KARACHI: Staff’s perks, status to be redetermined:
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, April 30: Though the services of the inherited teaching and non-teaching staff of the newly-established Federal Urdu University of Arts, Sciences and Technology stand protected, their ranks and privileges would be redetermined in line with the relevant university rules.
This was stated by the university’s Vice Chancellor, Dr Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui, while speaking at a press briefing here on Wednesday on the proceedings of the first meeting of the varsity’s senate. The meeting, held on Monday and Tuesday, was attended by 11 senate members.
Dr Siddiqui said that under the system adopted by the formerly Federal Government Urdu Science College and Federal Urdu Arts College, teachers used to be promoted on seniority basis. However, he added, now when the two colleges had been upgraded to two campuses of the renamed university, the teaching staff would be required to appear before a selection board for any promotion.
He said that the existing staff, working under the Federal Urdu University Ordinance, were at liberty to continue their services or otherwise. He said that their status, salary and other perks would be reviewed and redetermined as per a formula to be finalized by a committee of the varsity’s senate.
He told newsmen that the senate had endorsed some of his moves pertaining to start the affairs of the university, charter of which was approved by the president on November 13 last.
He said that an ad hoc policy for appointments of chairpersons and heads of different departments was approved by the senate.
Mr Siddiqui said that different committees had been constituted to help form statutory bodies, including a syndicate and academic councils, board of studies and selection board and that some of these bodies were likely start functioning in a couple of months or so.
The university needed expansion and strengthening of its faculty, he said and added that fresh appointments would be made as per the policy to be framed shortly.
“In the meantime, we have motivated about 20 members of the existing teaching staff to undergo research, either within the country or abroad, and obtain PhD degrees,” he said.
Enrolment process for the new student batches has already been started and examinations will be held under annual system. A committee has been entrusted with a task to determine the system of examinations for the university. The committee would put forward its report on merits and demerits of semester, biannual or other systems.
While the university senate has already approved launching of Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Marketing Management and BS Computer Sciences and Information Technology, introduction of a couple of new programmes, including the Business Information System, and MCom with Information Technology, is being worked out.
To a question, the VC said that under the university’s charter, there was no provision for continuing with the intermediate class teaching, which was in vogue at the two former Urdu colleges, and as such the university was responsible for phasing out the existing batches of the intermediate class students only.
He said that about 3,500 students were admitted to first year intermediate classes at the two college every year and it was felt that a vacuum could exist due to the winding up of the colleges. However, it was up to the federal ministry of education and provincial education department whether they wanted to continue with the intermediate classes or not. But, at the same time in this regard, Urdu University would be willing to offer its existing facilities.
The Registrar, Prof Muhammad Sajidin, distributed copies of the new logo of the university as approved by the senate. “The basic element of the logo is ‘Urdu’ written in its own alphabetical order so beautifully in green colour to form a motif and also represent the Islamic calligraphy and four provinces of the country,” the professor explained.
FINANCES: The Director (Finance) of the University, Abdul Sattar, said that a revised budget of the university would be finalized and sent to the authorities concerned latest by October.
He said that during the current fiscal year, the two Urdu colleges merged into one university were allocated a grant of Rs70 million of which only 40 per cent had been made available so far.
He said that in an ideal condition, university could demand Rs234 million while some other projects related to the IT faculty, PhD programmes and Fibre Networking were already being sponsored by the government.
University has an inherited liability of Rs82 million — Rs47 million under the head of pensions and a perpetuated deficit of Rs35 million.
