KARACHI, June 27: The private party interested in getting two major nationalized colleges back is unwilling to engage the existing government staff and wants their withdrawal before the institutions are handed over to it, said sources in the Sindh education department.

It was learnt that the Catholic Board of Education (CBE), which had been in negotiation with the education department regarding the retransferring of St Joseph’s College for Women and St Patrick’s College to it, in line with the government’s policy of denationalization of educational institutions, lately informed the department that it wanted to get back the colleges in question without meeting any financial obligations.

“The CBE desires the department to waive off some of the major conditions set by the Sindh government for denationalization of educational institutions, which is not possible for the department,” said a source, adding that the board’s case would be referred to the Sindh governor for a final say.

In its previous meetings with the representatives of the CBE, considered the genuine claimant of the two colleges nationalized under MLR 118 in 1972, the education department had clarified that the government was already adopting a soft attitude towards them and was ready to drop certain conditions. But it would have to pay one year’s salary to the existing staff and keep them in service for the period, following which the staff, both teaching and non-teaching, could be offered the option of a golden handshake, said the source.

Under a government decision on denationalization of educational institutions, which was taken in August last, among other conditions, private parties are required to retain the staff working in such educational institutions for one year before denationalization. If they (the owners) do not need their services after a year, they would have to contribute 50 pc towards golden handshake to the staff.

Private parties are also required not to charge any added tuition fee till the time of completion of their studies in the institutions in question. The new/previous owners are also required to pay for the government investment, if it exceeded book value of Rs500,000, while the value of the investment made within the last five years would be determined by depreciating the book value by 15pc per annum.

Since the declaration of the government’s policy of privatization, about 65 applications were received at the education department for denationalization of colleges and schools in the city. However, only a dew claimants could have succeeded in establishing their ownership title.

Sources said that the CBE, from the very beginning, had been maintaining its reservations in meeting financial obligations and that was why the education department, at one stage, came up with the notion that the government, keeping in view the charity and welfare projects of the board, could do away with its demand of payments in connection with the golden handshake for teaching and non-teaching employees of the two colleges.

However, apart from the golden handshake, the board was also informed that it would have to pay about Rs28 million on account of teaching and non-teaching staff’s salaries for one year, after denationalization. At present, the two colleges in question have an enrolment of about 4,000 students, while about 160 teaching and non-teaching staff are posted there.

In its urge for meaningful relaxations with regard to financial matters, the CBE recently informed the education department that since it was a charitable trust operating on donations and contributions, it would not be possible for it to pay a huge amount of money, said sources.

The CBE requested to waive off the conditions of paying any amount in return of denationalization of the two colleges.

It was also not ready for the removal of IT laboratory equipment from the institutions.

In fact, the board wanted handing over of the two colleges latest by June 30 on a “as-is-where-is” basis, so that they could function independently and admit students for the new academic year commencing on Aug 1, added the source. It also quoted the board that all students of the two colleges already enrolled would be retained by the CBE for continuing with their education without charging any extra fee.

The board hoped that the education department would transfer all existing government teaching and administrative staff to other government colleges from July 1. It also pointed out that there will be no shifting of any furniture, equipment or materials at the time of vacation of the premises by the government, added the source.

It was further learnt that the board, in its communication to the department, had also mentioned that President Gen Pervez Musharraf, during his last visit to his Alma Mater, St Patrick’s School, had assured the members of the board that the two colleges would be handed over to them soon in order to improve the standard of education and quality of studies there. But the issue was being delayed.

Another source confided that the education department was in favour of the denationalization of the colleges in question, but needed special approval of the governor or his cabinet since the CBE’s case sought sifting from rules and norms.

The department may call back the teaching and non-teaching staff and absorb it in other colleges, but not within the timeframe described by the CBE, as it was practically impossible, added the source.

One senior academician said that the handing over of colleges on CBE’s terms and conditions could set a precedence for other claimants or old owners of some other educational institutions in the city as well.

They could also demand leniency in their cases, while teachers, students and political quarters had already been fearing an educational mess in the wake of denationalization, he added.