Being a financially disadvantaged student of Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) at the Riphah International University, I would like to draw your attention to the sad and appalling state of affairs in the Lahore campus of the varsity.
Riphah University takes pride in working for the underprivileged students and receives a large amount of of funds on the pretext of giving monetary help to deserving students; however, the university does exactly the opposite of it – It charges extra money from the students and is involved in corruption and fraud.
Recently, a group of financially disadvantaged students, who were due to appear in exams that were boastfully proclaimed to be funded by the varsity itself, were not allowed to sit in the exam by the Director Umer Farooq. The reason was that those students couldn’t pay their fee. The students were shamelessly asked to pay Rs 200 extra as a fine for not submitting the dues on time.
This is not all. The varsity seems to have lost all sense of shame and scruples when it distributed fake and forged vouchers that didn’t even work in the system. The HEC has allowed 30 percent discount to the students of DPT, but either it has not been applied, or we did not see the benefits.
We fail to understand: where do all those funds go? With no functions arranged for the recreation and entertainment of students, and the absence of discounts and monetary help, it doesn’t seem that the funds are being spent for their real purpose.
Students are refused their degrees and are prohibited from sitting in their next class if they fail to pay their fees. Teachers humiliate female students by using abusive language and swear in front of the whole class. Their only sin is to be underprivileged.
Students are sexually harassed and the perpetrators go unreprimanded.
This happens in a university that receives funds and claims to be monetarily helping students who can’t fund their studies independently.
The culprits are, Umer Farooq, director of the university, Bilal who is the head of the finance department and Anum Shafqat Awais who is responsible for management.
Anonymous
Lahore,
December 30th, 2016.
Reply by Riphah University spokesperson:
Re: Inappropriate false accusations on Riphah International University and senior management
Riphah International University Lahore:
An Islamic Core Value Based Institute
Riphah University is an institute which is based on core Islamic values and disapproves of any practices that are considered unethical or wrong according to Islamic core values. A letter recently published Daily Pakistan Global spread false and malicious news about the university online. While we are sure the letter was fake, and was published with the intention of maligning our reputation, such a letter should have not been published without proper investigation or without confirming the events from the concerned personnel from the university.
Even so, Riphah is still proud to mention that this intuition offers separate campuses for male and female students according to our core values and offers the best scholarship options available for students.
We offer up to 100 percent scholarships, not loans, for deserving students. This is an institute-wide policy, and it is pertinent to mention that HEC does not have any provision for a 30 percent discount for students of DPT, or any other department.
Riphah International University is not a commercial institute; it is a non-profit organization (Trust). This means that we don’t focus on generation of profits but solely to serve the under-privileged students.
Furthermore, our management and faculty is well-trained, and have served in other reputable organizations. Additionally, all our staff is required to sign a special contract stating that if any inappropriate behavior reported by a any student is confirmed, they will have to face termination.
Riphah International University Lahore holds social awareness events, seminars, sports events and trips regularly all over the academic calendar and students are not charged for these activities, nor are they charged for the daily bus services.
While it is true that some students have been not allowed to sit in the recent exams, we feel the need to mention that this step was taken after several warnings had been issued to them about their pending dues. Like any reputable institution, we are forced to take disciplinary actions for ensuring smooth operations as well as to ensure that deserving and hardworking students don’t suffer because of other students who do not work hard, lack discipline, fail to pay their dues, or who fail to perform academically.
