was also involved in negotiations and at long last in August 2021 the university issued a letter that it has nothing to do with the school.

A teacher of the women university claimed that a few days ago the students were not allowed to take classes in the building and the university administration had asked for one week time to clear its dues.

“Now after two days they have again stopped the classes. The university has to pay Rs3.4 million in rent and Rs3 million in security,” she claimed.

A school teacher claimed that they have not been paid for four months and they are waiting for the payment of rent from the university so that their salaries could be released.

University students also blamed that the tussle on the rent and use of the building is wasting their precious time.

When contacted the university administration rejected the claims of the school teachers and administration.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 17^th, 2021.