ISLAMABAD, Oct 20: The federal government has agreed to make certain amendments in the proposed Model University Ordinance 2002, which had invited criticism from both the elected teaching bodies and students from across the country.

Reliable sources in the federal education ministry told this reporter that in a recently-held cabinet meeting, President Gen Pervez Musharraf had asked the ministry to call a national level meeting, in which educationists, teachers, students and other parties concerned be invited so that a consensus could be evolved on the new ordinance.

In this regard, the sources said, the education ministry had been told to assign the task of holding the meeting to any of the four provincial governors in the near future.

They said the president wanted an in-depth discussion on the law between the two parties — teachers and students on one hand and the federal government on the other — to sort out differences before its promulgation.

It may be added here that the cabinet had already approved the ordinance, but owing to resistance put up by the teachers bodies, the president was yet to sign the document to make it a law.

The sources said President Musharraf was quite concerned about the agitation started by the students and teachers and had directed the education minister, Prof Attaur Rehman, to hold deliberations with teachers to know their apprehensions about the proposed law.

Following the instructions of the president, the minister held a series of meetings with teachers representing public- sector universities and briefed the cabinet about his discussions.

Thereafter, the cabinet in its meeting, which was presided over by the president, had decided to hold a national-level meeting so that a unanimously agreed university ordinance could be promulgated.

It is worth mentioning here that the point of confrontation between the public-sector education managers is the constitution of a senate — a proposed governing body under the new law — in which out of the 16 members, three will be from the same university including its vice-chancellor.

Other members will comprise people from civil society representing various professions such as medicine, engineering, human rights activists, etc, nominated by the vice-chairman of the senate who himself will be a government nominee.

The second point which is being dubbed as an unnecessary intrusion into public-sector universities is the unbridled power invested with the senate whereby the body has been empowered to recruit and dismiss faculty members of the respective varsity.

Under the new law, public-sector universities will be awarded both financial and administrative autonomy, which according to teachers, will prompt unprecedented rise in the fee structure.

The varsity teachers are also fearing that with incorporation of the proposed ordinance, their jobs will be at the mercy of the senate and will adversely affect the education standards.