MULTAN, June 9: Last of the consultative meetings of the task force on improvement of higher education will be held on Monday (today) at the Bahauddin Zakariya University.

Task force steering committee’s secretary Tariq Banuri will preside over the Multan meeting which will be attended among others by vice-chancellors of Bahauddin Zakariya University, Islamia University, Bahawalpur, and Peshawar University.

At least 30 members each from teaching faculties of Bahauddin Zakariya University and Islamia University will also attend the meeting to deliberate upon the changes government wants to introduce at the higher education level.

Gen Pervez Musharraf had constituted the task force on March 15, 2002, to bring about drastic changes in the higher education system so that local universities could be converted into world class learning institutions.

The task force is to draw up a plan for the president’s approval for looking up higher education beginning with universities, which are, identified as the focal point of the proposed reforms.

The task force and its steering committee are also entrusted with the responsibility to propose restructuring of the governance and management of public sector universities.

It will also pinpoint improvement in their operations including financial management, information systems, management of academic and non-academic functions and definition of models of faculty.

In its earlier report to the president, the task force had recommended universities’ board of governors to carry out functions currently, encompassed in one office, the vice-chancellor. Besides, it had also expressed its dissatisfaction over the functions of senate, syndicate and academic council of universities.

TAX: The provincial government has been urged to direct all local governments not to levy tax on private educational institutions.

This was stated by Punjab Private Schools Organization president Abdul Majeed Khattak while talking to newsmen here on Sunday.

He said district governments were planning to impose a local tax from Rs4,000 to 20,000 on private schools in their financial statements for the coming fiscal year.

The Lodhran district government, he said, had already sent a wave of shock to private schools by issuing public notice in this respect.

Private institutions were not only sharing the government burden to raise literacy rate, but they had also lessened the unemployment ratio, he said. “We are not getting even a penny from the government to run our schools,” he said.

Local governments should target the schools having monthly fees of Rs1,000 or more per student, he added.