CHAKWAL: The Higher Education Department of Punjab (HED) has put off the idea of setting up a sub-campus of University of Gujrat (UoG) on the premises of Government Postgraduate College Chakwal, officials told Dawn on Wednesday.

Earlier after getting a hefty grant of Rs2.5 billion from the federal government the UoG sent a proposal to the secretary HED for setting up its three sub-campuses at the colleges of Chakwal, Rawalpindi and Narowal.

The idea invited severe criticism from the administration and faculty members of Chakwal and Narowal colleges who opined that by setting up sub-campuses at these two colleges, the institutions would lose their identities and thousands of students of these two districts would be deprived of cheap higher education.

However since Rawalpindi has a number of women colleges, the principal of Government Postgraduate College for Women Satellite Town has favoured the idea. The project was conceived by Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal who also belongs to Narowal.

The unequal break-up of funds increased the controversy as HED sanctioned Rs1,400 million for Narowal alone while only Rs367 million for Chakwal College and Rs436.404 million for Rawalpindi College were released.

According to the breakup of funds, 50 to 70 acres of land would be acquired for the sub-campus at Narowal but in Chakwal no separate land was included; rather sub-campuses were to be set up on the premises of the existing college.

The principal, faculty members, politicians and the civil society in Chakwal expressed their reservations against the proposed project which forced the HED authorities to drop Chakwal from its plan.

“We have dropped our plan of setting up a sub-campus of UoG at Chakwal College due to severe reservations of teachers and pressure by Chakwal’s MNA Tahir Iqbal,” Additional Secretary of HED Shahid Zaman told Dawn on Wednesday.

However he said the plan could be revived after addressing the reservations of stakeholders.

“The sub-campus at Chakwal College would be very beneficial not only for the students of the area but also for the teachers of the college,” he maintained and added that shelving of the plan would be a loss for Chakwal district.

“The principal of Chakwal College strongly opposed the idea and maintained a tough stance,” he said.

UOG Vice-Chancellor Dr Nizamuddin said he had received a request from Mandi Bahauddin too.

“After dropping Chakwal College from our list we can include Mandi Bahauddin college for our project,” he said.

Talking to Dawn, Chakwal College Principal Prof Aslam Kahut said they were not against establishment of a sub-campus in Chakwal rather a sub-campus should not be set up at the cost of the sole college of Chakwal city.

“The college is the most important institution for higher education and by turning it into a sub-campus it would not only lose its identity but hundreds of students of the area would also be deprived of higher education,” he said and added that if this college had not been there he would not have been a principal today.

“Prof Shahid Azad a member of core committee of College Save Movement, said: “Chakwal deserves a full university as promised by chief minister of Punjab during his election campaign in May 2013.”

Talking to Dawn MNA Tahir Iqbal said he was trying his best to get a sub-campus of Punjab University in Chakwal.

“The chief minister has promised me and I’m looking for a separate land where a campus of Punjab University would be set up,” he said.

He also said the chief minister had written a letter to the management of PU for preparing a feasibility report in this regard.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2014