LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Higher Education Raja Yasir Hamayun Sarfraz announced on Tuesday introducing a Public Sector Universities Amendment Act, similar to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to bring uniformity in the higher education sector.

He said this at the University of Okara (UO) fourth Syndicate meeting at the Punjab Civil Secretariat. The meeting discussed administrative and financial issues of the university. UO Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Zakria Zakar, Punjab Higher Education Commission chairman Dr Nizamuddin and other members were present.

The meeting also approved the formation of 10 new academic departments under the existing four faculties and recruiting 123 teaching and 107 non-faculty positions.

The syndicate unanimously allowed the university to establish 10 new departments and programmes, including social and cultural studies, anthropology, criminology, mass communication, library sciences, physical education, law, computer sciences, physics and statistics. The Syndicate also approved the budget for setting up of new research and practical laboratories in various departments.

It also approved the recruitment on important vacant posts and also gave permission to establish Science Laboratory in the university.

The syndicate also allowed adopting University of Gujarat’s statutes till it formulates its own and also approved the release of pending wages of the university’s visiting faculty and contractual staff including security guards.

The administration demanded that syndicate members pay serious attention on long term solutions to improve the standard of the education of the university.

The minister said service statutes and rules of conduct for the universities would be standardized similar to ESTA code and civil servants act and universities could also customize regulations to cater to its indigenous needs. “I will request the chancellor to constitute a committee of experts to prepare a draft of service statues and rules and it will be implemented in all universities after taking law department and other stake holders on board,” he added.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2018