SARGODHA - The Syndicate of the University of Sargodha (UoS) has barred five sub-campuses, established under public-private partnership, from new admissions in fall-2018 session upon academic irregularities, mismanagement and failure to abide by the mandatory standards set by the Higher Education Commission (HEC).
The decision was made in the light of the recommendations of a committee formed under the directions of HEC to gain full control over admissions, registration and examination matters of PPP sub-campuses as well as to ensure that they meet the required quality standards for academic and administrative staff, and teaching and research facilities.
The five sub-campuses of Lahore, Lyallpur, Faisalabad, Gujranwala and Mandi Bahauddin were established in 2012 under the private-public partnership without fair competition and in total disregard to the prescribed HEC criteria. In the case of Lahore and Mandi Bahauddin campuses, even the necessary approval from the syndicate and relevant bodies was not obtained.
The body also approved to issue student parent alert to inform them about the ban on new admissions in PPP sub-campuses and that the university will not register those students who will take admissions in sub-campuses in or after fall-2018 session.
The body directed to own the students of PPP sub-campuses who were registered with the main campus. The university will not abandon already registered students and will take responsibility of their academic future.
The HEC had allowed these sub-campuses to enroll not more than 50 students in each department, nonetheless, the campuses, in violation of the university rules and HEC recommendations, made excessive admissions in every single department and neither reconciled the admission data with the university nor paid the university share.
With the university having no control over financial, administrative and academic affairs of these private campuses, they freely admitted students who were lowest on merit, often in excess of the allocated seats. They admitted the students in such programs which were not offered in the main campus and awarded them inflated grades in the end with impunity.
The supreme body of the university recommended lodging an FIR against sub-campuses which had criminally used the university seal and stamp to issue fake documents to students including transcripts, result cards, registration cards and no objection certificates.
The meeting, upon payment of the university share, approved issuing official transcripts to the students of sub-campus Lyallpur, women sub-campus Faisalabad, sub-campus Gujranwala and sub-campus Mandi Bahauddin after collecting an undertaking from them that the university will not be responsible for any unpaid dues or any kind of financial dealings.
The four PPP campuses had paid the principal amounts and reconciled all the matters with the university administration while the sub-campus Lahore, instead of settling the outstanding dues, had approached the Lahore High Court, therefore, no decision about issuing transcripts to the students of sub-campus Lahore was made as the matter is sub-judice.
The university administration had initiated a scrutiny process against five PPP sub-campuses, in the aftermath of concerns communicated by the HEC regarding process of establishment, deficiency of facilities, faculty issues, enrolment of students in unrecognized programs and several complaints received from various corners.