KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly was on Friday informed that the provincial government had abolished Intermediate Arts Group from dozens of colleges, including girls’ colleges, as most of the students were taking admissions in Intermediate Science Group after matriculation.

In reply to a calling attention notice moved by Sadaqat Hussain of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah said that Arts subjects would be taught in the evening shift at government colleges due to a surge in admissions in Science Group especially in Computer Science.

He said that around 96,000 students took admission in first year last year, while some 130,000 students were expected to take admission this year.

However, the admission list for first year in subjects including Science Pre-Medical, Engineering, Computer Science, Commerce and Arts for 176 government colleges and higher secondary schools contained names of only 82,000 students.

Minister says the classes will be held in evening to facilitate science group in morning shift

The minister made it clear that Arts Group was not being completely abolished, as it was being introduced for students in evening shifts in colleges.

“If we have the capacity of 1,500 in a college and if students more than the capacity take admission, then we take the Arts Group student in the evening shifts,” he said.

The MQM-P lawmaker in his call attention notice had pointed out that Arts Group had been abolished from dozens of colleges including Govt College for Women, Block-N, North Nazimabad and asked the education minister as to why this decision had been taken.

17 universities set up in 14 years

Earlier, Universities and Boards Minister Muhammad Ismail Rahu said that the number of public sector universities in the province was only 10 in 2008.

“We have established 17 more public universities across the province in the past 14 years,” he added.

The minister was furnishing replies and statement to the written and verbal questions of the lawmakers during the Question Hour session in the house.

Atrocities in India-held Kashmir condemned

The provincial assembly passed two clubbed resolutions to expresses solidarity with the Kashmiri people and strongly condemned the atrocities being committed by Indian forces for the last three years in the occupied Kashmir.

On this day, three years back on August 5, 2019, the Indian government in a blatant violation of its own constitution, which provides special status to occupied Jammu and Kashmir, illegally annexed it with India and abolished its special status.

One of the resolutions was moved by Sharmila Faruqi of the Pakistan Peoples Party and the other by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Saeed Khan Afridi.

“This house denounces all illegal action by the Indian government including the abrogation of Article 37 and 35 A of the Indian constitution, the resolutions said.

Speaking on the resolution, Ms Faruqi said that the house appreciated the unshakable determination of Kashmiri leaders of self-determination and showed the deep concern over the imprisonment and sentence of Yasin Malik on the basis of illegal and politically motivated sham trials and demands his immediate release.

Giving views on his resolution, the PTI lawmaker said that the unilateral action taken by India on August 5 was cruelty to Kashmiris and they wanted justice from the whole world to raise their voice for them.

Legislation

The provincial assembly passed unanimously three bills — The Sindh Healthcare Service Providers and Facilities (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property Bill, 2021; The Sindh Reproductive Healthcare Rights (Amendment bill), 2022; and The Dow University of Health Sciences (Amendment) Bill, 2022.

Acting speaker Rehana Leghari prorogued the house.

Published in Dawn, August 6th, 2022