KARACHI, July 8: The NED University of Engineering and Technology's senate approved a Rs297.906 million budget of the varsity for 2004-05 showing a deficit of about Rs20 million.

The university expects an annual grant of Rs170 million from the Higher Education Commission, while it would generate Rs78.850 million from its own resources, besides from additional sources and supports. The recurring expenditures for the new fiscal were estimated at about Rs288 million.

The senate meeting was presided over by chancellor of the university, the governor of Sindh, Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan, while ex officio members, elected members as well as the chancellors' nominees to the statutory body also attended.

In his presidential address, the governor said it was heartening to note that the varsity tried to live within its means. Referring to the university's recently adopted double entry system of accounting, he said by observing the said system, the probability of falling prey to lapses was minimized.

He noted that the gradual increase in undergraduate admission as well as transparency in the admission process had provided considerable relief to citizens of the province, in general, and Karachi, in particular. He appreciated the senate's proceedings, and said it was held an orderly exercise.

In his annual report, varsity vice-chancellor Abul Kalam said the NED university had consistently balanced its annual budgets. However, he underlined the importance of private donations and the contribution of the varsity alumni to its development.

He said that after the Higher Education Commission HEC) replaced the UGC, the NED university like other engineering varsities was benefiting from the ministry of science and technology's endowment.

The university had also availed of the foreign faculty hiring scheme of HEC, and one such faculty member had already been provided to the university, he informed the meeting.

He said at present, PhD programmes at the university, which had been initiated in 2000, were restricted only to faculty members. He hoped that 18 to 20 PhD qualified faculty members would be available within the next three to four years besides others directly recruited in the meanwhile.

He pledged to reduce the budgetary deficit in coming years. The VC also noted that the varsity had not done enough to facilitate it students with respect to infrastructure, transport and other departments, adding the HEC had increased grant for the university, but that had been exhausted up due to increase in employees' salaries.

While taking up the various items on agenda, the VC agreed to a proposal about realisation of fees charged from students and noted that the varsity might have to raise the exam fees slightly.

At one point, the VC, who also conducted the meeting for some time in the wake of the chancellor's late arrival, observed that at the moment any implementation of the Model University Ordinance at the university was not found necessary, as such an action could cause unrest among the population on campus.

It was resolved in the meeting that the revised voluminous code book of the varsity should be placed on the internet for the benefit of senate members, instead of providing that in book form, which would cost the varsity an extra amount.

The meeting decided that the proposal regarding increase in honorarium of professors emeritus at the university and some amendments in the existing statuses should be deferred till the time the chancellor' secretariat completes its ongoing correspondence with the HEC on the issue, and intimates the varsity about its future line of action.

It was decided that teachers availing foreign scholarship/ study leave should be allowed to get house rent allowance and medical allowances in addition to their salaries.

Those who participated in deliberations included Dr Muhammad Raza Mehdi, Prof Iftikhar Zaidi, Anwar Ahmad Zai, Maulana Amjad Thanvi, Prof Jamil Akhtar, Prof Sarosh Lodhi, Talib Imam, Prof Ghulam Hussain, Prof S. A. Rafeequi, Prof Shams and Prof Muzaffar Mahmood and advisor to Sindh governor on education Abdul Wahab Shaikh.

After voting, a senior professor of the university, Ghulam Hussain was appointed as senate's member on finance and planning and university development working party. He secured 16 votes against Talib Imam, a nominee of the Sindh Assembly speaker, who got six votes.