GUJRAT: The Punjab University of Technology (PUT), Rasul, has been renamed as University of Rasul (UoR), Mandi Bahauddin, following an approval of the amended Bill 2025 by the Punjab Assembly.

The varsity admin says the move will help broaden its scope from engineering and technology to science, engineering, and related disciplines.

Meanwhile, the Punjab government on Friday handed over the additional charge of Vice Chancellor of UoR to Professor Dr Zahoorul Haq, the incumbent VC of University of Gujrat.

A notification issued by the Higher Education Department (HED) said that the additional charges had been handed over to Mr Haq for three months.

Tracing its origins to 1873, PUT has long served as a hub for technical education, evolving from the School of Surveying at Lahore’s Oriental College to its relocation in Rasul in 1912.

Initially developed to train engineers for major infrastructure projects, the institution went through multiple transformations—becoming a polytechnic institute, then a college of technology—before being upgraded to a university in 2018.

Official sources said in a bid to counter declining admissions, the university administration had urged the Punjab government to amend its founding Act to introduce new departments, hoping to diversify academic offerings and attract a broader student base.

The Punjab government had earlier established three technology universities under the Industries, Commerce, and Investment Department between 2018 and 2019—Punjab Tianjin University of Technology (PTUT), Lahore; Mir Chakar Khan Rind University of Technology (MCKRUT), DG Khan; and PUT Rasul. However, these institutions continue to struggle with admissions, raising concerns over the future of technical and engineering education in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, in Mandi Bahauddin, the University of Gujrat (UoG) Sub-Campus, operational since 2019 under the Higher Education Commission (HEC) umbrella project, is facing hurdles in infrastructure development.

The government allocated Rs 199 million in June 2022 for land acquisition under the ADP scheme, but the 90-acre land procurement process remains incomplete even after 2.5 years.

Currently, the sub-campus operates out of Jinnah Public School, accommodating 700 students of four departments.

Official sources said the HEC had advised the sub-campus to recruit regular faculty and expedite the establishment of a purpose-built campus to facilitate future admissions.

With multiple institutions grappling with academic and administrative challenges, the fate of engineering and technical education in Punjab remains at a crossroads, said a senior faculty member of the UoG while talking to Dawn.

Adding he said that the establishment of UoR in Mandi Bahauddin city might also pose challenges to the UoG sub campus there and varsity administration should take the sub-campus issues seriously to resolve them.

Published in Dawn, February 8th, 2025