MULTAN: The administration of the historic Government Emerson College, disappointed over the conduct of the Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU), has decided to disassociate itself from the university and get affiliation for its postgraduate programmes from the University of Sargodha, Dawn has learnt.

The BZU administration allegedly failed to issue accreditation to six postgraduate programmes recently introduced by the college.

Government Emerson College Principal Abdul Jabbar told this correspondent the BZU vice chancellor had promised to grant approval to the college to start its new postgraduate programmes under the semester system while the college would also be allowed to convert the annual system of its already launched postgraduate programmes into semester system.

He said the college was already offering admissions to seven postgraduate programmes.

He further said classes for the six new postgraduate programmes had started in October but BZU had not issued them an NOC so far. Jabbar said, therefore, they contacted the Sargodha University whose administration expressed willingness and issued accreditation to the college.

He said the BZU VC asked them not to accept Sargodha University’s offer, as they would facilitate them.

He said the college administration was still interested in being affiliated with the BZU but if the university did not issue the required notification, they would have no option but to completely disaffiliate themselves from the university.

BZU Registrar Malik Munir Hussain said legally the college administration could not disaffiliate itself from the BZU. He said the case to allow the college to convert its programmes into semester system was presented in the university’s Syndicate meeting that forwarded it to the academic council. He said the council would decide the matter in its meeting on Jan 24-25.

The Government Emerson College was established in 1920 and named after Sir Herbert William Emerson, the then governor of Punjab.