July 23, 2008	Wednesday	Rajab 19, 1429

ISLAMABAD, July 22: The Senate Standing Committee on Education has taken serious exception to the delay in the release of third-quarter funds to the International Islamic University (IIU), according to a press release.

The committee met IIU President Dr Anwar Hussain Siddiqui on Monday and discussed the issue.

Its members assured Dr Siddiqui that they would pursue the case with the government to immediately restore the grant, enabling the university to continue with its aim to achieve academic excellence.

The committee said it would take up the matter with both the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the Ministry of Finance.

This university could be a model in the entire Muslim world, if adequate funds and complete autonomy are provided, Senator Razina Alam, who was leading the delegation, said.

The IIU president presented an overall financial position of the university and informed the visitors about the problems being faced by it due to 70 per cent cut in its grant for the last quarter for 2007-08.

The university had to pay the staffers’ salaries amounting to Rs64.5 million for the months of April and May from pension funds, students fund, and reserve funds as loan due to absence of funds, he said.

Dr Siddiqui said 15 per cent raise, which was promised to the university for 2008-09, would not be given and its budget would be frozen at the last year’s allocation. The university cannot meet the expenses with the number of students increasing every year, he added.

“The government has announced a 20 per cent increase in the salaries of the employees, doubled the conveyance allowance and made a substantial raise in the house rent subsidy and pension.

“The total additional financial impact will become about Rs60 million as a result of these increases,” he noted.

He called for the restoration of the all funds, grants and allocated amounts, enabling the university to meet the needs.

The IIU president also mentioned that no fund had been allocated for Dawah Academy this year, saying the academy had been funded since 1985 and Rs61 million grant was also given last year.

The annual grant for Iqbal International Institute for Research and Dialogue (IRD) amounting Rs30 million for 2008-09 has also been dropped, which would affect many programmes, conferences and international scholars already invited for a dialogue, he concluded.