SARGODHA: After the arrest and physical remand of University of Sargodha’s former vice chancellor Dr Muhammad Akram Chaudhry, a former registrar and the CEOs and directors of private campuses, the scam of its sub-campuses seems in the decisive phase as the UoS management has provided documentary proof to the NAB investigators.

Documents show the UoS has suffered a loss of Rs1.362 billion due to alleged mismanagement and corruption of the former VC and registrar and their team in establishing private sub-campuses, affiliating private colleges, development projects and making illegal appointments.

The breakup given by the university management discloses that the private sub-campuses made admissions over and above the approved number of seats, causing a loss of Rs1,205 million to the university. Besides, the private sub-campuses did not submit the examination fee amounting to Rs293 million including the university’s share of Rs38 million. They even did not remit the principal amount, late fee and excess admission fine amounting to Rs246 million.

It is further alleged that the university management submitted documents showing that the Lahore campus admitted 9,346 students in excess of allowed limit and overcharged Rs628 million from its students over and above the university’s approved fee/dues.

The university provided proof of admission and said the private campus admitted 526 students in MPhil programs, 1,570 in master’s programs, 6,592 in BS programs and 658 in Doctor of Physiotherapy (DPT) discipline. The campus also enrolled students in such programs, which were not even offered by the main campus.

The Mandi Bahauddin campus admitted 3,921 students in various undergraduate and postgraduate programs including 240 MPhil students over and above the approved number of seats.

The university management also provided entire record of loss of more than Rs157 million due to the mismanagement in development projects undertaken during the tenure of former management.

A loss of Rs34 million was reported due to the alleged forgery in the project of the Sargodha Medical College, Rs28 million in the project of Khushab mineral water unit, Rs29 million in the project of the Industrial Unit, Rs66 million in the project of the University Medical Complex and Research Centre and Rs17 million on the investment with the HBL, the University of Sargodha Branch.

The private campuses were illegally set up without fair and open competition process as Lahore and Mandi Bahauddin campuses were established even without obtaining the necessary approval from the Syndicate.

It was alleged in the report that former VC and his cronies used his emergency powers 2,175 times, vested in him under U/S 13(3) of the University of Sargodha Ordinance, 2002 to grant affiliations and extensions in affiliations to more than 625 colleges and to make 498 illegal teaching and non-teaching appointments without advertising the positions whereas the Syndicate had approved only 116 affiliations.

Documents further revealed that former management allowed five private colleges including the Command College Sahiwal and Islah College, Lahore, to conduct the examination under semester system.

These colleges have their own sub-campuses; the Command College has eight sub-campuses. This college was granted 90 seats of LLM while the main campus offers only 20 admissions in the same program. Out of these colleges, 23 were allowed to admit students in MPhil in various programs without acquiring NOC from the HEC.

Meanwhile, the District Bar Association observed strike against the arrest of two advocates who are directors of the Mandi Bahauddin campus.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2018