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Multan: The first women's university of south Punjab formally started functioning, initially with four disciplines, at Government College for Women, Katchery Road here on 28th Novermber, 2005. Scores of girls responded with a thundering applause as District Nazim Mian Faisal Mukhtar and DCO Iftikhar Babar, the project director of the university, formally declared the post-graduate academic activities open at the women-exclusive varsity in a ceremony held at the girls college here.

A boarding house to offer lodging facility to students was also inaugurated on the occasion.

Initially, post-graduate classes in history, Urdu, economics and education began at the women college on Katchery Road. The university will be shifted to its own 27-acre campus on Mutti Tal Road once the Rs500 million first-phase of the project is completed with its new building and allied facilities, DCO Iftikhar Babar said.

The district nazim thanked President Gen Pervez Musharraf and Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi for providing this facility to the people of south Punjab.

Earlier, parents in this area used to feel hesitant to send their daughters to co-education institutions, he said.

Mr Mukhtar said the university would help elevate literacy rate among womenfolk.

He pledged to increase Multan literacy rate well beyond the existing 43 per cent.

He stressed upon reviving the prestige of teachers and pledged to re-invigorate the teacher-student-parent interaction for elevating the standard of education. Faisal Mukhtar lauded the efforts of the DCO, EDO and college management for initiating women university classes.

Government College for Women Principal Sartaj Bano Zaidi said her college, which had the honour of housing the women university, was catering to the educational needs of womenfolk of south Punjab.

She said the college was already running MA classes in English and psychology and their results were excellent.

Earlier, several colourful segments marked the opening ceremony with small children presenting tableaus, national anthem, songs and recitation of Sura Al-Rahman.

Source: The Dawn More