Varsities must seek NOC for new depts

Sindh government has directed all the public universities and degree awarding institutes of the province not to open new departments, programmes and campuses without No Objection Certificate (NOC). The establishment of new programmes and departments has been made subject to the NOC of Sindh Higher Education Commission (SHEC), while the establishment of new campuses will now be possible only with the approval of the chief minister.

Regarding the said initiative, a formal order has been issued with the approval of the Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and the Department of Universities and Boards has also issued a notification in this regard in which it is said that the controlling authority of the government universities of the province, CM has approved the recommendation sent by the provincial HEC.

In this regard, institutions have to present the need of the relevant department or programme, job opportunities, the importance of the subject in the current situation and also justification of its business model. In the notification, it has been further stated that approval of new campus and all related matters will be approved by the competent authority, CM himself.

Sources told The Express Tribune that few months ago, SHEC had sent a summary to the CM emphasising that universities should be bound not to start any new department or programme based on their decisions alone.

SHEC Chairman Dr Tariq Rafi, told The Express Tribune that now every university must provide a formal justification before establishing any department or initiating a new programme. Approvals from the Syndicate and Academic Council will no longer suffice. In the event of establishing any of the aforementioned, institutes will need to disclose information regarding fund management and the financial impact of appointing teaching and non-teaching staff. They must also assess whether the respective department/programme is crucial for society, and if it will prepare students for social change and employment opportunities post-program completion.

According to him, a meeting of the vice chancellors of government universities was also called few days ago on the instructions of CM, who is also the controlling authority of universities, and it was made clear to the vice-chancellors that they should follow these instructions. The chief minister expressed dissatisfaction with the performance of universities, noting that they have not improved their standards despite receiving substantial grants from the government.

In this regard, The Express Tribune has learned that the Sindh government is aware that certain programmes and departments have been initiated in some universities within the province. These programmes do not have sufficient funding for admissions as per the specified quotas. It has been alleged that these were started for political or recommended appointments, despite the universities in Sindh already facing significant financial losses. Additionally, some universities requested additional grants from the Sindh government during the last quarter of the fiscal year 2023-24, which concluded last month.