Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has decided to set up 66 universities in the neglected areas of the country to provided educational facilities to the low income segments of the society.

It has been revealed in a government document available with Daily Times that the government has also earmarked huge funds for setting up these university campuses in the far-flung areas of the country where the people are deprived of higher education.

According to documents, the government will establish 31 universities sub-campus in the first phase and the planning ministry has sent a proposal of Rs 4.58 billion to the Executive Committee of te National Economic Council (ECNEC) in this regard.

Furthermore 16 cities will get government universities campuses and 15 universities will obtain virtual universities campuses.

It is mentioning here that out of 143 districts of Pakistan, 68 districts have no campus or sub-campus of any standard educational institute.

In the first phase, the university campuses will be established in nine districts of Balochistan which include the sub campus of the University of Balochistan at Pishin, the sub campus of the University of Balochistan at Dera Murad Jamali, the sub campus of Lasbala University of Agriculture, Water and Marine Sciences Uthal at Wad Khuzdar, sub campus of SBK Women University Quetta at Nushki, sub campus of virtual university of Pakistan at Dera Bugti, sub campus of the Virtual University of Pakistan at Harnai, sub campus of Virtual University of Pakistan at Jhal Magsi, sub campus of Virtual University of Pakistan at Qila Abdullah and a sub campus of Virtual University of Pakistan in Ziarat, Eight campuses will be built in Sindh which include a sub campus of Shaheed Benaziabad at Sanghar, a sub campus of Sindh Agriculture University Tando Jam at Umerkot, a sub campus of Shah Abdul Latif University Kkhairpur at Shahdadkot, a sub campus of Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur at Ghotki, a sub campus of IBA Sukkur at Kashmor, a sub campus of the Virtual University of Pakistan at Tharparkar and a sub campus of the Virtual University of Pakistan at Tando Muhammad Khan.

There are 24,000 students both male and female from the neglected areas who will benefit from these institutions and the first phase will be completed in 2019.