Punjab University (PU) Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran has pardoned and restored the studentship of eight students who were expelled on recommendations of the Departmental Disciplinary Committee of the varsity’s Institute of Plant Pathology (IPP) with immediate effect.

A press statement said they included BSc (Hons) 7th semester students Umer Maqsood, Muhammad Atif, Mehwish Rauf, Hafiz Husnain Nawaz; BSc (Hons) 5th semester student Muhammad Shakil Shaukat; BSc (Hons) 3rd semester student Muhammad Bilal Haider and PhD Regular Programme students Adnan Saeed Mian and Ayesha Bibi. READ MORE »

Unending conflicts among faculty members have stamped a blot on the Punjab University landscape as decline in teachers’ output and unnecessary hurdles in imparting education have jeopardised the careers of students.

What makes the situation alarming is the fact that many departments have earned notoriety for frequent teacher bust-ups. If media reports are something to go by, many such cases have hit the headlines during the last one year.

The Institute of Communication Studies, the Institute of Education and Research, the Institute of Chemical Engineering and Technology, the Institute of Geography, the Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, and Islamic Studies department all have seen clashes among academics.

Confrontation between factions of teachers and sometimes within a faction itself has become a talk of the campus. Most faculty members have lost interest in elections for their representation in the Syndicate and other associations due to disputes.

Many teachers have launched vilification campaigns against their rivals by circulating pamphlets and writing (anonymous) letters to the vice chancellor.

In the backdrop of the growing number of such incidents disturbing the campus atmosphere, PU Vice-Chancellor Dr Mujahid Kamran has forwarded to all faculty members a letter expressing his concern over the sorry state of affairs. READ MORE »