MINGORA: Students of the University of Swat have launched a weeklong protest, demanding of the government to immediately appoint a permanent vice-chancellor for the university.

The students also set a deadline of one week and announced boycott of the classes. They said that if the government failed to appoint new VC they would lock the university and march towards Peshawar and Islamabad to observe sit-ins in front of the KP Governor’s House as well as the Prime Minister’s House.

They said that the university was without VC for the last eight months and they had been facing multiple issues owing to his absence. “The last acting VC was transferred from the university in May this year, but since then due to the tussle between the federal and provincial governments new VC could not be installed here,” the students said, adding that this had created numerous problems for the students as well as teaching staff.

Seek immediate appointment of VC

They said that 4,000 students in the university could not focus on their studies because of recurring issues. “Hundreds of students who have completed their courses want their degrees, but without the signature of VC they could not obtain them due to which they could not get further admission,” they said.

The students said that after the passage of 10 years the building of the university could not be constructed while the rented building lacked facilities essential for educational purposes.

“We don’t have enough rooms and many classes are being missed while in some rented buildings the students do not have basic facilities of drinking water,” they said.

They said that the Swat and Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, were established in the same year, but the latter had not only got a proper building with every facility, but also started MPhil classes.

The students started their protest on Thursday and said they would continue it for acceptance of their demands.

Published in Dawn, December 9th, 2017