LAHORE: The Punjab University College of Information Technology (PUCIT) has come under fire for its ‘failure’ to produce “Impact Factor” research despite having abundant faculty members and resources. While, other varsity departments with less number of faculty members and resources have shown far better research output.

The Punjab University is currently scrutinising the academic departments’ research output and utilisation of resources to identify best researchers and offer them incentive awards. The varsity is also collecting the research data for onward submission to the Higher Education Commission for ranking purposes.

The PUCIT has produced 10 impact factor research papers while it boasts of having 17 PhDs and 23 other faculty members pursuing their PhDs. This constituent college also has the largest regular faculty of 60 members. In terms of facilities, the college was provided with 182 computers and laptops for the faculty members alone.

It is learnt that PUCIT Principal Prof Dr Mansoor Sarwar has no research paper to his credit as principal researcher. He has, however, produced three research papers – as a co-author with junior faculty members.

The PU mathematics department has produced 82 impact factor papers besides 18 research papers published in HEC recognised journals with only 20 regular faculty members, including 11 PhDs.

The PU zoology department has produced 58 impact factor papers and eight research papers in HEC recognised journals. The department has 21 faculty members, including 20 PhDs.

When contacted, PUCIT Principal Prof Dr Mansoor Sarwar outright rejected the varsity’s data terming it “wrong information”.

He said the PUCIT’s comparison with the mathematics and zoology department showed varsity administration’s mala fide intentions. “The PUCIT is a young department, while the mathematics department has its indigenous PhD programme.”

Sarwar said the university administration should compare PUCIT’s performance with other varsities’ IT departments. He also said he had produced six research papers as a co-author.

Being a young academic department, Prof Sarwar said the PUCIT during the past eight years was focusing more on undergraduate programme and had produced valuable human resources that were running industries and software houses – for the benefit of society.

He said the PU administration should also make public the research output of Law College, which had earned W category. A PU spokesman says the Law College’s four faculty members have earned PhDs as late as in 2013 and 2014 and falls in social sciences.

Published in Dawn March 3rd , 2015

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