TAXILA: The fate of around a hundred students at the Attock campus of Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University (PMAS-AAUR) hangs in the balance after the university administration shut down the campus and directed staff and students to join the main campus in Rawalpindi.

The administration has attributed the shifting of students and staff to low enrolment and a lack of facilities, particularly laboratories.

The move has caused unrest among students, as studying in Rawalpindi will be more expensive for them and their families. The Attock campus was offering an FSc programme in Pre-Agriculture and a BSc programme in Agriculture in which around a hundred people are enrolled.

University says campus closed due to low enrolment, lack of facilities

The university’s Attock campus was established in 2014. Three batches of FSc students have graduated from there, along with the first batch of BSc students in 2018.

However, sources said that although three classes of FSc students graduated from the campus, these programmes commenced without approval from the concerned authorities because this certificate programme is not recognised by the Higher Education Commission or any intermediate or secondary board.

The Attock campus has been operating in a building of the Government Postgraduate College Attock while its own building is under construction. The campus was established with financial assistance from the Punjab government, and around 1000 kanals of land were acquired between 2014 and 2016 by the university along with an approved construction map and civil works.

Vice Chancellor Dr Qamaruz Zaman said construction of a new Attock campus began in 2016 with an initial allocation of Rs889 million. Because of the delays, the cost of the project was revised and another Rs200m were set aside in addition to the approved sum.

Dr Zaman added that the campus would have an academic block, library, other facilities and the capacity to house 300 students.

The construction of the new campus was put on the backburner because of the change in government, increasing its cost amid allegations of substandard work.

After public complaints, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam visited the under-construction campus on Sept 6 and expressed concern about the delay and substandard civil construction work. He said at the time that the existing campus would not be closed down.

Mr Aslam also ordered an inquiry into irregularities in the purchase of land for the under construction campus.

Separately, Public Accounts Committee Chairman Syed Yawar Abbas Bokhari has expressed displeasure regarding the campus’ closure and asked the vice chancellor for a detailed report on why the campus was closed all of a sudden.

Former minister Sheikh Aftab Ahmed, whose efforts helped open the Attock campus, criticised its closure. He said university authorities must provide students facilities rather than moving them to the main campus.

“Why do students have to suffer the wrongdoings of the university and HEC,” he asked.

University registrar Aqeel Sultan said the Attock campus was shifted because of the low number of students and the lack of adequate facilities and infrastructure.

“The academic council has decided to shift students in the Attock campus to the main campus until the university’s new building is completed, with other allied facilities and proper faculty,” he said.

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2019