The University of Swat ( ur, ) ( ps, ) is a public sector university. The main campus of the university is situated in the Charbagh area of the Swat District in the
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...
province of
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
. It is 20 km away from the main city of
Mingora
Mingora ( ps, مینګورہ, ur, ) is a city in the Swat District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Located on the Swat River, it is the 3rd largest city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the 26th largest in Pakistan. Mingora is the largest city and ...
.
History
On 29 May, 2010, the prime minister of Pakistan, during his visit to the
Swat valley
Swat District (, ps, سوات ولسوالۍ, ) is a district in the Malakand Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. With a population of 2,309,570 per the 2017 national census, Swat is the 15th-largest district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa pro ...
, announced to establish the University of Swat. The university came into formal existence in July, 2010 by the order of Honorable Governor of
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...
Mr. Awais Ahmad Ghani with the prior approval of the President of Pakistan. Muhammad Farooq Khan (Shaheed) was appointed as its first Vice Chancellor in August 2010. The Higher Education Department handed over two buildings to the university located at
Saidu Sharif
Saidū Sharīf (Pashto/Urdu: ) is the capital of Swat District in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The city also serves as the capital city of Malakand Division. It was named after Saidu Baba, a prominent leader of the former Yusufz ...
Swat. Land acquisition for the university's own campus has been carried out and construction on the project is ongoing. Various buildings have been completed and recently the two departments have been shifted to the main campus under the supervision of Muhammad Jamal, the Vice Chancellor.
In its first academic session (2010–11), the university opened seven departments.
Vice chancellors
* Hassan Sher - 07 October 2022, till date
* Hassan Sher (Acting) - from 18 December, 2022 till 07 October 2022.
* Muhammad Jamal Khan – from 20 Dec 2017 till 18 December 2022
* Jehan Bakht (acting) – from 7 Dec 2015 t0 Jun 9, 2017
* Muhammad Jahanzeb Khan Yosafzai – from 3 Dec 2011 to 2 Dec 2015
* Muhammad Farooq Swati (acting)
*
Muhammad Farooq Khan
Muhammad Farooq Khan was a Pakistani psychiatrist, scholar of Islam and vice-chancellor of University of Swat.
He was known for his opposition to Islamist militancy and described suicide attacks as un-Islamic. Due to his views, he was assassinat ...
Declamation contests
Allama Iqbal declamation contest are held in the University of Swat annualy. It foster debate culture among the students and declamations. Most raging debtors of the university are Riaz Ali (Dept. of Law and Sharia), Izhar Ahmad (Dept. of Economics), Fahad Khan (Dept. of commerce and management sciences), Kabir (Dept. of Law and Sharia), Arshad Ali (Dept. of Law and Sharia), Rahseed Ahmad Faizi (Dept. of Law and Sharia).
KPK IPYEP 2016
The university shortlisted top students based on merit from the most senior batches of all bachelor's and master's degree programs and communicated. The ten students were interviewed by the directorate of sports and youth affairs of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and two students (Biotechnology 7th semester student Mr. Ashfaq Ahmad and one female student of zoology Department ) were finalized to represent the University of Swat during Inter Provincial Youth Exchange program (IPYEP) 2016. They were part of delegation which represented KPK in Karachi and Islamabad/AJK one week trip.
Departments
In its first session (2010–11) the university opened the following eight disciplines:
* Department of Business Administration
* Department of Computer Science
* Department of Development Studies
* Department of Mass Communication
* Department of Economics
* Department of Education
* Department of Law and Shari'a
* Department of Statistics
* Department of Environmental Science
In the 2011–12 session, one discipline of Software Engineering and four more departments, of Zoology, Microbiology and Environmental Sciences at BS level, were introduced. There are now the following schools/institutes/departments with 3500+ students:
* Center for Agriculture Sciences and Forestry
* Center for Animal Science and Fisheries
* Center for Biotechnology & Microbiology
* Center for Earth Sciences
* Center for Education and Staff Training
* Center for Management & Commerce
* Center for Plant Science and Biodiversity
* Department of Applied Physical and Material Sciences
* Department of Computer and Software Technologies
* Department of Economics and Development Studies
* Department of English and Foreign Languages
* Department of Environmental and Conservation Sciences
* Department of Forensic Studies
* Department of Health and Physical Education
* Department of Islamic and Arabic Studies
* Department of Law & Shari’a
* Department of Library and Information Studies
* Department of Mathematics & Statistics
* Department of Media & Communication Studies
* Department of Political and International Studies
* Department of Psychological Studies
* Department of Social and Gender Studies
* Institute of Chemical Sciences
* Institute of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Hospitality Management
Institutes
The Chancellor Muhammad Jahanzeb Khan established the
Institute of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Hospitality Management.
* Center for Biotechnology & Microbiology(CBM)
The Center for Biotechnology & Microbiology is a newly launched discipline at University of Swat.
The focus of the institute is on the applied aspect of
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used ...
,
Microbiology and
Genetics
Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar wor ...
. The aim of the department is to produce experts in the fields of medicine, agriculture, industry, the environment, genetics and
Recombinant DNA technology.
Ranking
In Pakistan the university was ranked 70th according to the
Higher Education Commission of Pakistan
The Higher Education Commission (colloquially known as HEC) is a statutory body formed by the Government of Pakistan which was established in 2002 under the Chairmanship of Atta-ur-Rahman. Its main functions are funding, overseeing, regulatin ...
in 2023.
Course levels and areas of studies
Books
Books Related to the University of Swat:
* ''Kashmir Issue'' (Urdu & English), by Former Vice Chancellor University of Swat
Muhammad Farooq Khan
Muhammad Farooq Khan was a Pakistani psychiatrist, scholar of Islam and vice-chancellor of University of Swat.
He was known for his opposition to Islamist militancy and described suicide attacks as un-Islamic. Due to his views, he was assassinat ...
(late).
* ''Dialogue with the West'' (English), by Former Vice Chancellor University of Swat
Muhammad Farooq Khan
Muhammad Farooq Khan was a Pakistani psychiatrist, scholar of Islam and vice-chancellor of University of Swat.
He was known for his opposition to Islamist militancy and described suicide attacks as un-Islamic. Due to his views, he was assassinat ...
(late).
* ''Hidden Treasures of Swat'' (2014), by Dildar Ali Khan'' (Student at
Institute of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Hospitality Management University of Swat.
References
{{Authority control
2010 establishments in Pakistan
Educational institutions established in 2010
Public universities and colleges in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Swat District