GUJRAT: Some student organisations are scheduled to stage a protest on Monday (today) at Kutchehry Chowk against the University of Gujrat’s (UoG) decision to cease pick-and-drop facility for new students.

The student bodies planned to extend the protests across Gujranwala region followed by similar demonstrations in front of Punjab and National assemblies to highlight the possible adverse affect on girls’ education in the region due to the non-availability of the transport facility in six districts of region.

On Friday, Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh of Lahore High Court heard a petition filed by Muhammad Waqas of the UoG graduate lawyers association against the UoG’s decision. The petitioner’s lawyer argued that the UoG charged Rs13,200 per year as transport fee from its 18,000 students, including those who did not avail the service.

Until recently, students from far-off areas such as Sialkot, Mandi Bahauddin, Kharian, Jhelum, Dina, Gujranwala and Bhimber were provided with the pick-and-drop facility.

Jamaat-i-Islami Gujrat Emir Syed Zialullah Shah in a statement announced launching of a series of protests against the varsity for withdrawing the transport facility.

An official source told Dawn that acting Vice Chancellor Dr Faheem did not get the mandatory approval of the academic council and of the syndicate, alleging that some senior varsity officials had been bribed by the owners of private universities in Gujranwala, Gujrat and Sialkot districts to discontinue the service. These owners had in the past also tried to approach former vice chancellors with similar offers, but to no avail.

Meanwhile, a few weeks ago, the varsity administration had dissolved the UoG purchase committee. The move was being linked to the award of a contract a few days later to a private vendor for the provision of 50 buses at an exorbitant rate for the transport facility.

As many as 40 buses plying on various routes for students’ transport are owned by the university itself so the excuse of cut in the Higher Education Commission budget did not apply in this case, said a varsity insider.

As per sources, members of the admission committee did not support the decision to withdraw transport facility for new students. A senior faculty member said depriving the students from far-flung areas of the pick-n-drop facility would have serious repercussions on admissions this year.

Published in Dawn, July 1st, 2019