SARGODHA: The Syndicate of the University of Sargodha (UoS) has barred five sub-campuses, established under public-private partnership, from admissions in fall 2018 over academic irregularities, mismanagement and failure to abide by the standards set by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan.

The decision was made in the light of recommendations of a committee formed under the directions of the HEC to gain full control of admissions, registration and examination matters of sub-campuses under the public-private partnership as well as to ensure that they meet the required quality standards for academic and administrative staff and teaching and research facilities, said a press release issued by the university on Tuesday.

These five sub-campuses in Lahore, Lyallpur, Faisalabad, Gujranwala and Mandi Bahauddin were established in 2012 under the public-private partnership without a fair competition and in total disregard to the HEC criteria. In the case of Lahore and Mandi Bahauddin campuses, even the necessary approval from the Syndicate and relevant bodies was not obtained.

The body also approved issuing alerts for parents and students to inform them about the ban on new admissions to the sub-campuses and that the university would not register such students as would take admission to sub-campuses in or after fall-2018. It decided to own the students of the above-mentioned sub-campuses who were registered with the main campus. The university would not abandon already registered students and would take responsibility of their academic future as well.

The HEC had allowed these sub-campuses to enroll not more than 50 students in each department, however, they, in violation of the university rules and HEC recommendations, gave excessive admissions in all departments without reconciling the admission data with the university or paying the university share.

With the university having no control over financial, administrative and academic affairs of these private campuses, they freely admitted students who were the lowest on merit, often in excess of the allocated seats by hundreds, admitted students to such programmes as were not offered in the main campus and awarded the students inflated grades with impunity.

The supreme body of the university recommended lodging an FIR against sub-campuses which had criminally used the university seal and stamp to issue fake documents to students, including transcripts, result cards, registration cards and no objection certificates.

The meeting, upon payment of the university share, approved issuing official transcripts to the students of sub-campus Lyallpur, women sub-campus Faisalabad, sub-campus Gujranwala and sub-campus Mandi Bahauddin after collecting an undertaking from them that the university would not be responsible for any unpaid dues or any kind of financial dealings.

The four sub-campuses had paid the principle amounts and reconciled all the matters with the university administration while the sub-campus Lahore, instead of settling the outstanding dues, had approached the Lahore High Court, therefore, no decision about issuing transcripts to the students of Lahore sub-campus was made as the matter was sub judice.

It is worth mentioning that the university administration had initiated a scrutiny of five sub-campuses, in the aftermath of concerns communicated by the HEC regarding the process of establishment, deficiency of facilities, faculty issues, enrollment of students in unrecognised programmes and several complaints received from various corners.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2018