PESHAWAR, Jan 4: The Peshawar University will introduce four- year Bachelor of Arts and Science (B.A/ BSc) honours programme from current session to bring the institution in line with international education standards.

"The new scheme is in place from current session and the university will develop syllabus soon for the programme," said Mumtaz Gul, Vice Chancellor of the university during a press briefing here on Tuesday.

While talking to press about the programmes, Mr Gul said that the Higher Education Commission (HEC) had given a national direction for education in 2001 to bring the educational institutions in line with international standards.

In response to HEC directive, the university was offering BA/BSc Honours programme to be followed by one-year Master's degree programme. After the honours programme the MA/ MSc will be considered as M.Phil programme.

The HEC has already clarified through a notification that all those students who get BA/BSc honours degree would be eligible for grade 17 appointments, the vice- chancellor said.

He said that the academic council of the university was dealing with the issue of the curriculum for the four-year integrated honours programme. But so far no change had been brought in the BA/BSc syllabus as degree colleges run by provincial government were not in a position to come up to BA/BSc Honours programme being offered by the university from this session.

The university will develop a syllabus for the integrated honours programme so that degree colleges could also introduce this scheme, the vice-chancellor said. He added that the university had allocated Rs 400 million for construction of two five-storey building to establish 28 new departments as the introduction of new programmes would result in greater enrolment of students.

Most of the buildings were built in 1950 and infrastructure was old and weak. The university was facing accommodation problem. Departments and laboratories need enhancement, he added.

The university being a public sector university spent the money which was generated by the university as there were Khyber Medical College, Agriculture University and University of Engineering and Technology established in the premises of the university and the expenditures had increased due to the establishment of these educational institutions.

The total budget of the university for the last financial year was 550 million. The HEC had provided 50 per cent of the budget to the university and provided Rs 290 million during the last financial year.

Still the university was facing a loss of Rs 100 million as it had subsidised education for children in its affiliated schools and colleges. It also faced a shortfall of Rs 70 million in this financial year, the vice-chancellor said.

Giving details of last year's activities, the vice-chancellor said that it abolished self-finance scheme in all disciplines and a uniform fee structure both for evening and morning shifts had been introduced. Abolishing the self-finance scheme will help increase the enrolment of the students.

The establishment of a non-commercial FM radio station at the department of mass communication for campus, four computer-based learning laboratory at College of Home Economics, the Quality Enhancement Cell to develop sense of close interaction and coordination with HEC and co-partner for awareness of collective responsibility for enhancement in the educational quality, information centre at Central Library in collaboration with American Consulate; Peshawar, video conferencing facilities were being provided by the university.

The university had already initiated construction work a boys hostel, four lodges with capacity of 78 students, extension of Benazir hostel for girls, and construction work on a male hostel with a capacity of 312 was already ongoing.

A project for constructing a hostel for foreign faculty members were also initiated. The building of Centre of Bio-technology was almost complete. The administration had also started official mess system in the hostels of the university to facilitate the boarders.

Mr Gul said that university was being provided financial assistance from the HEC but the provincial government should also help the university so that greater number of students could get education.

The university has gadgets which the students were using in their research work. The private sector, industries could also come forward and utilize these facilities which the university could provide.

There should be cooperation between the researchers and the industrial sector as far as research work was concerned, he said. The university has to generate more funds because there is need to spend more on the higher education in the province, the vice- chancellor said.