ISLAMABAD, Sept 30: The federal government has decided in principle to upgrade the National College of Textile Engineering, Faisalabad, to the level of university subject to its meeting the criteria laid down by the cabinet in its recently held meeting, official sources told Dawn on Monday.

It has been decided by the government that the proposed university should have qualified faculty in the relevant fields; revision of curriculum to the latest education standards in the textile sector; registration of trust with the registrar of societies and deposit of endowment to the tune of Rs15 million.

However, a four-member committee constituted by the federal government after visiting the college campus has reported that at present the institution did not deserve to be given the status of a degree awarding institution.

The National Textile Education Foundation (NTEF) which had already been formed in the private sector on the pattern of National Management Foundation of the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) had also proposed that the college should be made a university and the facilities, equipments, assets and liabilities of the college be transferred to the proposed university.

The foundation will have the status of a trust with broad based private sector representation from all sub-sectors of textile industry with some public sector representation as well.

Sources said a few cabinet members were of the view that the government should also be given representation in the board of the university as the whole public property would be transferred to the proposed university in the private sector.

The federal government has also decided that the proposed university would be given exemption from duties and taxes on the import of equipment to be installed in its various department.

The tuition fee for the proposed ‘National University of Textile Engineering, Faisalabad,’ to be run by the private sector, will not be increased, sources said.

The textile college was established in 1954 with the financial assistance of leading textile industrialists, initially for a three-year diploma course.

Later, the federal government donated 62 acres of land for the establishment of first textile engineering college in the private sector, whereas the British government provided machinery and equipment under the Colombo Plan.

In 1976, following the nationalization of the educational institutions, the college was taken over by the federal government, but 46 per cent financial requirements were met by the All-Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma), while the college income and textile cess were 42 per cent and 12 per cent, respectively.