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Rs26bn for public universities
LAHORE, Aug 7: Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbul has said the government has
allocated Rs22 billion for the establishment and development of universities in
the country with the cooperation of the Higher Education Commission while the
Punjab government has increased the block allocated for public universities from
Rs2 billion to Rs4 four billion.
Talking to reporters after the
concluding session of the four-day consultative conference of project directors
and vice chancellors of 17 public universities on Monday, he said the government
had provided "unlimited" resources to the universities to impart international
standard education to the children of white collar families. The government also
ensured introduction of scholarships to cover the educational expenses for the
students from the poor families so that no intelligent boy or girl was forced to
discontinue education because of inability of their parents to pay the
fees.
He said maximum resources had been provided in the past five years
not only to old universities, including Punjab University, Lahore; Agriculture
University, Faisalabad; and Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, but also to
the newly-established universities as well.
A block allocation of Rs300
million has been made for the improvement of 10 campuses of the University of
Education in different cities. A sum of Rs80 million would be spent on the
renovation of the largest students hostel in the provincial metropolis
consisting of 139 rooms in the Lower Mall Campus of University of Education
adjacent to the Central Model School. At the moment, only 30 rooms of the hostel
are being used by students but the remaining 131 rooms are locked due to their
dilapidated condition. Up to Rs50 million have been allocated to improve hostels
of the University of Education on Bank Road and Lahore Township.
The
governor said Rs170 million had been allocated for the construction of
classrooms and establishment of libraries at Fiasalabad, Multan and Joharabad
campuses of the University of Education. A campus of the University of Education
will also be established in Okara very soon. Separate teachings blocks would be
built for language labs, curriculum and instructional labs, vocational and
technical teachers education centres and postgraduate and advanced
studies.
Extension of the Provincial Education Assessment Centre in the
University of Education, Lahore Township Campus, would be arranged with the
financial assistance of the provincial government.
He said that a block
allocation of Rs740 million had been made for the Islamia University,
Bahawalpur. Departments of management sciences, commerce and computer sciences
departments being run in the Abbasia Campus of the university will be shifted to
new buildings being built at Baghdad-i-Jadeed Campus. A sum of Rs120 million
will be spent on the construction of live sciences department and Rs50 million
on the establishment of college of art and design.
He said that a block
allocation of Rs200 million had been made for the Bahauddin Zakariya University,
Multan, under the Chancellor's Campus Development Programme for the construction
of a sports complex, a fitness centre, a student teacher centre, a shopping
centre, a post office and a university club.
He said that development
projects of Rs550 million had been approved for the Government College
University, Faisalabad. New hostels, academic block and video conference room
will be built at the university. The intermediate section of the university will
be built at a cost of Rs150 million after demolition of the abandoned primary
school building in the Dhobi Ghat Ground adjacent to the university
campus.
He said the master plan for the development of the new campus of
the Government College University, Faisalabad, on 401 acres had also been
reviewed. Development projects of Rs80 million were approved for University of
Sargodha. Programmes for development of University of Gujrat at a cost of Rs95
million were also finalised. The programmes include networking and video
conferencing facilities for four campuses of constituent colleges that are 12
kilometres from the university, provision of modern equipment in laboratories
and construction of ladies gymnasium, hockey stadium and table tennis court. Dawn
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