Students and parents have requested the govt to Ban aptitude tests for university admissions

Parents and students have requested the government to prohibit various forms of aptitude tests from being used in university admissions.

They claim they are being robbed under the pretext of the Law Admission Test (LAT), the Graduation Admission Test (GAT), the National Testing Service (NTS), and the newly-introduced Undergraduate Studies Aptitude Test (USAT).

Parents have urged that the government either end the practise or make it affordable, if not free, for low-income students.

"Paying a price for all tests, which ranges from Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 2,000, becomes quite tough for poor parents." Thousands of youngsters fail to pass these tests on their first attempt, forcing poor parents to pay fees over and over to ensure a future for their sons and daughters at public and private colleges," a parent told the local news.

As per official estimates, over 50,000 candidates applied for admission to law schools and universities around the country in the recent LAT.

A bit more than 20,000 of them passed the test. Many of the students who failed were attempting for the second time, and some were even attempting for the third time.

Even those who are accepted and complete their degree will be required to take another aptitude exam, the GAT, in order to obtain their legal degree.

Meanwhile, Farhan Shahzad, Vice-Chairman of the Punjab Bar Council (PBC), has criticised such 'aptitude exams' in the country. He said he would bring up the issue at the Punjab Bar Council meeting.

Almost all public and private universities in the country, he claims, administer their own aptitude tests. As a result, they are not required to follow the procedures of other testing agencies in the country.