HYDERABAD, Sept 24: The senate of the University of Sindh on Monday approved annual budget of Rs1,372.331 million with a deficit of Rs102.513 million for 2007-08 and endorsed the revised budget of Rs1,068.997 million with a surplus of Rs171.947 million for 2006-07.

The senate meeting presided over by Sindh Minister for Education Dr. Hamida Khuhro also passed actual budget of Rs1187.869 million with a surplus of Rs151.598 million for 2005-06 and urged the government to raise the university’s financial grant to enable it to shore up its deficit.

Dr. Khuhro said that general education had a clear practical impact on society as it promoted responsible citizenship, ethical behaviour, educational ambition and professional development.

She appreciated the university’s efforts for introducing new disciplines under its four-year BS program.Vice-Chancellor Dr Mazharul Haq Siddiqui said that total number of students from part one to final year stood at 19,874. Due to shortage of qualified teachers the university presently had been offering M.Phil research program in only 25 institutes and departments of science, social sciences, arts and Islamic studies and added that presently 189 students had been enrolled under M.Phil program.

He said that the university’s teaching faculty comprised 463 members including 76 professors of BPS 21 and eight professors and 18 associate Professors of BPS 20 and added that in addition to the regular faculty 79 research associates everyone was also working in various institutes and departments.

He said that the university had sent a batch of 19 teachers for doing Ph.D in the United Kingdom and Australia under its faculty development program while another batch of 21 teachers had cleared GRE test.

Work on the university’s Mirpurkhas campus was in process and the Higher Education Commission (HEC) had approved PC-I of the Rs450 million scheme, he said.

Mr Siddiqui said that the university had initiated work on the establishment of the Department of Forensic Chemistry, Department of Applied Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, Department of Industrial Electronics and Department of Medical Physics.

He said that the university had purchased a fleet of 20 Hino buses and signed a memorandum of understanding last week to purchase 10 more Hino buses for the faculty and students.

The university’s director of finance, Faiz Muhammad Hingoro, said that the university expected to meet the current year’s deficit through financial support by the HEC with an increase of 15 per cent in salaries and 15 per cent and 20 per cent raise in pensions.

The meeting approved Rs34.9 million for purchasing machinery, equipment, chemical glassware and Rs10 million for new books for Allama I.I. Kazi Central Library and seminar libraries.

The senate approved Rs9 million for foreign scholarships and research, and Rs7 million for sports, hostels, scholarships, prize medals, bursaries and free ships.

The university approved Rs5 million for holding national and international seminars, conferences, and symposium and training of faculty members and allocated Rs20 million for providing transport facility to students, teachers and employees.

The meeting approved Rs10.652 million for Sindh University Laar College Badin and Rs25 million for the Institute of Sindhology.—PPI