HYDERABAD, Nov 30: The Sindh University has approved a budget of Rs914 million for the financial year of 2005-06 with a deficit of Rs243 million. A meeting of the university senate was held here on Tuesday with Vice-Chancellor Mazharul Haq Siddiqui in the chair.

A large number of scholars, members of senate, syndicate, academic council, deans of faculties and senior professors attended the meeting.

The meeting was also attended by representatives of the Higher Education Commission and the ministry of education.

Finance Director Dr Ghulam Mohammad Memon presented the budget. He presented the revised budget for the year 2004-05.

He said the receipts had been estimated at Rs670.988 million during the current financial year while expenditure had been estimated at Rs914 million.

Dr Memon said the university had started evening programmes in various disciplines to reduce the deficit. The Sindh University syndicate appreciated financial help by the HEC.

The senate meeting also appreciated financial assistance by the Siddiqui foundation for setting up Allama Ghulam Mustafa Qasmi chair in the university.

The senate appealed to philanthropists to help establish Pir Hismauddin Rashdi and Mirza Qaleech Baig chairs at the university.

The senate also approved appointments of professors, associate professors, assistant professors and lecturers at the university. The senate gave an approval to set up a university campus in Mirpurkhas.

The vice-chancellor of the university said there were 14,583 students enrolled with the university. He said that a four-year bachelor programme would now be extended to social sciences from natural sciences.

Learned scholars, Dr G. A. Allana, Dr A. Q. Mughal, Dr Zafar Saeed Saifi, Fazalullah Qureshi, Dr Anwar Ali Shah, Dr M. Y. Khuhawar, Dr Lutfullah Mangi, Dr Iqbal Panhwar, Dr Khushnood Siddiqui, Dr Siddiq Kalhoro, Dr M. Q. Bughio, Dr Saeed Soomro, Dr Saleem Chandio and Dr K. D. Pitafi expressed their views.