Much to the embarrassment of the University of Karachi (KU), its Master of Science (MS) admission test results, announced by the university’s Board of Advance Studies and Research (BASR) on Tuesday, show that more candidates took the tests than the ones actually found eligible.
According to documents available with Pakistan Today, the departmental research committees (DRCs) of some departments had allowed some ‘blue-eyed boys’ to appear in the admission test even after the issuance of the final list by the BASR. Interestingly, the varsity management was caught unawares as it declared the results of such candidates without verification.
Three departments under the Faculty of Arts and one under the Faculty of Islamic Studies allowed extra candidates to take the test for the postgraduate studies at the KU. The documents reveal that the BASR had declared 96 candidates eligible to appear in the test for the Department of Mass Communication. However, the results show that 97 students appeared in the test.
Similarly, the BASR allowed 60 students for admission to the Department of Sociology but 66 students appeared in the test. Moreover, 46 students were eligible to take the test for the Department of Education, but 47 students appeared without any permission from the authorities. The Faculty of Islamic Studies was also found involved in this illegal affair.
As per documents, the Department of Quran and Sunnah sent a list of 45 students, who wanted to appear in the MS programme test to the BASR. The list was approved, but the results show that 45 students were declared eligible and 53 students appeared in the test. When approached for comments, Faculty of Arts Dean Zafar Iqbal appeared clueless.
He said the university should investigate unlawful practices, if any, in the admission process for the MS programme.
“Honestly, I have no idea about how there were more candidates who appeared for the test than the ones found eligible,” he added. KU Pro Vice Chancellor Shahana Urooj Kazmi was shocked when she was informed about the findings and said that the university would investigate the matter and suspend the results of such faculties if wrongdoing is proved.
“The BASR has allowed one student from the Department of Mass Communication to appear in the MS programme test as he had unintentionally submitted his test form in the Department of Political Science, but no one else was allowed to do this after the deadline passed,” she said. “The university will start a DRCs probe against the departments suspected to be involved in malpractice and their results would be suspended until the investigation is completed,” she added.
