KARACHI: The Academic Council of the University of Karachi abolished the continuation of its conventional degree programmes, two months after allowing the students to continue the two-year programme.
Reports in local media quoting sources said the academic council of Karachi University abolished BA, BSC and B.Com for affiliated public and private colleges.
The move is being criticized as the varsity took the action without consulting stakeholders and it didn’t spread awareness of the new programmes. Meanwhile, the administration announced admission to the two-year associate degree programmes.
On Sep 3, a statement issued by the university cited “academic council after approving the policy has changed the nomenclature of the two-year BA, BSc and BCom degree programmes to Associate Degree in Arts, Associate Degree in Science, and Associate Degree in Commerce, respectively, for regular and private students”.
It also added, “The implementation of the associate degree programme would end the option of private education”.
Educationists and field experts have lashed out at the move, as they termed it as an ‘anti-education step’. A number of underprivileged students, who picked two-year degrees, will now end their education at intermediate, they said.
A number of students also continue education while doing a job for livelihood but the implementation of the associate degree programme would end the option of private education and a student with an associate degree would need admission to a university for a bachelor’s degree.
Meanwhile, Ombudsman Sindh Ajaz Ali Khan directed Sindh Higher Education Commission to ensure that no private institution or university should arbitrarily decide the fate of students.
He also directed the Secretary, Sindh Higher Education Commission and Chairman, Chartered Inspection & Evaluation Committee, HEC, to conduct enquiry and take legal action against Dadabhoy Institute of Higher Education for jeopardizing the career of students on grounds of financial losses and take immediate steps so that no private institution/university in future should arbitrarily decide the fate of students, a press release issued in this regard cited.
Earlier in July, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) agreed to postpone bringing two-year associate degree programmes and a four-year graduation programme, sources said Friday.
A notification issued on November 17, 2020, by the HEC read that the commission had phased out two-year programmes after the academic year 2018 and subsequently 2019.
The HEC expressed concern in the notification that those two-year programmes were still being offered by varsities and degree awarding institutes and their affiliated colleges.
