LAHORE, March 1: The Board of Governors of Punjab University’s Centre for Clinical Psychology on Thursday refused to accord centre’s request to fix quota for male students for admission to it programmes.

The BoG meeting chaired by PU vice-chancellor Arshad Mahmood was attended by Amir Raza Khan, former federal secretary Mukhtar Masud, former chief secretary of Punjab Pervez Masud, PU registrar Prof Dr Naeem Khan, life sciences faculty dean Prof Dr Shahida Husnain, special education department chairman Dr Abdul Hameed and resident auditor Sohial Shaukat.

It is learnt that the centre had placed a request that the board should fix quota for male students as almost 90 per cent girls were making their way to the clinical psychology centre on merit basis. The centre was of the view that the quota system would help create gender balance in postgraduate programmes.

However, the BoG turned down the request saying that it would be against the law. They said the situation showed that girls were working hard and getting more marks than the boys so they could not be barred from getting admission.

The board members said the enrolment situation also reflected that more and more female clinical psychologists would be available in the market in the years to come. They said by acquiring such educations the future mothers would also be able to help solve social problems and upbring their children in a better way. They said that it would help enhance women’s respect and confidence.

The BoG also refused to allow the centre to recruit the faculty from the candidates who did not have a postgraduate degree with first division. The board said the centre must stick to the Higher Education Commission’s qualification criteria for faculty recruitment.

The board meeting approved centre’s academic committee recommendations on different programmes, besides approving contents of different courses.

It also approved the budget estimates for the current financial year as well as the proceedings of previous board meetings. The BoG also approved centre’s demand that the board meeting should be held thrice or four times instead of once a year.

The BoG also decided that the centre should send its students for rehabilitation of juvenile prisoners once a month. It also decided that the university’s health centre would offer medical facilities to the clinical psychology center, and it should submit the health allocation being offered by the federal government.

Earlier, the centre’s performance report was discussed in detail. Centre director Dr Nosheen K Rehman said the centre had launched research to prepare experts to offer clinical services. She said the centre was running four programmes — BSc, MSc, M.Phil and Ph.D.

Dr Rehman said there was a shortage of research scholars, teaching faculty and staff for teaching and research programmes. She said there was a great need to fill the vacant posts in the centre.

Consequently, the board allowed the centre to fill some necessary posts within two months, directing that no new posts would be offered as recommended by the staff rationalisation committee.

The meeting also discussed the clinical services of the centre and stressed improvement. —MANSOOR MALIK