PCT to highlight plight of BTech graduates

Pakistan Council of technologists (PCT) will hold a meeting with officials of Ministry of Science and Technology on February 29 to highlight the sufferings of BTech graduates due to undefined status of their degrees.
Thousands of BTech graduates in the country being deprived of access to higher studies, job opportunity in public departments and promotions have been demanding equivalence of BTech (Hons) to BSc/BE from the last many years.
It is the long-standing of technology graduates to set up a separate Pakistan Technology Council (PTC) which can register them, safeguard their benefits and control technology institutions.
Talking to APP, Chairman PCT Sheikh Javed Iqbal informed that the B.Tech graduates are struggling from the last 40 years for the recognition of their degree. “The council has wrote a number of letters to the ministry and finally we got time to convey our grievances”.
Javed Iqbal informed that the representative of PCT will provide briefing to the Secretary of Ministry of Science and Technology in the upcoming meeting.
Over 10,000 BTech graduates complete their degrees from different institutes annually and start their struggle in the market for jobs and most of them have to move to the other countries for jobs.
Despite High Court and Supreme Court decisions in the favour of BTech graduates, Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) has refused to control, register and promote the technologists, he said.
Different public departments are also denying to recognize their degree, not giving them jobs and those who have been appointed already cannot promoted upto Grade 16, he said.
BTech graduates are attending classes in the Engineering universities where they are taught the syllabus of Engineering by Engineers but still their degree is not considered at par with B.E.
Similarly, these graduates participate in the tests and interviews against the advertised posts of Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) and excel but are rejected at the time of appointment, challenging the authenticity of their degree.
Javed Iqbal expressed the hope that the ministry will come up with some solution to resolve their persistent demand. BTech programme was formally launched in 1973 and the then Ministry of Education directed to give status of B.Tech (Hons) degree at par with BSc Engineering/B.E degree, according to the letter No. 15-29/73-Tech.
According to the letter no PEC/4-P/QEC, PEC stated that BTech degree will be considered equivalent to B.Sc/BE and the same decision was taken in 9th inter-provincial ministers conference at Quetta in 1986, 39th HEC meeting on 12-2-98, FPSC in its letter no F4-89/2002-R but now PEC is not ready to accept their status.
The technologists holding B.Tech qualification have filed several cases in courts and got 17 decisions in their favour, declaring their degree equivalent to B.Sc/BE but no decision could not be implemented so far.
The full bench of Supreme Court in Suo Motu Review Petition No. 52 of 1993 given its verdict on June 05, 1995 in favour of B.Tech (Hons) (PLD 1995 SC 701), thrashing out the role of PEC.
But, PEC in 2004-05 managed the amendments by adding new clauses and definition of professional engineering work and section 5A of Section 27 only to null and void the decision of full bench of Supreme Court thus to interfere in the service matters and blocking promotion channels of employees possessing B.Tech (Hons) degrees.