12/05/2026
The current notification issued by the Lady Provost regarding the vacation of hostels by senior scholars of Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, is highly condemnable and raises serious concerns among research students.
The administration states that hostel facilities are only available up to the 10th semester. As scholars, we fully agree that students should strive to complete their degrees within the prescribed duration. However, if the university administration truly believes in this policy, then it must also ensure that all academic and administrative hurdles are resolved within the same timeframe.
The delay in completion of a PhD degree is not solely the fault of students. Research progress depends on multiple factors, including supervision quality, laboratory facilities, research funding, administrative delays, external evaluations, publication requirements, and unforeseen circumstances. Accountability should therefore be shared by both supervisors and the institution alongside the student.
If the administration is enforcing a strict 10-semester policy on scholars, then it should also issue a notification making it mandatory for supervisors and departments to ensure the completion of their students’ degrees within the same duration. Otherwise, imposing such notifications only on students is unjust and unacceptable.
Research scholars deserve support, facilitation, and fair treatment, not pressure through unilateral decisions that ignore the ground realities of academic research.
