KARACHI: Nazim vows to continue opposing decision - Denationalization of colleges
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Aug 12: Maintaining that denationalization of educational institutions in the city is not in the interest of education, City Nazim Naimatullah Khan said on Thursday that he would continue to oppose the move.
Mr Khan was replying to questions at a press conference held for a brief about the salient features of the city government's centralized admission policy and commencement of admission process for class XI.
The nazim said that the provincial government did not take him into confidence before taking a decision in regard to the denationalization of St Joseph's College for Women and St Patrick's College.
"The education minister should have consulted me in the matter as I had, on record, expressed my serious reservations over the government's denationalization plan," he said. He observed that the nationalization of educational institutions in '70s was a mistake, but denationalizing them would prove to be a 'blunder'. He apprehended that the plan would destroy education system once again.
He vowed to raise the issue at every forum of the government. Mr Khan expressed the view that the devolution was indeed a good system, but due to certain adventurers, its process was facing troubles time and again.
He said that recruitment of lecturers and teachers for the institutions run by the city government should not be the job of the provincial government. Such powers should be vested in the city government as provided under the devolution plan, he added.
The city nazim observed that standard of education at government institutions was improving and it was heartening that students of school in Lyari, too, were giving 100 per cent results in Board examinations. Performances of government colleges also appeared far better than those of the private ones, he added.
Regarding the centralized admission policy, the city nazim said that it was in vogue for some years and there appeared no complaint of nepotism, favouritism, etc., in the process of admission to the first year classes in colleges.
Admissions are given under a transparent system and a computerized ranking of applicants is issued by a committee comprising senior college teachers and public representatives. Though there have been pressures for bypassing the transparent system, we would continue with the policy.
Naimatullah Khan said that Sindh Minister for Education Dr Hamida Khuhro had also expressed her satisfaction over the admission policy and supported it. The admission to first year classes in city colleges and higher secondary schools will commence on August 13 with the sale of prospectus and application forms through 40 designated branches of HBL.
The EDO (Higher Education), Prof M. Rais Alvi, told newsmen that the last date for submitting the forms had been fixed as August 25, while merit lists would start coming out from the admission committee by the first week of September.
Prof Alvi said that teaching in the case of newly-admitted students at colleges would begin in the third week of September. A total of 79,065 seats are being offered for admission to Science, Commerce and Arts faculties at 120 colleges and higher secondary schools. City government added 22 colleges during the last two years, while it made another 10 functional this year.
