ISLAMABAD: Admissions for distance learning MPhil and PhD programmes have been suspended by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) over a failure by 13 universities to meet HEC quality standards.
HEC experts said that listed universities did not have the required faculties to teach MPhil and PhD programmes. The experts had physically visited the universities and had evaluated relevant documents in detail. Over 4,000 students are expected to be affected by this decision.
“Further admissions in any of the distance education programmes being offered by universities are stopped immediately till finalisation of recommendation by the committee,” read a letter written to the universities by HEC Quality Assurance Division Consultant Muhammad Ismail.
Amongst complaints received by the HEC was that the student-attendance marking was not transparent and that the universities did not provide a proper Information and Communication Technology (ICT) course load.
“In some cases, [the] universities have not even got approval of their own statutory bodies,” and that “weak HEC policies about distance learning” were being exploited.
Students currently enrolled in said programmes should be shifted to other disciplines in order prevent losses, HEC has directed.
The list comprises the following universities:
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International Islamic University, Islamabad
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Virtual Campus of Comsats Institute of Information Technology, Islamabad
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University of Peshawar, Peshawar
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Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan
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Government College University, Faisalabad
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University of Agriculture, Faisalabad
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University of Faisalabad
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Islamia University, Bahawalpur
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Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan
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Sukkur IBA University
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Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur
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University of Sindh, Jamshoro
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University of Balochistan, Quetta
