Students at the Lasbela University of Agriculture Water and Marine Sciences (LUAWMS) in Uthal boycotted their classes and staged a protest against the lack of facilities in the university. The students said that despite receiving tens of millions of rupees in the budget, the university administration is not providing the students with the required facilities. They said that the varsity administration is handing off scholarships to unworthy candidates based on personal whims, while deserving students are being left out.
According to details, scores of students at LUAWMS gathered on Wednesday to protest against the university administration. The students said LUAWMS is the only institution where students from different corners of Balochistan converge to attain quality education. But the nepotism rife in the university administration and their incapability has slashed the dreams of thousands of students.
The students said that the university administration is handing over scholarships on basis of favouritism, not merit. The students availing of the scholarships don’t even need them – their family members serve in top positions in the university and various other government departments. They said that the students who need the scholarships the most are the ones left out.
They said that the tiresome bureaucratic process has become an additional hurdle for the fortunate few students who receive scholarships. They often have to wait months before they can receive the money.
The students said that the university administration has raised the admission and MPhil tuition fees which the students cannot afford, They said that the majority of the students come from impoverished families in the most underprivileged areas of Balochistan – they cannot pay the students fee which restricts their access to quality education. Some students have already left their degrees and countless others would follow suit if the situation persists.
The students further added that the hostels are unclean and unhygienic – the mess is low-quality and the students are not allowed to cook for themselves or order anything from outside.
The students said there is no medical facility at the university for the students. They have to travel several kilometres to the Uthal DHQ hospital for treatment. But the hospital is also understaffed and underequipped, which means the students are then forced to travel to Hub Chowki and Karachi for quality healthcare. The students said they had carried out a press conference a few days ago and informed the university administration of all these problems, but their pleas fell on deaf ears.
The students demanded that the university administration must take immediate steps to solve these problems and warned that if these demands are not met, the protests will be expanded.