SARGODHA, (DNA) –  The administration of private sub-campus of University of Sargodha in Lahore fled from scene after locking the sub-campus building when hundreds of enraged students staged a protest demonstration against their dishonest conduct leading to the non-issuance of degrees.

The students, who had paid their fee, studied every credit hour and completed all customary process of degree issuance, burst with anger when they came to know that the management of Sub-campus Lahore committed financial irregularities and remained defaulter of a huge due amount to be paid to the main campus and adopted delaying tactics, owing to which, the university is unable to issue degrees to the registered students of this campus.

They, during a massive protest at the Canal Road, Lahore, demanded the authorities concerned to take notice of the malpractices and irregularities being practiced by the management of Lahore Sub-campus which has put the future of thousands of students on stake.

Mian Javed, the CEO and Akram Chaudhary, the Director of Sub-campus Lahore, instead of negotiating with the aggrieved students, fled away after locking the sub-campus building.

Sargodha University administration, under the directions of the university syndicate, has started the process of issuing result cards, transcripts and degrees to the registered students of its four PPP sub-campuses, situated in Lyallpur, Faisalabad, Gujranwala and Mandi Bahauddin.

The university had directed all sub-campuses to pay the outstanding dues as early as possible so that students’ degrees and results can be issued.  Four out of five PPP campuses paid the principal amounts and reconciled all the matters with the university administration while the sub-campus Lahore, instead of settling the outstanding dues, had approached the Lahore High Court. Since the case of the Lahore sub campus is still pending, the syndicate had decided to withhold issuing transcripts until an official ruling.

Earlier, the university withheld transcripts of the students of Lahore campus because of excessive admissions, non-provision of accurate figures and other details of enrolled students, use of delaying tactics to reconcile the data and the university share, admitting students on lowest merit and awarding highest marks to all students over 3.2 CGPA and non-provision of ‘nothing due certificate’.

The Lahore sub-campus was established under public private-partnership policy in 2012 without a fair competition and in total disregard to the criteria of Higher Education Commission of Pakistan and even without obtaining the necessary approval from the syndicate and relevant bodies.

The campus had not only caused financial losses amounting to Rs13.84 million in terms of non-receipt of examination fee to the main campus but also compromised the quality and standard of education due to non-conduct of final term examination comprising 50% weightage at the end of each semester.

Besides, the sub-campus had also criminally used the University of Sargodha’s seal and stamp to issue fake documents to students, including transcripts, result cards, registration cards and no objection certificates for which the syndicate had recommended lodging an FIR against its management.

In addition, the sub-campus, in violation of the university rules and the HEC recommendations, gave excessive admissions in all departments without reconciling the admission data with the university or paying the University share. It gave the university no control over financial, administrative and academic affairs, and freely admitted students who were the lowest on merit, often in excess of the allocated seats by hundreds, admitted students to such programmes which were not even offered at the main campus and awarded the students inflated grades with impunity.