SHANGLA: The governor’s inspection team has recommended to the higher education department the de-notification of the Shangla University, which, it says, should be restored as a campus of the Swat University.

It issued a report of its findings on the status of the University of Shangla to the University of Swat’s vice-chancellor on Sept 8, 2023, for his comments.

The report read, “During the visit of the governor’s inspection team to the University of Swat, and the University of Shangla on August 23 and 24, 2023, it found multiple challenges faced by both universities. The team raised the question that while approving the university act, the provincial assembly did not allocate any seed money or even token grant for the proposed University of Shangla, so the university project became a non-starter even right from the outset.”

It added that due to financial crunch at the provincial government’s level, a PC-I of just Rs398 million was approved that was not enough for the establishment of even a school.

Declares project non-starter right from outset

The report said there was not a single faculty of regular basis at the University of Shangla.

“The university has not been able to attract any professor or associate professor from anywhere in Pakistan to work there hence the likelihood of accreditation of any degree program seems remote,” it said.

The report said in the “broadest public interest”, the inspection team recommended necessary actions to be taken to de-notify the University of Shangla to enable it to operate once again as a campus of the University of Swat.

It also recommended the withdrawal of PC-I money worth Rs307 million for “conversion of the campus into the university and request to re-drafting of PC-I to strengthen capacity of the University of Swat.”

In response to the report, the registrar of the University of Swat wrote to the higher education department the other day about the future of University of Shangla seeking their “further guidance on the matter.”

When contacted, University of Swat and Shangla VC Hassan Sher asked this correspondent to contact the registrar of the University of Shangla.

Registrar Mehraban Alam told Dawn over the phone that it was only the recommendation of the governor’s inspection team and not final decision to de-notify the university. He, however, said the university was striving to secure funds withheld by the government along with more for its affairs.

The registrar said the University of Shangla was meant for poor residents, who mostly work as coal miners and could not afford to get private and distant education.

He urged Shangla’s politicians to play their due role in securing government funding for the university.

“I’m hopeful that this university will stay put,” he said, adding that more and more residents are taking interest in enrolling themselves in it.

When contacted, PML-N provincial president and former adviser to the former prime minister Amir Muqam said he was striving to secure funds for the Shangla University through the higher education department.

He insisted that there wouldn’t be any shortage of funds for the university after the formation of the new government.

Published in Dawn, September 29th, 2023