MURREE: The establishment of a university is a good initiative but it must not be at the expense of government colleges which are only source of affordable education in the hilly area, said local scholars, teachers and notables.

Punjab government has issued a notification for the establishment of Kohsar University. The notification says Government Degree College for Boys and Government College for Girls would be a part of the university.

More than 800 students are studying in the boys college and around 600 students in the girls college, mostly from lower middle and poor classes.

“A sum of Rs400 per month fee was being charged in the colleges and after their emergence in the university the fee would be more than Rs50, 000 per semester, which would be out of the reach of the students,” said Kamran Khan, a renowned educationist.

PML-N chief and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif during his election campaign in 2013 had announced a state-of-the-art university in Murree. He had assured the locals that in the proposed university modern subjects including tourism, hospitality and cottage industries-related subjects would be introduced which would lessen unemployment in the area.

The previous government of the PML-N under former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, who was elected MNA from Murree, had allocated Rs300 million in the federal budget 2018-2019.

But despite allocation of funds and some administrative actions, the project could not be materialised as the 86 kanals allocated for it at Brewery was disputed and there were court cases over its ownership.

During the tenure of General Pervez Musharraf, Prof Dr Naeem Khan Abbasi from Murree was the registrar of University of Punjab Lahore and due to his efforts postgraduate classes in English and political science were started in the Boys Degree College after its affiliation with the Punjab University.

But after some years, these master level classes could not be sustained due to shortage of students.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) local leadership and candidates for assemblies criticised the previous government for its failure to set up a university. After coming into power, the PTI notified the university and materialised the election promise but could not arrange land for it.

When contacted, Sadaqat Ali Abbasi, MNA of the ruling PTI from Murree, said he had discussed the matter with concerned authorities and they assured him that intermediate level classes would not be merged in the university and their fees would remain unchanged. He said the graduation classes would be a part of the university.

Published in Dawn, September 12th, 2020