The University of Balochistan’s plight
Students from remote areas of Balochistan come to UoB hoping to get some education, but they are denied what is due
The writer is a freelance journalist based in Quetta and former staff reporter of The Express Tribune
The University of Balochistan (UoB) is the largest and the oldest public-sector varsity of the province, responsible for imparting quality higher education and research in diverse areas. The UoB strives to provide postgraduate students with affordable education, offering programmes in more than 30 disciplines. Following the passage of the Eighteenth Amendment, it faced a severe financial crisis. As a result of the financial plight, academic activity at the university was adversely affected, with teachers launching a campaign in the streets to bring the crisis to the attention of the government. In response, the provincial and federal governments helped resolve the crisis and the varsity is now comparatively stable, financially.
However, the administration and other officials concerned have not taken serious interest in bringing the university up to par with higher educational institutions in other provinces. This is mainly due to dirty politics, malpractices and lack of interest on their part. The utter apathy of the administration and the authorities concerned is apparent through the fact that two new buildings, including one for an FM campus radio station, established in 2014, are yet to become functional.
The honourable vice-chancellor, along with the governor and the chief minister of Balochistan, inaugurated the two buildings last year, with the federal government and the Higher Education Commission (HEC) giving the go-ahead for the radio station to become functional. It is very unfortunate that since its inauguration, the campus radio station has become controversial, resulting in the closure of this Rs100 million project for the past five months despite all the necessary equipment for it having been installed. Approvals to fill various vacancies have been given, yet the university seems least interested in having a functional campus radio for the under-privileged students of Balochistan, who hardly get any opportunity to display their talents.
When asked about the reason for the radio station remaining non-functional, and yet making appointments to various vacant posts without advertising for them, the administration explained that it is under pressure from different political parties, with most of the appointments being made due to officials succumbing to political pressures.
Another important issue that the university faces is the lack of teachers. Although vacancies for the post of lecturers were advertised last year, NTS tests for only few of the posts have been conducted and the necessary selection process for all posts still hasn’t been completed. Furthermore, the administration has not released the final list of those candidates whose NTS tests and selections were conducted. The history department’s failure to display its list despite the lapse of a month highlights negligence on the part of the administration. The university has no funds to apportion when it comes to basic academic activities, like providing stationary to the departments, while money is readily spent on construction of new buildings, which are later not even made functional.
It is the responsibility of the HEC to carry out proper checks and balances, at least on the projects the commission itself approved. The key posts of the UoB seem to be occupied by incompetent individuals, who cannot make hard decisions. The result is that it is the poor students who suffer the most. Their academic year is near its end and their dream of working for the campus radio station, amid many others, remains unfulfilled. The students of this poor province have a list of complaints against the varsity administration and its policies, but are often disappointed by the lack of interest on the part of the government and the varsity higher-ups. Students from the remote and far-flung areas of the least developed province of the country come to UoB with the hope of getting some education, if not of a very high quality, but due to dirty politics and malpractices, they are denied what is due to them.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 28th, 2015.
However, the administration and other officials concerned have not taken serious interest in bringing the university up to par with higher educational institutions in other provinces. This is mainly due to dirty politics, malpractices and lack of interest on their part. The utter apathy of the administration and the authorities concerned is apparent through the fact that two new buildings, including one for an FM campus radio station, established in 2014, are yet to become functional.
The honourable vice-chancellor, along with the governor and the chief minister of Balochistan, inaugurated the two buildings last year, with the federal government and the Higher Education Commission (HEC) giving the go-ahead for the radio station to become functional. It is very unfortunate that since its inauguration, the campus radio station has become controversial, resulting in the closure of this Rs100 million project for the past five months despite all the necessary equipment for it having been installed. Approvals to fill various vacancies have been given, yet the university seems least interested in having a functional campus radio for the under-privileged students of Balochistan, who hardly get any opportunity to display their talents.
When asked about the reason for the radio station remaining non-functional, and yet making appointments to various vacant posts without advertising for them, the administration explained that it is under pressure from different political parties, with most of the appointments being made due to officials succumbing to political pressures.
Another important issue that the university faces is the lack of teachers. Although vacancies for the post of lecturers were advertised last year, NTS tests for only few of the posts have been conducted and the necessary selection process for all posts still hasn’t been completed. Furthermore, the administration has not released the final list of those candidates whose NTS tests and selections were conducted. The history department’s failure to display its list despite the lapse of a month highlights negligence on the part of the administration. The university has no funds to apportion when it comes to basic academic activities, like providing stationary to the departments, while money is readily spent on construction of new buildings, which are later not even made functional.
It is the responsibility of the HEC to carry out proper checks and balances, at least on the projects the commission itself approved. The key posts of the UoB seem to be occupied by incompetent individuals, who cannot make hard decisions. The result is that it is the poor students who suffer the most. Their academic year is near its end and their dream of working for the campus radio station, amid many others, remains unfulfilled. The students of this poor province have a list of complaints against the varsity administration and its policies, but are often disappointed by the lack of interest on the part of the government and the varsity higher-ups. Students from the remote and far-flung areas of the least developed province of the country come to UoB with the hope of getting some education, if not of a very high quality, but due to dirty politics and malpractices, they are denied what is due to them.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 28th, 2015.