HYDERABAD: Amid rising inflation in the country and improving financial situation of the institution of higher learning, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sindh, Jamshoro, Prof (Meritorious) Dr Muhammad Siddique Kalhoro has announced an increase of Rs5,000 in the salaries of teaching assistants (TAs) working in the different academic departments/ institutes/ centres and Rs200 in the daily wages of the employees of the varsity on Monday.

The TAs and the daily-wage employees will get the increased amounts in their April salaries.

This announcement was made during a joint meeting of Deans of various Faculties, heads of academic departments and administrative officials, which was chaired by the VC Dr Kalhoro.

The Vice-Chancellor said that the wages of the day workers had been increased by Rs 200 in order to give them some financial support in times of galloping inflation. He said that the salary of teaching assistants had also been increased for the furtherance of their financial affairs, adding that the increase will take place with effect from April 2023.

Dr. Kalhoro said that the positive results were surfacing in terms of financial resources of the varsity by virtue of adopting austerity measures and the wherewithal was getting better.

He said that the policies of higher education commission were being fully implemented and the admissions to MPhil and PhD were being done under the HEC guidelines.

In the meeting, it was decided that those candidates will stand eligible for admissions to MPhil in different disciplines who secured at least 40% score in the test, while they will have to obtain 10% score in the interview as well, adding that the admissions would be made on a total of 50 marks.

The house was told that the director of the Sindh University Testing Center Dr. Aftab Chandio will immediately hand over the lists of MPhil candidates to his counterpart - Director Research and Graduate Studies so that the admission process might be kicked off in due course of time.

Expressing contentment, the Vice-Chancellor informed the house that more than 10,000 admissions to the bachelor degree programs had been made for the academic year 2023 till March 27.

“One of the reasons for the increase in admissions is our strategic planning which includes initiating new academic disciplines”, he stated.

He said that the teachers who had not yet submitted the exam results of the second semester should submit the same by March 31 in any case so that the results could be announced on time.

The house unanimously decided to fix March 31 as the deadline for the students to deposit their fees for the next higher classes. It was also decided that the interviews for the appointment of teaching assistants in Allama I.I Kazi campus and other campuses will be completed by March 31.

The Controller of Semester Examinations Muhammad Mashooque Siddiqui informed the meeting that there were 19 law colleges affiliated to the University of Sindh, most of the principals of which had not yet submitted the examination forms of the students to his office, due to which the examination schedule could not be issued.

On which the Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Muhammad Siddique Kalhoro instructed the Controller to issue the schedule of the examination from April 6 and that no further delay will be tolerated in this regard. He said that the future of the students was dear to him; consequently the precious time law undergraduates could not be wasted further.

Dr Kalhoro announced that the remuneration of duties in the pre-entry test of bachelor degree programs will be given to all employees before Eid.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023