LAHORE, May 25: Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbool has said the degrees of emerging sciences and disciplines should be recognised by all the government departments while giving jobs.

“The incidents of not recognising the degrees are not goodfor the promotion of new disciplines of science and emergingtechnologies”, he said while presiding over a meeting attended by vice-chancellors, registrars and other officials of various public sector varsities of the province at the Governor’s House here on Thursday.

The meeting reviewed the issues related to sub-campuses of varsities, land allocations and other important matters. The governor said the ‘creative management’ models should be followed for the newly-created sub-campuses of different varsities by giving them autonomy to conduct day-to-day business.

The parent universities should, however, conduct examinations and provide facilities of laboratories andfaculty for the sub-campuses, he said. He said the universities should launch new study programmes after having their recognition from relevant professional organisations like the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) andPakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC).

The meeting was told that Punjab government had allocated 2,000 acres of land for the public sector varsity projects in the province.

It was told that 50 acres of land had been allocated for setting up a separate campus of Sargodha University at Chak NB-36. Another 50 acres of land had been allocated for setting up a medical college in Sargodha which would be made functional within this year. Sargodha University would be responsible for management of the new medical college, while admissions and examinations would be dealt by the University of Health Sciences, he said.

The meeting was further told that a sub-campus of Punjab University would be established at Nandi-pur, Gujranwala, for which 100 acres of land has been allocated. Punjab government has provided the land on 99 years lease. The sub-campus will introduce new disciplines of Textile and Industrial Designing, Advertising, Animation, Industrial Law, Environmental Law and Intellectual Property Law.

The PU will also set up sub-campuses at Okara, Attock, Rawalpindi, Murree and a Medical college at Jehlum.

The University of Education (UE) will set up a campus at Renala Khurd for which 204 acres of land has been allocated. The HEC has allocated Rs512 million for this purpose including Rs40 million for students’ services. The governor directed shifting of main campus of the UE at the said sub-campus, including office of the vice-chancellor. Business, health and sports education, Art and craft teaching and school management will be among the disciplines being launched there. The Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, will set up its two sub-campuses at Sahiwal and Dera Ghazi Khan. HEC has allocated Rs496 million for Sahiwal campus, while the Punjab government has provided 43.5 acres of land for it. The district government has also showed willingness to provide 26 acres the sub-campus for which the meeting gave approval. For the DG Khan campus, 100 acres have already been transferred to the university, while the HEC has allocated Rs498 million for the purpose. The GCU, Lahore, which is sprawling over 56 acres at present, will also get 201 kanals at the Education City being set up at Harbanspura for setting up its sub-campus there.

Another GCU sub-campus will be set up at Sheikhupura for which 500 acres have already been acquired. The Lahore College University will get 207 kanals at the Education City, Harbanspura, for setting up a sub-campus. The university will also set up sub-campuses on 350 acres near Chand Bagh School, Muridke, and on 50 acres in Jhang.—APP