LAHORE: The Government College University (GCU) has launched 15 academic departments besides giving facilities on its new campus in Kala Shah Kaku in an effort to expand academic activities that could not be carried out at main campus of the university due to lack of space.

The university has relocated some running departments to the 370-acre campus from its main campus – creating a breathing space for the departments on the main campus.

GCU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Asghar Zaidi said 2021 was the most exceptional year in the history of the GCU as during that year, the new academic departments and institutes began academic activities on the university’s new campus.

Of total 51 academic departments, the incumbent GCU administration has created and relocated 15 departments at the KSK Campus that include Institute of Global and Historic Studies and the Centre of Excellence in Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, Agriculture, Art History, Archives Studies, BFA (Graphic Design), BFA (Painting), Disaster Management, Education, Geography, Global Studies, History, Islamic Studies, Mathematics, Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System, and Statistics.

“These additions further enhanced the educational landscape of the GCU,” Prof Zaidi asserted.

To facilitate this ambitious project, an allocation of approximately Rs1.1bn was approved for construction at the new campus. The journey to this achievement began in 2021 when the administration relocated five departments, including the newly formed Institute of History, to the academic block of the new campus. This move was facilitated by providing a free shuttle service from the main campus, ensuring access to internet facilities, department-specific libraries, and canteen facilities for approximately 1,500 students.

In 2022, the momentum continued with the relocation of six additional academic and administrative departments to the new campus. Simultaneously, a boy’s hostel was constructed along with staff residences. The campus underwent significant improvements with beautification projects that included landscaping and afforestation.

In 2023, the administration reached a pivotal point in the new campus’s development. Notable accomplishments included the completion of the Sheikh Abdul Hasan Al Shadhili Research Centre on Sufism, Science, and Technology, the inauguration of the Social Sciences Library, and the ongoing construction of a new academic block. Plans are also underway for solarisation initiatives, landscaping improvements, faculty residences, and carbon sequestration projects. Furthermore, the administration has ambitious plans for constructing the GCU Tower, a girl’s hostel and an oval cricket ground.

Published in Dawn, October 10th, 2023