The Sindh Madressatul Islam University (SMIU) will initially offer degrees in four disciplines including education, law, mass communication and environment after getting the university status.
This was announced by SMIU Vice Chancellor Dr Muhammad Ali Shaikh while addressing the first general meeting of faculty and staff members of the historic SMI institution on Thursday.
“Four departments – Department of Education, Department of Law, Department of Mass Communication and Department of Environment – are being opened at the SMIU under the orders of President Asif Ali Zardari,” said Shaikh.
“Being the third general university established in Karachi after University of Karachi and the Benazir Bhutto University Lyari, the SMIU would prove one of the most modern universities of the world,” he added.
Giving details about the SMIU, the vice chancellor said the varsity’s city campus would be housed in the present day building of SMI while another campus would be established at the newly-launched Education City, Karachi. “The Sindh government has allotted 100 acres of land [to SMIU] under the presidential orders that were demarcated a few days ago,” he said.
“Similarly, we have written a letter to the federal government for possession of a building located in the Bara Kahu area of Islamabad for another SMIU campus as per the presidential orders,” Shaikh said.
He said that the Sindh Madressah, being the alma mater of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, would established its campuses in all the four provinces of the country.
“The former Balochistan chief secretary had offered 200 acres of land for SMIU’s provincial campus at Gawadar,” he said. “Likewise, Punjab minister Zulfikar Khosa on behalf of the Punjab government had also offered his full cooperation in the establishment of SMIU’s campus in Punjab.”
The SMIU vice chancellor said that when the SMIU Act was passed from Sindh Assembly on December 22, 2011, Sindh minister Makhdoom Jamiluzaman, son of Amin Faheem, had also offered a piece of land in his native town Hala for establishment of a SMIU campus. “The branches of SMIU would be opened in all major cities of the country in the future,” he added.
Talking about the fate of primary, secondary and college sections of the current Sindh Madressatul Islam, Shaikh said the sections – from class one to intermediate – would be made a part of SMIU and all the employees working in these sections have become the employees of SMIU from the day when the act was signed into law by the Sindh governor.
“On May 18, 2010, the president had announced an initial grant of Rs 250 million to the SMIU. Now the Sindh chief minister has to approve the summary, which has been sent to his office,” he said.
Shaikh further informed the SMIU staff that besides the formation of varsity syndicate, some important things are being managed to get recognition from the Higher Education Commission before the classes commence in January next year.
