Punjab Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman inaugurated five digital systems at Government College Lahore, including the Punjab government’s E-Filing and Office Automation System (e-FOAS), saying the government was extending the chief minister’s Digital Punjab initiatives to educational institutions and semi-autonomous bodies to improve efficiency, service delivery and transparency.

Speaking at the first ceremony held following the restoration of the institution’s historic name, Government College Lahore, Mr Zaman described its adoption of e-FOAS as a model for other universities. He said he would take up its wider implementation with the Higher Education Department and asked Government College to help other institutions adopt the platform. Senior faculty members and heads of departments attended the ceremony.

The Punjab government provided e-FOAS free of charge through the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB). The four other systems including GCU Helpdesk and GCU Societies Portal were developed in-house as part of the institution’s transition to digital operations.

Mr Zaman said electronic filing had improved the tracking of official business, reduced delays and strengthened record security in government offices. Institutions needed to keep pace with technological change to remain relevant, he said, adding that the transition from manual processing had laid the foundation for wider digital reforms in procurement and public services.

The chief secretary said Government College was among the institutions selected by the chief minister for focused support to strengthen their standing among the country’s leading educational institutions. He invited the administration to submit its development and improvement proposals and assured it of the government’s support.

Emphasising academic quality and merit, he urged the institution to build on its established strengths and maintain competitive admissions. He also called on senior faculty members and heads of departments to form a think tank and prepare a programme to develop Government College into a leading institution for the 21st century.

An alumnus of Government College, Mr Zaman welcomed the progress made under Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Omer Chaudhry and said he would brief the chief minister on its achievements.

Earlier, Vice Chancellor Prof Omer Chaudhry said e-FOAS had been implemented across the institution, serving more than 400 users, from faculty members to the vice chancellor’s office.

He described Government College as the first university in Pakistan to implement the system at this scale, saying it had moved away from paper-based processing over the preceding two to three months.

He thanked the chief secretary for facilitating the system’s provision following a request during his visit last year and acknowledged PITB’s technical support. Other universities, he said, had contacted Government College to learn about its implementation.

The systems developed in-house address administrative and academic needs. The Societies Portal supports student societies and their activities, while GC Archives provides a digital repository for historical documents and collections. The helpdesk allows users to submit service requests and track their resolution, and the VC Office Portal brings together an executive dashboard, meeting calendar and decision queue.

Presenting a review of institutional performance, Prof Chaudhry said Government College had reached 380th position in the QS Asia University Rankings 2027, improving by 30 places over the previous edition and at least 171 places since 2024. It had also reached the 801–1000 band in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026.

Admissions across intermediate, BS and MPhil programmes reached 8,403 in 2026, an increase of 22 per cent over the previous year, he said. External research funding rose from Rs22.5 million in 2024–25 to Rs208.3 million in 2025–26, while the institution secured three patents, including one international patent.

The vice chancellor said Rs64.8 million had been disbursed in financial assistance during 2025–26, including Rs9 million under a new Talent Scholarship for students excelling in sports and co-curricular activities.

He said the Endowment Fund Trust received a record Rs95.2 million in donations during the year, taking its invested endowment to Rs954.9 million. He described the donations as the highest annual collection since the fund’s inception and a sign of renewed alumni confidence in the institution.

Prof Chaudhry also highlighted 212 co-curricular awards won by intermediate students only and improved sports results. Government College placed second among public universities in the HEC Men’s Championship and fourth in the women’s championship.

Other developments included two faculty-led start-ups, a nationwide summer internship programme that attracted more than 5,200 applications, and the revival of student publications after an eight-year gap.