'Avoid admission in unauthorized 2-year Bachelors, Masters Programs,' HEC alerts students

'Avoid admission in unauthorized 2-year Bachelors, Masters Programs,' HEC alerts students

The Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC) on Sunday issued a notification for students seeking admission in two-year BA/BSc and MA/MSc programs, alerting them to abstain from getting deceived by the "unauthorized schemes."

In the official notification, HEC advised the students "not to waste their time and money by enrolling in unauthorized degree programs, such as the two-year BA/BSc or MA/MSc programs." The commission has further notified that the programs have been "phased out because of quality concerns."

Also Read: Educational institutes reopen after two months

"One or two universities have announced admission to unauthorized BA/BSc and MA/MSc programs. While this will earn money for the university, it will not be in the students' interest. These discarded degrees will not enable students to apply for jobs or further education," the notification read.

Furthermore, HEC stated that in 2004, the pronouncement to phase out the BA/BSc and MA/MSc programs and to substitute them with a single, composite, four-year BS degree was taken. However, universities were notified and were allowed to run the two-year program meanwhile in the transition period, the statement added.

In 2011, HEC announced the Associate Degree (AD) as a substitute for the BA/BSc degree, equivalent to 14 years of schooling. The AD enables graduates to get admission in the 5th semester of the particular BS programs after fulfilling the university's admission requirements.

Also Read: Committees to review demands of teachers

The concluding decision was announced in 2016 to discontinue the BA/BSc programs effective December 31, 2018 and in MA/MSc programs on December 31, 2020.

"It was also decided that the last BA/BSc exam would be held in 2020 and that the admission to the last batch of MA/MSc students would take place before December 31, 2020. These decisions were confirmed in 2017, and again in 2018, 2019, and 2020," the statement read.

However, HEC had granted some flexibility because of the interruption caused by the coronavirus lockdown.