CHAKWAL: The Punjab government has given a go-ahead signal for the establishment of a sub-campus of the University of Punjab in Chakwal.

In its Annual Development Programme for the financial year 2017-18, the government had allocated Rs500 million for the establishment of the sub-campus.

A formal approval will be given by the Higher Education Commission, Punjab Higher Education Commission and the PU syndicate in a next few days.

In this regard, Deputy Commissioner Chakwal Dr Omar Jahangir summoned a meeting on August 8. In his letter, the DC stated that the establishment of the PU sub-campus was reflected in ADP 2017-18 with an estimated cost of Rs500 million on the recommendation of MNA Tahir Iqbal. “Now the concerned MNA has desired to schedule a meeting to finalise the site and to proceed further for issuance of its administrative approval,” the letter stated.

The meeting was chaired by MNA Tahir Iqbal and attended by treasurer of the PU, deputy secretary Punjab Higher Education Department, representatives of Punjab Higher Education Commission and Higher Education Commission Pakistan, deputy director colleges Prof Nasir Mehmood Awan and other concerned officials.

“Around 600 kanals of land would be acquired for the sub-campus,” MNA Tahir Iqbal told Dawn. It has been decided that the sub-campus will be set up at Chakwal-Jhelum Road near Chatal village, he added.

The PU has estimated that the sub-campus would be built at a cost of Rs1.5 billion. According to an official, Rs120 million would be spent on the acquisition of land. “The campus would be established within two years and it would look like a fully-fledged university as it would have state-of-the-art facilities,” the MNA said. He added that there would be playgrounds for cricket, football, hockey etc., and the campus would also have solid waste treatment plant. “My sole mission is to give Chakwal a sub-campus which would be turned into a chartered university in future,” the MNA added.

An official of the Punjab Higher Education Department told Dawn that initially four programmes - commerce, business administration, information technology and law - would be started. “According to the plan, classes would be started in next year at some other building which would be later shifted to the sub-campus once it gets completed,” the official said.

However, an official of the PU said the establishment of the sub-campus in Chakwal would take a long time.

On the other hand, the announcement to set up the sub-campus has been criticised by educationists. “During his electioneering campaign in May 2013, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had promised that he would establish a university in Chakwal if the people of the district voted his party. The PML-N swept the polls in the district but the establishment of a chartered university still remains a dream for the people of Chakwal. Now as the government is on its last legs, a sub-campus is going to be established in Chakwal,” said Shahid Azad, the district president of Punjab Professors and Lecturers Association. He said like the Government College Lahore and other old colleges, the Government Postgraduate College Chakwal must be upgraded to a chartered university.

“The college is infused into the socio-cultural life of Chakwal and it should be turned into a fully-fledged university. Moreover, currently eight BS honours programmes and three master programmes are being run in the college which means that the college is bigger than the proposed sub-campus. Having highest literacy rate in the province, Chakwal deserves a chartered university instead of a sub-campus,” he added.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2017