LAHORE  -  The Punjab government has decided to be hard on university administrations, which failed to comply with the chancellor’s directions to remove officials appointed in violation of the set criteria.

The chancellor of the universities had ordered the Higher Education Department (HED) to start an exercise to screen out those elements who were recruited to higher seats of learning in violation of merit. “Not only people having political links were accommodated but they were hired without giving any advertisement in newspapers,” said an HED official.

He said the malpractice not only worsened research and coaching culture at the higher education institutions but also discouraged competent people.

Citing that the Supreme Court removed some VCs on reports that their appointments were made by compromising criteria, the government decided to audit the entire mechanism. “There are reports that many people have been promoted as professors at the varsities and they lacked even the minimum requirement of publications,” the officer said.

EXHIBITION: The Information Technology University’s (ITU) Centre for Governance and Policy is going to arrange an exhibition titled “Pakistan: The Making of a Nation” as part of Independence Day celebrations on Monday (today).

The vice chancellor of the Information Technology University will inaugurate the exhibition.

For the first time some rare pictures of the first year of Pakistan’s creation will be put on display at the exhibition. Most pictures will focus on Father of the Nation Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, showing him taking oath as the first governor general of Pakistan, his visits to all provinces of Pakistan and his meetings with various leaders.

The exhibition will also showcase Quaid’s last public appearance at the inauguration of the State Bank of Pakistan on July 1, 1948 and his funeral procession.

Several important speeches of the Quaid are also being highlighted at the exhibition.