Body formed to solve issues: Punjab government yields to pressure of private universities

As a result of political pressure by the Association of Private Universities of Punjab, mostly owned by owners of the media houses, the Punjab government on Thursday surrendered and announced to solve all the issues of accreditation and unauthorised sub-campuses by constituting a reforms committee on private sector universities.

Punjab Higher Education Minister Raja Yasir Humayun Sarfaraz announced this in a press conference along with President of Association of Private Universities of Punjab Chaudhry Abdul Rehman, Vice Chancellor University of South Asia Mian Imran Masood, Rector University of Lahore Awais Raoof, and Secretary HED Punjab Sajid Zafar Dall.

He said the committee would consist of four members from the private sector and four members both from the provincial higher education department and the Punjab Higher Education Commission.

Raja Yasir said the government was in the favour of private universities and without their support it alone could not cope up with the challenge of providing quality education to the youth of country. He also said the government would not compromise on the quality of both public and private sector universities of the province.

Yasir said private universities were facing problems regarding laws and regulations in taking approval of their programmes and sub-campuses. He hoped that the newly-constituted reforms committee would play an important role in solving the long standing issues faced by the private sector universities.

The minister categorically said the government was not making any law to punish the management of private sector universities and their VCs who were involved in any kind of wrongdoing. He said that private universities would be dealt as per their charters approved by the assemblies.

President of Association of Private Universities of Punjab Chaudhry Abdul Rehman said that private universities were not asking for any undue favours from the government. "Their only demand is that there should be no undue interference from the higher education department and the Punjab Higher Education Commission." He said universities should be allowed to work freely according to their charter.

It is pertinent to mention here that private universities are putting pressure on the government since January this year the Higher Education Department (HED) Punjab declared 23 sub-campuses of seven private sector universities unauthorised, and has directed the universities to immediately stop any further intake of students at these sub-campuses.

Recently, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman former Justice Javed Iqbal had forwarded recommendations of NAB's Prevention Committee on "Educational institutions offering courses with NOC of HEC and accreditation by the authorities/ bodies" to Chief Minister Usman Buzdar for further necessary action.

The private universities had also recently established a platform under the banner of Association of Private Universities of Punjab in order to resist the action of Punjab HED and Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC) of regularizing the programmes and sub-campuses of the private universities.

The Association hold press conferences and gave advertisements in print media in which they appeal to the Prime Minister Imran Khan, Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar and Governor Punjab Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar to take notice of actions taken against them by the Punjab HED and PHEC.

Earlier, the Spokesman Punjab HED, in a statement clarified that government had not stopped any private university from working neither issued any orders to close down sub-campuses. He said that concerns of private universities were baseless. "HED has sent the notices to the unauthorized sub-campuses of private universities for violating their own charter. Recommendations have been given by the Special committee of Punjab Assembly in this regard."

He further maintained that those campuses had been restrained to enroll more admissions for violating the law. He said the future of the students of those sub-campuses would not put on stake as government was a guarantor of the rights of those students, adding the government was not against the good project of private sector but wanted to help them. He directed to avoid creating unrest among the students.