The decision to affiliate 19 colleges with the newly-established Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University, Lyari is being criticised widely by the students and teachers, as the move is said to be political rather academic. Sindh Education department has directed the administrations of 19 degree colleges to get their institutions affiliated with Lyari University.
It has been decided that government and private colleges of Lyari and Gadap Town, which are affiliated with Karachi University, will be affiliated with Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University, Lyari. The decision to establish Layari University is just wastage of national resources, when the concerned authorities had no prior planning and strategy to make the project successful, said Professor Athar Hussain Mirza, President Sindh Professors Lectures Association (Spla).
He said the decision to establish Lyari University has been taken on political grounds just to attract the voters in next general elections. He was of the view that government should establish a new campus of Karachi University instead of setting up a new degree awarding institution in the area.
"It is a general practice throughout the world and even in our country that in first phase a new campus of well established university is used to be established in new town and subsequently after some time it has been upgraded as an independent degree awarding institution," Mirza added.
He said students studying in colleges of Gadap Town and other flung areas could not approach the newly established university to get their administrative problems solved. A female student currently enrolled in Government College for Women Saudabad expressed dismay over the decision of affiliation of her college with Lyari University.
"I am a student of B.Com part-I and when I came to know that I have to move Lyari for taking my annual exams was disappointing, as it will not be possible for me to continue my education," she said. Principle, Government College Shamspir expressing his dismay over the affiliation of the college with the university, said that the project of Lyari University would fail, as it lack basic infrastructure a proper university needed.
The move appears to be a political, he felt, adding that once the present government competed its tenure there is every chance of failure of the project due to which future of the students will be at stake. In this connection, a high level official of Directorate of Colleges Karachi told Business Recorder on condition of anonymity that not only 19 but more colleges would also be directed to get affiliation of Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University, Lyari.
However, he termed decision as good for the colleges, saying that the education department is planning to upgrade colleges to be affiliated with Lyari University. He said that all colleges would be equipped and their budgets would also be enhanced in order to meet the expenditures in this regard.
Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University, Lyari which is also known as the Lyari General University will conduct the exams of BA, BSc, B.Com and Masters of these affiliated colleges. Colleges of Lyari Town, Gadap Town, Malir Town and Kemari Town will be affiliated with the University.
The degree colleges which will get affiliation of Lyari General University include Government Girls College Lyari, Government Degree Boys College Lyari, Haji Abdullah Haroon Government College (Morning/ Evening), Ronaq-e-Islam Girls College, Government Degree Boys College Gadap, Government Degree Boys College Mango Pir, Government Degree Boys College Surjani Town, Government Degree Science College Malir (Morning/Evening), Liaquat Government College Malir (Morning/Evening), Government College for Women Saudabad, Government Degree College Malir Cantt, Government Degree College Murrad Memon Goth, Government Degree Girls College Ibrahim Hydri, Government Girls Commerce and Arts College Malir. Allama Iqbal Government Boys Science College.