QAU admissions: VC, registrar are not on same page

Owing to negligence of the high-ups of Quaid-i-Azam University, anxiety is mounting among the students seeking admissions to Archeology Department of the varsity for spring session as it has so far failed to announce any clear policy in this regard.
This year Archeology Department of Quaid-i-Azam University announced admissions for Masters’ programmes for spring session 2012 after removing the bar of specified subjects adopted in bachelor degrees and announced that any graduate could take admission.
A senior professor of Archeology Department, wishing not to be named, told Pakistan Today that during the last month, on the request of the Archeology Department, Vice Chancellor Dr Masoom Yasinzai removed the bar of specified subjects and ordered the admission branch to accommodate all eligible students regardless of what subjects they had adopted in their graduation. Upon this, aiming to accommodate all students, the admission branch added additional papers to prospectus rendering all graduates eligible. However, after selling out 412 prospectuses, the admission branch abruptly stopped their further sale, causing serious difficulties for prospective students.
A source in the admission branch said that prospectuses with additional papers were stopped on the directions of QAU Registrar Dr Shafeeq-ur-Rehman.
The source said that the registrar ordered not to sell prospectuses as permission to remove the bar of subjects was yet to be obtained from the university’s Academic Council.
“Since we have already sold out 412 prospectuses asking all graduates to apply, it will be difficult for us to refuse them,” he said. On the other hand, students are badly suffering owing to the confusion created by the registrar’s office.
“During the last week, my cousin got an amended prospectus for taking admission to the Archeology Department, but now the admission is refusing to sell it to me,” said Asif Raza who recently did B.Com and now wants to be an archeologist. He opined that it would be sheer discrimination for the students who could not get prospectuses earlier.
When contacted, VC Dr Masoom Yasinzai confirmed the issue, saying he was trying to resolve the matter. “Let me make it clear that we will accommodate all eligible students in the Archeology Department regardless of what subjects they adopted in their graduation,” he said.