ISLAMABAD: Futures are destroyed here with almost total impunity. In yet another case of higher-education fiasco a state-owned university, whose chancellor is no less than the president of Pakistan himself, is producing telecom engineers with “suspect” degrees. General Pervez Musharraf, the all powerful chancellor of the public sector university–Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) – might not be aware of the fact that the telecommunication programme, initiated in June 2000, remained non-accredited even today in 2006. And what is even worse that the programme has been discontinued.
The Pakistan engineering council (PEC) is pointing out so far unresolved legal hitches hampering the programme’s accreditation. Apparently out of frustration now the AIOU management has decided to discontinue new admission in its telecom programme. “As directed by Dean Faculty of Sciences, the competent authority has decided not to announce the admission of BE (Telecom) for semester Autumn 2006,” reads an AIOU “most urgent” order. What is the future of the presently enrolled 650 students and whether they and those 300 who have already graduated, would be recognised by the PEC as telecom engineers, is the major concern of these students and their families. The students are already protesting in their usual manner but there is no positive outcome as yet. If an engineering degree is not recognised by the PEC, it means no government job and no admission in masters degree programmes in public sector universities.
Following an agreement signed between the Institute of Engineering and Technology and the AIOU, the university launched its BE Telecom programme in June 2000 in its affiliated centers–one each in Rawalpindi and Lahore. Classes started in January 2001 and the university applied for accreditation of BE Telecom programme with PEC in 2002. Documents reveal that the PEC accreditation team visited the AIOU main campus as well as the study centres in Rawalpindi and Lahore in March-April 2003. The PEC questioned the legal status of the university to launch B.E Telecom programme. The AIOU argued but the PEC did not agree and recommended the university to get its charter amended. On this the then education minister also wrote a letter to the chairman PEC for accepting the university’s stance but to no avail. On August 29, 2003 the AIOU was told, “The Council (PEC) is of the considered opinion that under the prevailing circumstances, the aforesaid programme be discontinued, unless the institution immediately takes up drastic remedial measures including change in the University Act to legally conduct engineering programme.”
In yet another letter dated 24-6-2004, the AIOU vice- chancellor yet again clarified the legal status of the university to the chairman PEC and urged to get the BE Telecom programme accredited within the existing charter of the AIOU. A number of visits of senior academician and university management personnel were also made to the PEC that in June 2004 finally asked the AIOU to submit a fresh case along with Rs 60,000 fee for accreditation of its telecom programme. A fresh application was made following which the university was invited to attend the 45th accreditation committee meeting of the PEC held on October 5, 2004 and clarify its legal status. In the said meeting a decision was taken to finally find ways and means to settle the issue. The minutes of the meeting said, “The convener (of the accreditation committee Maj-Gen (retd) Manzoor Rauf) briefed the house about AIOU telecommunication engineering programme. He informed that the legal advisor of PEC is of the opinion that affiliation of study center is the administrative affair. However, their accreditation can be considered on the grounds as in the case of public sector universities.”
The minutes added, “All members were of the opinion that ‘Study Centers of AIOU’ at Rawalpindi and Lahore are not equivalent to an engineering college. It was resolved that the convener (Maj-Gen (retd) Manzoor Rauf) will hold meeting at an appropriate level to find ways and means to settle the issue. Thereafter the two centers will be visited by the PEC team.” To resolve the issue the committed meeting between the convener and the AIOU could not be held for several months. Finally in another meeting of the Higher Education Council (HEC) held in May 2005 and attended by vice chancellor AIOU, convener accreditation committee, registrar PEC and others, it was decided to change the name of study centers in consultation with the PEC. While the differences were narrowing down, Lt-Gen (retd) Shujat, Rector NUST, replaced Maj-Gen (retd) Manzoor as convener accreditation committee. After this appointment the PEC went back to square one and again challenged yet again the legal status of AIOU vide letter No. PEC/EA&QEC/AIOU/2005 dated 10-11-2005.
In November 2005, Dr Mehmood ul-Hussain Butt took over as new VC AIOU and instead responding to the said letter, BE telecom was suspended in June 2006. Following protest of students, the VC visited study center Rawalpindi on June 4, 2006 and arranged a fresh visit of the PEC for Rawalpindi study center on 27 July 2006. During the visit, the PEC again raised the legal issue and emphasized that AIOU charter did not cover engineering education. It, however, did not raise any objection about the technical aspects and facilities at the study center. But strangely in the PEC executive committee meeting held on Sept 2, 2006 the 27th July visit was considered cancelled and the decision was taken that the centers at Rawapindi and Lahore would be revisited. This added to the already simmering frustration amongst the students, who protested against AIOU and PEC and besieged VC office on 12 September 2006 for several hours. However, there was no order issued for the revival of the BE telecom programme. The protesting students are in complete dark about their future. Would they complete their degrees? Whether their BE Telecom degrees would be accredited? Will the AIOU revive its BE telecom programme?
Source: The News
Date:10/5/2006
