ISLAMABAD, Jan 19: The private sector universities operating within the limits of the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) are unlikely to meet the criteria set by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) by February 2007, sources in the commission told Dawn. Nine campuses have been allowed by the HEC to operate in the capital territory till February 2007. The federal cabinet, back in February 2002, had given a deadline of five years to the private degree-awarding institutions to fulfil the criteria set by the commission.

According to the criteria, the campuses must be spacious and should have qualified faculty as per the degree programmes they offer, well-equipped labs, playgrounds etc.

However, gauging by the current standards and facilities, it appears that the campuses of private varsities in the capital are unlikely to meet HEC requirements, the sources said.

The commission, since the decision taken by the federal cabinet, has been regularly sending reminders to the respective campus managements, informing them about their inadequacies, but it has had little impact on the latter. This situation is endangering academic careers of the students, the sources said.

They (campuses) will not be given any relaxation as far as the deadline is concerned and will immediately be declared unlawful after its expiry, they added.

These universities had been granted charters by provincial governments, however, they have opened their sub-campuses all around the country.

Over the last decade, scores of private sector universities have been set up in every nook and corner of the country, and the provincial governments, led by the HEC, have started a campaign against dubious degree-awarding institutions.

The private sector universities operating in the capital territory, which are yet to fulfil the HEC criteria are Al-Khair University, Blue Area, which originally had been granted charter by the government of AJK; Mohammad Ali Jinnah University, Blue Area, by Sindh government; Iqra University, H-9, Sindh government; Hamdard University, F-8 Markaz, Sindh government; Greenwich University, I-9, Sindh government; Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science & Technology, F-8 Markaz, Sindh government; Preston University, H-8/1, NWFP government; University of Lahore, Blue Area, Punjab government; Mohiuddin Islamic University, 30 East, Union Plaza, Blue Area, AJK government.