Dear Sir,
I am writing to you on behalf of the Sardar Bahadur Khan Women’s University (SBKWU) Chemistry Department M.Phil Scholars. I’m writing this to you in the anticipation that perhaps it would make you tread into the shoes of the students who currently are trapped between to do or not to do situation, to bring to your notice the SBKWU M.Phil Chemistry scholars research problems.
In March 2013, SBKWU announced M.Phil admissions in various departments. It was the time when many brilliant teachers and professors had left the province due to security concerns. So, it was really an encouraging act to start M.Phil program for women in the educationally deprived province. All the students of first session, with a lot of difficulties, completed their course work but when science students started their thesis research work, they came to know that there are no chemicals, instruments and other equipments available in the laboratories of university. So, dozens of M.Phil scholars have been unable to complete their research on time due to the non-functional Chemistry laboratory at SBKWU. Currently there are more than two dozen scholars from last two batches of 2013-2015 and 2014-2016, whose research have not been concluded as due to the lack of chemicals, glass ware, instruments and other facilities.
Now we have been asked to pay late thesis fee, as charged Rs 4000 monthly from March 2016, which we are unable to pay. We hardly bear our educational expenses.
We are poor residents of Balochistan coming from far flung areas, therefore, if our university administration cannot smooth the progress of our research work, at least it should waive off charged fee till completion of research period.
The situation has been raised by several times by M.Phil scholars in media. “Dozens of M.Phil scholars fail to complete research caused by non functional chemical lab at SBKWU” was reported in The Balochistan Point and Pulwasha Khan wrote in Balochistan Voices “SBKWU: MPhil Research Delayed Due to Shortage of Laboratory Equipment” But SBKWU administration did not take any practical action to solve the scholars problem, each and every time they just have one story that Higher Education Commission has approved a project titled “Provision of Academic and Research Activities at SBKWU”. Under project scientific equipment for different departmental labs will be procured. It is worth mentioning here that SBKWU was supposed to send 200 research scholars to different renowned institutions and research laboratories of country to complete their research work under the supervision of qualified researchers in phases. SBKWU would provide stipend, living, medical, travelling expenses of scholar and complete bench fee of the host institution as well.
However, university sent only few students to NUST and Quaid-e-Azam University but lack of equipments and lack of chemicals is the problem of whole 2013-2015, 2014-2016 and 2016-2018 batches of science department scholars. So what about the others students who have not been sent by university to do their work and the decision to send the scholars in above mentioned was also taken late by SBKWU administration.
Now SBKWU demanding 4,000 rupees from each Chemistry M.Phil scholar who did not complete research work on due time so each and every student has to pay 40,000 to 60,000 even in the most senior batch few scholars have to 100,000 rupees.
Dear Sir, it is due to lack of non functional Chemistry lab that we could not complete our thesis research work on time. University did not issue any informative or alarming letter to scholars in the start of thesis work that if they could not complete work on time they will be charged 40,000 per month. If university had issued any kind of such letter to scholars then maybe we can do anything or have approached any authoritative person to solve our problem regarding lack of equipment and chemicals or non-functional Chemistry lab.
I, on behalf of whole chemistry department M.Phil scholars, humbly request to the Governor of Balochistan and HEC to kindly solve this issue as most of the scholars belong to poor families and they are unable to pay such a big amount of money to university. Otherwise a large number of scholars will be deprived of completion of their M.Phil degrees. As a result the dream of an educated province Balochistan will not be turned into reality.
M.Phil Chemistry Scholars,
SBKW University Quetta, Balochistan.
Note: This open letter reflects the opinion of students of SBKWU and Balochistan Voices not necessarily endorses it. This letter has been published based on our policy of providing a platform to the voiceless. SBKWU administration is also welcomed to share their version of story and it will also be published.
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