BAHAWALPUR, Jan 3: Governor Khalid Maqbool reiterated on Tuesday the government’s intention to eliminate politics from universities.

He said this while giving away certificates to 20 students of the Islamia University Bahawalpur who had participated in the National Volunteer Movement and worked with the army in quake-hit areas.

The governor said the government was utilizing all its resources to raise the education standard. All public sector universities had recently been provided a sum of Rs30 million each for the purchase of modern scientific apparatus. A big amount had been allocated for the promotion of higher education, he said.

He also inaugurated the department of fine arts and the agriculture college in the university.

Earlier, at a briefing, the governor ordered introduction of the semester system in the university. He also asked the varsity officials to enhance the status of the Seraiki department so that it could reflect the rich heritage, culture tradition of southern Punjab.

Vice-chancellor Prof Dr Bilal A Khan informed the governor that some 300 new teachers would be recruited during the next one year.

OATH: District and sessions judge Syed Ijaz Hussain Shah who is also district returning officer, administered oath of office to the newly-elected district naib nazim Syed Irfan Gardezi here on Tuesday.