KARACHI, Nov 14: The Charter Inspection and Evaluation Committee of the Sindh government started functioning with the physical inspections of facilities and infrastructure of three private institutions desiring to establish new universities or degree-awarding institutes, it was learnt officially.

The provincial committee, headed by vice-chancellor of the University of Karachi, Dr Zafar Said Saify, visited the premises of the three institutions on Wednesday.

The institutions have applied for grant of charter in order to offer different academic programmes including computer sciences, business management, business administration and law.

Doing away with the old policy of granting charter to private institutions, the Sindh government has prepared a documents as guidelines for establishment of a new university or degree-awarding institute in the private sector.

Earlier the University Grants Commission, Islamabad, used to issue NOCs to the provincial government for grant of charter to different institutions.

A government official said the guidelines had been prepared as framework for facilitation of preparation for intending partners (private sector) to promote developmental activities, particularly in the field of education.

The official added that the document, prepared by a committee which was constituted by the Sindh government cabinet, identifies various organisational, legal, financial and other related formalities/requirements, which need to be fulfilled and adhered to for submission of feasibility report, inspection and negotiating collaborative arrangements.

After receiving feasibility reports from the applicants, the Charter Inspection and Evaluation Committee, that included vice-chancellor of the University of Sindh, Mazhar Siddiqui, and additional secretary (Academics), Prof Rais Alvi, visited the premises of proposed Newport university, Dadabhoy university and Abdullah Haroon university.

It was said that the sponsors of the said projects were already running different programmes with the collaboration of foreign universities/colleges or the University of Karachi. One of the sponsors in question has already invited applications for admission to various bachelors degree programmes in the area of information technology and business administration and announced its admission schedule as well.

When contacted, an official at the Sindh education department said that till date no institution had been given any indication for carrying out admissions in the capacity of an independent university or degree-awarding institute.

The charter committee has made only site inspection of the institutions for physical verification of the infrastructure and available facilities for ascertaining the institutions has the ability and capacity to run the academic programmes or not, the official added.

It was further learnt that the Sindh education department would submit the cases to the chief executive of the province for approval of the establishment of the university/institute and enactment, provided the feasibility and inspection reports were found satisfactory.