PESHAWAR, Feb 24: The University of Engineering and Technology will introduce semester system from the next academic year, says the university's newly-appointed vice-chancellor, Syed Imtiaz Hussain Gillani.

He said this while talking to journalists during a press briefing at the UET's conference hall on Tuesday. He said that the old annual examination system would be replaced by the semester system, which was a more efficient method of examination.

Mr Gillani said that there were 54 universities in the country but hardly any of them could be termed world class, adding the situation warranted the introduction of new system of examination.

He said that the university had set up new campuses at Mardan, Abbottabad and Bannu, adding qualified staff would be appointed there to help reduce the Peshawar campus' burden by encouraging enrolment at these campuses.

Two new departments of architecture and telecommunication and software would be set up in Abbottabad and Mardan, respectively. He said he had requested the Higher Education Commission to provide funds for the improvement of infrastructure, adding enrolment would be increased from 1.6 per cent to 2.4 per cent.

He agreed that most of the teachers, who had been sent abroad for higher education, usually did not join the university for one reason or the other. He said that 'Tenure Track Policy' would attract teachers to join the university as they would be given three-year leave, enabling them to complete their research.

Once they cleared their examinations, they would be offered a handsome package at the university, he added. He said there were not enough lab equipment at Abbottabad, Bannu and Mardan campuses, adding he had demanded Rs800 million in this regard.