KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Tuesday was informed that around 1,900 acres of Sindh University’s over 10,000 acres had been encroached upon.

While furnishing a statement and replies of lawmakers’ written and verbal questions during Question Hour, Universities & Boards Minister Mohammad Ismail Rahoo said that residential structures had been built on the encroached land of the university.

He said that the Universities & Board Department had written to several departments for the retrieval of the land, adding that the revenue department had made wrong records at some places and their cases were pending disposal with courts.

He said that the illegal occupation of the university land had begun in 1960, but no land was encroached since the PPP was in power in the province.

He said that the department had decided to construct a boundary wall around the entire land of the university.

Responding to a question asked by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Rabistan Khan, the minister said that 910 acres were encroached upon in Deh Khanpur Jagir, 782 acres in Deh Railo, 114 in Deh Mooroh Jabal and 19 in Deh Sonwather.

Replying to a question asked by Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan Mangla Sharma, he said that the University of Sindh was not offering any degree programme in ‘counter violent extremism’.

He said that no university in the country or abroad had stated any such degree programme as yet.

However, he said, Sindh Madressatul Islam University, Karachi, and Sukkur IBA University were intending to introduce counter violent extremism programmes.

When asked by MQM-P’s Sadaqat Hussain, the minister said that the post of the chairman of educational board was advertised in newspapers and the interviews were conducted by the search committee after shortlisting three top-ranking candidates who had been proposed to the appointing authority for selection.

As for posting of controller of examination at the Board of Secondary Education Karachi, he said that the post was also advertised in newspapers.

Replying to a verbal query, Ismail Rahoo said that the matric and intermediate boards were separate in Karachi only, while there were joint educational boards for matric and intermediate in other divisions of the province.

350,000 registered in ninth and tenth classes

Responding to another supplementary question, he said that over 350,000 students were registered in ninth and tenth classes in Karachi.

He said that there were some complaints of using unfair means and leakage of question papers and the department had initiated action against six officials.

Replying to a verbal question asked by MQM-P Mangla Sharma, the minister said that there were 11 public universities in the province in 2008 when the PPP came to power.

“We have established 16 more public universities in the province during the past 14 years,” he added.

As for the poor results of matric examination in Karachi, the minister said that his department was responsible for conducting examination only.

Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2023