Loralai varsity — a gem in the making

QUETTA:

The University of Loralai will help end illiteracy and promote higher education in the less developed far-flung areas of Balochistan.

The university has been established at a cost of Rs1,493.751 million.

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has provided funds for the university with the objective of establishing the university to provide better opportunities of higher education to the students of Loralai and its adjoining districts of Panjgur, Awaran, Gwadar, Barkhan, Kohlu, Musakhel, Killa Saifullah, Zhob and Ziarat.

At present, there are 1,200 students enrolled in the university which offers nine programmes in 10 departments with a total enrollment capacity of 1,500-2,000 overall.

An official of the Balochistan government told APP that as a result of implementation of these projects, the enrollment of students at graduation, masters, MPhil and PhD levels would increase considerably.

The provincial government has already provided 500 acres of land for development of all proposed facilities for the Loralai University.

Similarly, the annual recurring expenditure and income after completion of the Loralai University was estimated to be the same as was for the University of Turbat.

The University of Loralai being established over a vast area has all the facilities for co-curricular activities as well as a student facilitation centre.

Moreover, the university apart from the ten departments had also established a law college which would be functional by March 2023 as construction work has been under way.

The youth of Balochistan used to travel to Karachi and districts of Punjab and Islamabad to acquire education that was economically unfeasible and difficult for the students hailing from low income families and communities.

The dedicated higher education facility for Loralai would be helpful in ending discrimination of the masses and youth of the far-flung areas who would get a level playing field to polish their educational and interpersonal skills.

During the formulation of the varsity quality of education and standards were being set and well maintained to ensure merit and quality over quantity at the university.

Political instability, paralysed social mindset, and rampant nepotism have largely crippled educational institutions in Pakistan.

Another factor that is driving Pakistani universities to the fringe of academic fiasco is financial irregularities.

Conventional bureaucratic wisdom and poor educational strategies are chiefly responsible for it.

Poor management practices lead to nowhere due to mismanagement in the academic and administrative blocks in educational institutions in Balochistan which must be eliminated.

Commenting on the significance of education for national integrity and stability, Islamabad based journalist and security analyst Rahim Nasar, who belongs to Loralai, said that promoting education and ensuring infrastructural development in remote zones help in counterinsurgency.

In Balochistan, strengthening educational institution on a priority basis is extremely important in terms of security.

He added that Balochistan, especially the Pashtun belt, is of great strategic importance in the changing geostrategic and geopolitical scenarios.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, September 26^th, 2022.