NA Body for strict action against Urdu University VC

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly's Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training on Wednesday directed the authorities concerned to take strict action against Federal Urdu University Vice Chancellor Dr Salman D Muhammad for having a fake degree.

The committee, which met here Col (Retd) Amirullah Marwat in the chair, also directed to cease the pay and other facilities of the vice chancellor, besides de-notifying him.

The committee chairman said action should also be taken against the officers who showed negligence in the case.

Speaking on the occasion, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) chairman said universities had lack of financial discipline and might become bank defaulters.

He informed the committee that around 480 programmes of M Phil and PhD had been closed so far as the universities did not meet the criteria.

The body was also informed that “The Sir Syed Center for Advanced Studies in Engineering (CASE) Institute of Technology Islamabad Bill, 2016” was being evaluated by the HEC, which would a take decision after ensuring standard academic, financial and infrastructural facilities at its site in Sector B-17, Islamabad.

The committee also discussed “The Institute for Art and Culture Bill, 2018”.

It also considered that “The Minorities Access to Higher Education Bill, 2018” was aimed at allocation of five percent quota for minorities in all the universities as well as degree awarding institutes.

The body was told that the HEC did not support the bill, as it was contrary to the spirit of merit and HEC’s Model University Ordinance No. CXX of 2002 which reads, “University shall be open to all persons of either gender and of whatever religion, race, creed, class, color or domicile and no person shall be denied the privileges of the university on the grounds of religion, race, caste, creed, class, color or domicile”.

People belonging to the minorities had already been getting admission, on merit, in all the higher education institutions, it added.

The committee was told that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor, on the recommendations of HEC, had directed the Vice Chancellor Women University Swabi to reverse the recruitment process initiated in pursuance to their advertisement dated 11th December, 2017 and follow the standard recruitment procedure as pointed out by the HEC.