Revisit policy of awarding charter to private varsities, SC asks govt

LAHORE: Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar Sunday ordered the Punjab government to revisit the policy of awarding charter to private universities, requiring chief minister and governor to form a special committee to accomplish the task.

A two-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar, was hearing a suo motu case pertaining to mushroom growth of private universities. Justice Ijazul Ahsan was the other member on the bench.

The CJ remarked that “we would have to find out what went wrong and what wrong is still going on in order to save the future of our generations”. He asserted that the new government “will have to keep a check that education is not used as a tool to mint money”.

The CJ also constituted a separate committee comprising legal expert Zafar Iqbal and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director Waqar Abbasi to hold an inquiry into the facilities being provided at private universities, including the University of Lahore. The committee would ascertain whether or not adequate facilities were being provided at private universities across the province. The CJ instructed the committee to ascertain availability of faculty among other facilities at private medical colleges and submit a report within a week.

Former Punjab university vice chancellor Mujahid Kamran, now rector of the University of Lahore, also appeared before the court and stated that the UoL had been providing the best facilities to students.

The CJ made him realise that what service was being done to the nation by using education for fleecing money. He remarked that the head of every educational institution makes such claims, but an investigation finds the whole system in ruins.

Addressing Mr Kamran, Justice Nisar said it was time to pay back the nation. “You should have indulged in writing books and delivering lectures at this age, instead of doing a job in a private university,” remarked the CJ. What difference is left between the UoL and Axact, the CJ remarked, adding that mafias had ruined education system for the sake of money. He adjourned the hearing for a week.