Approval steps skipped in proposal to separate ICCBS from KU

Draft law placed on cabinet agenda without mandatory recommendations, sources say

KARACHI:

The Sindh government has placed a draft law to separate the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) from the University of Karachi (KU) on the cabinet's agenda without mandatory approvals from the relevant statutory bodies, it emerged on Monday.

According to senior government officials, the summary and proposed legislation lack the required recommendations from the Sindh HEC and the Charter Inspection & Evaluation Committee (CIEC)-the bodies responsible for evaluating and recommending degree-awarding status for higher education institutions.

Sources told The Express Tribune that the Universities and Boards Department forwarded the draft law to grant ICCBS autonomous status directly to the Sindh cabinet without routing it through the CIEC or Sindh HEC. "The draft was never examined by the statutory committees, nor was any inspection visit conducted, which is a prerequisite for processing a new charter," an official said.

The CIEC-comprising former vice chancellors and experts-is tasked with inspecting institutions and recommending whether they qualify for degree-awarding status. The committee is convened by former NED University VC Dr Sarosh Lodhi, while Sindh HEC chairman Dr Tariq Rafi oversees the broader process.

Officials noted that all public and private universities and degree-awarding institutes across Sindh have historically been chartered on the basis of CIEC evaluations.