ISLAMABAD: The top ranked institute of higher education in our country, the Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad is being ruined due to continuous financial constraints whereas the university administration opt for the non-fulfilment of vacant faculty positions, rising fees and doubling the student’s enrolment to reduce the budget deficit, which is meant to destroy this important seat of learning.
The budget figures of last two years indicate the deficit of millions as in year 2015-16, the total resources of the university were Rs.1684.143 million as compared to the expenditures of Rs.2308.357 million and the budget deficit was Rs.624.214 million; whereas, in year 2016-17 the resources are Rs.2059.553 million and estimated expenditures are Rs.2576.140 million while the budget deficit for present year is still Rs.516.587 million.
Instead of finding out a viable solution or taking up the matter with relevant circles, the university’s management opt to keep vacant a large number of academic posts in the university to save the funds and engaged visiting faculty members to teach the students by compromising on its traditional level of education. Documents available with Daily Times showed that 165 out of total 434 budgeted teaching staff posts were vacant in the university last year. On the other side, the university has increased the number of students in the new badges of different degree programmes. The reliable sources revealed that in some departments, the university management almost doubled the number of students to meet the expenditures.
Although, in the aforementioned techniques the university is trying to align its expenditure with resources, but this is badly hampering the quality and level of education in this important university, which is known for highly qualified faculty across the country. As per the vision of government, Mr. Ahsan Iqbal, has announced to open at least one campus of any public sector university on the district level, but ignored the problems of the country’s top ranked university.
The Higher Education Commission also dropped a development project submitted by the university regarding enhancement of academic and research facilities in QAU besides the revision of PC-I for said project, four times.
If the government will not take up the funds scarcity issue properly and the university management will continue its policy to compromise on standards than the day is not far away when the only highly reputed university of our country will become a paper degree awarding institute. For the first time in its history, the QS Ranking Agency ranked the Higher Education System Strength of different nations in the world and it disappoints every tax payer of the country when he/she found out that Pakistan is the lowest in overall ranking of the higher education among 50 countries Pakistan scored only 9.2 out of 100 and secured a position lower than even Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, India, Turkey and Lebanon.
The parameters of this unique ranking was primarily based on flagship institutes of any country and it showed this worst position is mainly because the HEC failed to declare QAU as Pakistan’s “Flagship Institution” and denied special funding for its development.
President Academic Staff Association (ASA) of QAU” accused the VC and HEC Chairman for destruction of the university. He said: “It is the duty of VC to take up financial issues with Chancellor in best interest of the university, but he is trying to save his job while Chairman HEC is also ignoring our university.”
He questioned; “If Ahsan Iqbal can bring three campuses of different universities in his native district then why he cannot he fulfil the needs of country’s flagship institution in higher education.
Responding on the issue a spokesperson of QAU, Dr. Illhan Niaz, has confirmed that the university was facing serious financial problems and was forced to reduce the faculty positions and increase the number of students.
He said: “We have requested a number of times that the government should resolve the financial problems of the QAU.” He said further; “If the government can provide bailout package for non-performing organisations like steel mill then why not for the QAU, which is a performing and top educational institute in the country.”
Talking to Daily Times, Director Media Aayesha Ikram said that QAU faces financial crises due to their internal mismanagements. “No crises from the side of the HEC”, Ikram added. She revealed that it was an internal prescribed mechanism in each university and the Degree Awarding Institution for finalising their budgets, adding that once they approved their budgets after that the HEC used to fund them accordingly.