LAHORE: Worried over reports of mismanagement and corruption in the public-sector universities in Punjab, the provincial government has ordered a five-year performance and financial audit of main five of them.

On top of them is the Punjab University, Lahore. Others are Multan’s Bahauddin Zakariya University, Faisalabad’s Government College University, University of Sargodha and University of Gujrat.

The special audit has been ordered by Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar, who is also the chancellor of the public universities, on the advice of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

The initiative was taken by the provincial higher education department.

According to documents obtained by Dawn on Thursday, the special audit pertaining to finances, human resources and assets management of the universities from 2010 to the current financial year would be conducted by the Auditor General of Pakistan.

In his advice, the chief minister had stated that considering a number of discomforting reports received vis-à-vis the state of governance, financial management, non-transparent hiring of human resources and assets management, “it is in the interest of good governance and better financial management to order a special audit pertaining to finances, human resources, and assets management of these universities.”

Seeking approval from the chief minister for action, the higher education department had stated that the public universities, being autonomous bodies, enjoyed a relatively independent status in terms of their administrative and financial matters. Their business was carried out through syndicates and finance and planning committees.

Nevertheless, being Autonomous Bodies of the Higher Education Department under the Punjab Government Rules of Business, 2011, they could not be considered “stand-alone” institutions.

To ensure effective implementation of fiscal and expenditure policies of the government, the department had stated that an effectual scrutiny was required to be undertaken by a comprehensive and competent special external audit for improvement in the functions of these universities.

It was of the view that mismanaged financial, performance and governance issues of the universities required legislative oversight and the government response with a strong demand for their special auditing into their performance and financial matters.