RAWALPINDI, June 19: All universities will have boards of governors to run their affairs, the Punjab governor, Lt-Gen (Rtd) Khalid Maqbool, said at a meeting held at the University of Arid Agriculture (UAAR).

The governor said the existing structures of senates and syndicates of the universities would be done away with. The boards of governors were being appointed to facilitate the working of the universities and free them from all sorts of bureaucratic, government and political pressures, he added.

He said highly qualified educationists and other top professionals, well known for their integrity and who were apolitical, would be appointed as members of the boards.

Finding the UAAR vision unalluring, the governor directed the vice-chancellor to reframe the university’s vision while keeping special focus on the problems of the Potohar region.

He said the university’s vision should have been to contribute to the development of agriculture in the arid areas.

“I want the university to take a lead role in becoming a centre of excellence in arid agriculture,” he added.

After having gone through various statistics, the governor said: “I have come to a conclusion that the university has lost its focus some where as the number of students in hardcore agriculture subjects are almost 25 per cent of the total student strength.”

He said an equilibrium should be created between agriculture and other general subjects. The focus would have to be balanced, he added.

“The present statistics do not speak in favour of an arid agriculture university. I do not wish to be over-critical, but the fact is that the varsity has so far given nothing new to arid agriculture,” he added.

Gen Maqbool announced a grant of Rs2 million for the development and modernization of the university’s library.

About the varsity’s demand for a research farm, he asked the provincial agriculture secretary to take up the matter of transfer of Khairimurat farm to the university. However, as an interim measure, the governor allowed immediate use of the farm by the varsity for research purposes. The farm has got both irrigated and arid land.

The university had also demanded of the authorities concerned for an overhead bridge opposite to the university’s entrance to facilitate the students in crossing Murree Road. The matter was referred to the Traffic Engineering Planning department.

The governor stressed on producing para-agri experts on the lines of paramedics who could guide the farmers. The meeting also discussed the possibility of starting FSc in agriculture at intermediate colleges.

It was also informed that the university got the least funds as compared to other agriculture universities in the country, and had the least research area at its disposal.

The university, the meeting was told by the vice-chancellor, got an annual government grant of Rs26 million, whereas an additional Rs15.77 million was required to pay the salaries. The vice-chancellor said the total deficit grew to Rs83.39 million when other expenses were also included.

The total requirement is around Rs110 million and the deficit is met through different programmes started on self- finance basis by the university.

Meanwhile, the governor on his arrival at the varsity was presented a representation by the law graduates of the university. The law graduates complained that the bar council had refused to enrol them as the university’s act did not provide for law education.

The governor directed the provincial law minister to take up the matter with the bar council and ask them to consider the matter sympathetically. The university, the vice-chancellor informed, had discontinued its LLB programme.