KARACHI: The chronic issue of a lack of hostels for students in major cities of the province, particularly Karachi, was echoed at the Sindh Literature Festival (SLF) on Sunday when the vice chancellor of a public sector medical university disclosed that a girls’ hostel of the Jinnah Sindh Medical University was under occupation of Sindh Rangers since long.

Speakers at a session — Sindh’s educational institutes and students — organised at the third and last day of the sixth edition of the annual event at the Arts Cou­ncil of Pakistan Karachi also ask­ed the Sindh government as to why it was not playing its role in getting hostels vacated from ‘forces’.

During question-answer session, JSMU Vice Chancellor Dr Amjad Siraj Memon was informed that students from other parts of the province could not continue their studies especially in Karachi because of lack of hostel facilities and increasing house rent.

Acknowledging the issue, Dr Memon stressed that hostel accommodation was a fundamental requirement of any university for its students.

He explained that under relevant laws it was mandatory for any university to have 20 per cent and 30pc hostel accommodation for boys and girls, respectively, and without such accommodation provision, the charter could not be issued to a varsity.

However, he regretted that this law was not being implemented. The VC said final year of the MBBS had been delayed at the varsity and now first year students had arrived. He wondered as to how and where to provide hostel accommodation to the students.

Efforts are on to get back JSMU girls’ hostel from Rangers, says VC

He informed the audience that a girls’ hostel of the JSMU had been occupied by the Sindh Rangers since long.

Referring to the girl’s hostel that had been occupied by the Rangers, he said that he was in touch with authorities concerned. He said that efforts were being made to get the hostel vacated in order to provide accommodation to girl students of the university.

At the same session, human rig­hts activist Naseer Memon also spoke about the occupation of hostels by “forces” and said that it was the responsibility of the government to provide hostel/residential accommodation to students.

He asked as to why the Sindh government was not fulfilling its responsibility to get these hostels vacated to provide accommodation to those who could not afford houses on rent in major cities like Karachi.

Educational institutions should be fully autonomous

Dr Memon said that he would not say ‘popular things to get applause’, but instead he would prefer to show ‘realities’.

He said he got post-graduation from the UK, which was considered a welfare state, but despite this higher education was not free even there.

Except Germany, where free education was provided, he said higher education was not free even in the US where loans were provided to students.

In an oblique reference to opening of schools and colleges and recruitment of teachers on ‘political grounds’, Dr Memon questioned their output and quality because of the interference.

He said that educational institutions should be fully autonomous and free from interference. He said interference in educational institutions was bad as it affected students and teachers’ quality and their output and if it continued, what kind of students would be produced from an institution.

He suggested that discourse on these and other serious issues required a separate educational conference, where education authorities and secretaries should also be invited.

Dr Memon said he would not like to indulge himself for some self-praise, but he liked to point out that during the last 10 months he had established a ‘financial aid’ set-up at the JSMU to help needy students. Besides, the JSMU had also launched a paid internship programme.

He recalled that there were ‘bri­lliant academic VCs’, but also ad­m­itted that there were certain VCs who were ‘political appointees’ who faced certain ‘compulsions’.

Flaws in education model

Naseer Memon, a human rights activist, said the current model of education was fundamentally flawed because it did not focus on principles of human rights, critical thinking and innovation.

“Class-based education system is discriminating lower classes as elite has flourished a network of academic institutions that has reduced poor classes to a non-entity,” he regretted.

He said, “Underprivileged areas, both urban and rural, will remain deprived forever. This system perpetuates deprivation and socioeconomic servility of a large size of population.”

Regarding occupation of hostels by forces was concerned, the rights activist said that it was the responsibility of the government to provide hostel/residential accommodation to students.

He asked why the Sindh government was not fulfilling its responsibility to get these hostels vacated to provide accommodation to students, who could not afford houses on rent in the major cities like Karachi.

Alarming rise in universities’ fee

Earlier, another speaker Jai Kumar said fee structure of universities had increased manifold.

He recalled that he had got a degree in economics from a varsity at annual fee of Rs7,200, but now it had increased up to Rs40,000.

He said admissions were not being given on merit as the varsities had introduced self-finance, special finance and overseas students’ categories to earn money.

He claimed that the educational syllabus was “anti-women and patriarchal” as women were being shown in the textbooks as ‘obedient’ thus patriarchal traditions were being promoted.

Ghulam Nabi Kalhoro and Virsa Pirzado also spoke at the session, which was moderated by Junaid Ansari.

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2023