PESHAWAR: The State Bank of Pakistan has inscribed the image of Islamia College Peshawar on the new coin of 20 rupees in recognition of the services of the 100-year-old educational institution, which has been upgraded since 2008 to a university.

Prof Ajmal Khan, the vice-chancellor of Islamia College University (ICU) Peshawar, here on Thursday launched the coin inscribed with ‘100 years of glory (1913-2013)’ and the name and picture of the historic building of the college.

He himself missed the centenary celebrations of the historical institution held in 2013 because he was in the captivity of Taliban since September 2010. He was recovered seven months ago.

Everyone having a currency note of Rs1,000 or Rs100 could easily recongnise the building of Islamia College Peshawar. The vice-chancellor thanked Pakistan Post for choosing Islamia College Peshawar for the postal stamps and State Bank of Pakistan for issuing the 20 rupees coin in acknowledgment of its100 years of service.

“Islamia College is not just an institution but a movement as at first it was a group of youngsters of Islamia College who coined the name Pakistan,” said Mr Khan.

Ajmal Khan says academics affected as vice-chancellors kept changing

The vice-chancellor, who remained missing for about four years, discussed how badly the institution suffered in his absence owing to ad-hocism.

“It was nobody’s fault but vice-chancellors kept changing and academics and discipline did suffer,” he said.

Mr Khan, who calls in a lighter vein his days in captivity as ‘a long holiday’ said that at least three vice-chancellors were changed in four years time that affected academics and discipline. He, however, proudly said that in a short span of five years, ICU had produced 12 PhDs, 200 MS and MPhil and some 1,200 post-graduates in MA, MSc and MBA disciplines.

“We are planning to start new departments in arts and architecture, pharmacy, criminology and many new disciplines,” said Mr Khan.

There are around 10,000 students at the two wings of Islamia College, for boys and girls; Islamia Collegiate School and university level. “There are 313 teachers but we do need more teachers,” said the vice-chancellor.

The ICU is also looking towards provincial government for financial support to initiate development projects like a new academic block and much-needed hostel for girl students.

Since more than half of the 2,054 kanals of land owned by Islami College Peshawar has been occupied by the University of Peshawar, Mr Khan also urged the government to compensate them by allotting land to them in Regi Lalma as promised earlier.

Although Islamia College Peshawar has produced known bureaucrats, educationists, politicians and professionals, it has also produced 59 Olympians and international players in hockey, squash, cricket and other sports yet there is not a single gymnasium for indoor sports in the institution.

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2015

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