58 more seats reserved for AJK, GB students at Sindh’s public universities

Sindh’s chief minister has approved reserving 58 more seats in public sector universities of the province for students hailing from Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Syed Murad Ali Shah made the announcement on Tuesday during a meeting of the universities & boards department at the CM House. It was attended by his law adviser Barrister Murtaza Wahab and principal secretary Sajid Jamal Abro, Universities & Boards Secretary Alamuddin Bullo and others.

The chief executive was informed that students from AJK and GB have 162 seats reserved at 25 public sector universities in Sindh teaching medical, engineering and general courses. He decided to increase the number of seats reserved for AJK and GB’s students at public sector universities of Sindh.

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has granted permission for reserving 58 more seats at nine of the public sector universities of Sindh, while the permission for the remaining 16 universities is in process.

There were two seats each for AJK and GB’s students at the University of Sindh Jamshoro before, three each at the NED University of Engineering & Technology, two each at the Mehran University of Engineering, 10 each at the Dawood Engineering University, two each at the Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur, seven for AJK’s students and four for GB’s students at the Agriculture University Tando Jam, and a total of 34 at the University of Karachi.

Now AJK’s students will have four more and GB’s students 11 more at the University of Sindh, five more each at the NED University, three each at the Dow University, 13 more each at the Dawood University, one each at the Peoples University of Medical & Health Sciences Shaheed Benazirabad, four more each at the Shah Abdul Latif University, five more for AJK’s students and four more for GB’s students at the Mehran University, seven more for AJK’s students and eight more for GB’s students at the Agriculture University, and a total of 50 more at the University of Karachi.

The CM congratulated the people of AJK and GB on the increase of their reserved seats at public universities of Sindh, and hoped they would take its full benefit.

Evaluation

In another meeting with HEC Chairman Dr Tariq Banuri, who had called on the chief executive at the CM House with the commission’s member Dr Fateh Marri, Shah said the provincial government will monitor and evaluate the universities working under its charter.

He said that the accreditation work of universities will lie with the HEC. “However, a joint work plan may be drafted jointly by the provincial government and the HEC to be floated in the Council of Common Interests [CCI] meeting for approval.”

The CM said that after the 18th constitutional amendment, the provinces have established their own HECs, while the federal government has its own, so bifurcation of work and roles needs to be done. “The task of monitoring and evaluating universities lies with the provincial government, and accreditation is the authority of the HEC.”

He proposed that the HEC and the provinces’ commissions and universities & boards departments prepare a joint work plan to define the bifurcation of work, assignments and authority. He said the work plan will be presented for the CCI’s approval.

Shah said the provincial government wants the federal and provincial HECs to improve the quality of education. Dr Banuri appreciated the CM’s interest in finding a workable solution to the deadlock between the HECs.