HYDERABAD, June 12: Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences Vice-Chancellor Professor Naushad Ahmed Shaikh has said that keeping in view deteriorating standard of education at the university, its syndicate, at a recent meeting, has decided to revive the Liaquat Medical College with the name of the Liaquat University Medical College.

In an interview with APP in his office on Tuesday, he said that decision had been made because the vice-chancellor alone could not pay proper attention to academic and administrative affairs, adding that a summary had been moved to the Sindh governor, who is chancellor of public universities of the province.

The vice-chancellor said that the college would be a part of the university and efforts were being made to make Chandka, Nawabshah and Sardar Ghulam Mohammad Maher medical colleges constituents of the university.

Professor Shaikh vowed to improve standard of education at the university by ensuring transparency and decentralisation of powers in academic and administrative affairs.

He attributed the deteriorating standard of education to diversion of attention to development side by the university’s former administrators and said that as a result, standard of education at the Chandka and Nawabshah medical colleges had become higher than the university’s.

The vice-chancellor said that he was committed to improving academic facilities, including libraries and laboratories, and attendance of the students in the classes.

He expressed apprehensions over utilisation of funds on development projects at the university, saying that over Rs1,000 million had been spent on 10 projects which were still non functional. He said that directives had been issued to officers concerned to stop taking up more projects and make efforts to make the completed projects functional.

He expressed regrets over excessive admissions of the students against allocated seats. “These admissions were granted without merit,” he said and added that with the replacement of the director admissions, an enquiry had been ordered into the matter

The vice-chancellor said that corruption had been detected in the transport wing of the university. “A cell has been established to prepare a report on privatisation of the transport wing as being exercised by the University of Sindh and the Mehran University of Engineering and Technology”.

Professor Shaikh said that he wanted to introduce a strong administrative and academic system based on honesty and merit and free from corruption.

He said that efforts were underway to invite more foreign teachers to join the university and a sizeable grant had been earmarked for grant of scholarships to those faculty members who desired to do Ph.D.—APP