FAISALABAD: The University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) administration has barred its teachers from forcing students to arrange refreshment funds for external examiners.
In a notification, the UAF registrar stated that at the time of viva voce examination, candidates are directed by some teachers to serve refreshment to the supervisory committee and other staff of the department.
“In some cases, acceptance of gifts has also been reported. This is highly undesirable. Henceforth, all deans/directors/principal officers are requested to stop this practice if it is going on in your faculties”, the notification reads.
The administration also encouraged students to report such incidents to the higher authorities without any fear.
Several students told Dawn it was a common practice in the universities of Faisalabad to force them to contribute money for external examiners. They said instead of barring teachers from this practice, the government must evolve a strategy to punish such staff minting money for examiners.
Other than viva voice, they said, candidates had to arrange refreshments for the members of supervisory committee on the occasion of synopsis presentations.
They said how a candidate could refuse funds to their teachers at the time of viva voce which was the final stage of the degree completion.
Academic Staff Association President Aamir Jameel said that in the UAF demand for refreshments from the student was a rare thing. He said as a matter of fact the letter had been issued just to emphasize the issue.
ACTION DEMANDED: Two A-level students have demanded action against four Dolphin Force personnel who beat the students publicly on Oct 19.
A video has gone viral on social media which shows Dolphin Force torturing Usman and Mubashar.
Complainant Saad Rana has submitted an application with the Punjab Overseas Pakistani Commission that he being a Canadian-Pakistani has been living in Faisalabad for study purpose. On Oct 19 night, he with his friends Daniyal, Usman, Sohaib, Shabbir Hussain, Malik Abubakar and Mubashar Danish were standing outside a hotel in Koh-i-Noor to attend the birthday celebration of Rohan in Saeed Colony No 4. Meanwhile, the four Dolphin Force constables stopped by and started to abuse them. As they protested the provoked attack, constables started beating them.
Usman said the constables thrashed Mubashar which he recorded on his mobile phone. They snatched the camera and deleted the video and also thrashed him. A police officer said that they had not received any application for action against the constables. A probe would be launched into the issue when applicants contact the police.
Published in Dawn, November 10th, 2018
