Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training on Tuesday expressed dismay over the untoward incidents occurring in universities.

The committee met under Chairmanship of Dr Amirullah Marwat and discussed several issues being faced by the universities due to weak administrative control. The committee chairman said that a fake degree holder was still serving as vice chancellor of a public sector university.

“The Higher Education Commission (HEC) found out that the PhD degree of Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology VC Salman Muhammad had been plagiarized. Despite this, he has not been removed,” he said.

Marwat said that such a stubborn approach of the university administration was damaging its image and had caused several other issues.

While addressing the chancellor of the university and president of the country, Marwat said that they would stage a protest in case the VC was not removed.

The committee also discussed the Abdul Wali Khan University (AWKU) Mardan incident. In April, Mishal Khan, a student of AWKU, was killed by a mob for allegedly publishing blasphemous content.

The committee said that strict action should be taken against the elements who were involved in the murder of Mishal Khan. It also said that the administration was also responsible for the incident.

The legislators discussed a case of sexual harassment at COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT). “Why has the administration not taken any action against the accused so far?” they asked.

The matter of financial irregularities in the Swat University also came under discussion. While responding to the lawmakers, the HEC representative said that the university was getting Rs 900 million from the federal government and Rs 1 billion from the provincial government. The HEC official said that the university administration had made additional payments to the contractors.

In response, the Federal Education and Professional Training Minister Balighur Rehman said that the HEC should probe the matter and inform the ministry about the results.

“If the HEC is not willing to take action over irregularities at universities, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), we will go ahead in this regard,” the committee chairman said.

The chairman also directed officials to submit a report in this regard at the next committee meeting.

Zulfiqar Ali Bhatti pointed out a sexual harassment case reported at the University of Sargodha (UOS). “An impartial investigation should be held and the accused should be punished according to the law,” he said.

The lawmakers also said that stern action should be taken against elements who created trouble at the Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU). Few weeks ago a clash had occurred between two groups in the QAU and dozens of students had been injured in the incident. At the end, the committee recommended that an inquiry committee should be constituted under supervision of the HEC to investigate such incidents.

Published in Daily Times, June 21st, 2017.