Punjab educational institutions high tuition fee

High tuition fee in Punjab private colleges
Lahore, Oct 12: Due to rising trends towards higher education among the youth, the private colleges, institutes and universities are making booming business from new admissions with inflated tuition fee in the session 2009-10.

Due to restricted seats in public sector colleges and universities, only one third of the applicants could get admission in it, while the rest of the students either discard their plans to get higher education or take admission in the private institutions at inflated tuition fee which is three times higher than the government sector.

The limited seats and lack of double shifts at a number of government colleges and universities, the private institutions are making roaring business from heavy tuition fee, which is beyond the affordable limit of many students.

The admission ratio in private schools and colleges during the recent years particularly in the year 2009 has become almost double, as from 20 per cent of students in private institutions, a few years ago, has now risen to 40 per cent.

According to educationists, there are two major reasons behind limited seats at public sector institutes.

Either it is due to the lack of planning and awareness at the higher level or it is because of the vested interests of government institutions.

It is also ironic that universities hesitate to increase seats in the affiliated colleges in government sector but easily allow affiliation to private colleges in demand driven Commerce, Accounting, Medical and Engineering disciplines without following the proper procedure.

According to an estimate, almost same number of students can be enrolled in the second shift in 430 government colleges as in the morning shift at Intermediate, BA, BSc and MA, MSc levels but the second shifts are working only in a few colleges.

Moreover, there is also no recruitment criterion of teachers for the second shift nor there are any rules and regulation for their remuneration, service matters and so on. The rationalisation of second shift could greatly eliminate the sufferings of candidates seeking admission in government institutions at affordable tuition fee.

The private institutes, in general education, absorb students after the admissions are closed in government colleges at intermediate level, graduate level and now in the engineering and medical colleges respectively.

There are 16 medical colleges in the private sector, which will enrol 15,000 to 20,000 students of FSc, pre-medical, who failed to get admission in the government medical colleges.

The medical, engineering and technology colleges in the private sector have opened admission to the students and the process will be completed towards the end of this month.

Even the admission for Matriculates in the FSc, new group of technologies have also started. These FSc, include FSc, Medical Technology, Physiotherapy, Dental Hygienist, Operation Theatre, Ophthalmology and Medical Imaging two years programme and BSc in Physiotherapy, Medical Technology, D Pharmacy, Pharmacy Technician and Paramedical Diploma courses, B Tech in technology colleges and BCom and MCom in Commerce and Accounting are also still continuing. The nation

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Controversy over class V, VIII exams deepens
Lahore: The controversy over upcoming primary and middle standard examinations under the Punjab Examination Commission (PEC) is worsening by the day as more and more private schools have started raising serious apprehensions in this regard.

Last month the Punjab School Education Department had made it compulsory for all the students of government and private registered schools to appear in class V and VIII examinations organized by the PEC.

Interestingly, the department also notified that from April 1, 2010, government schools would admit only those students to class VI and IX who have passed PEC exams at primary and middle standard level.

This very clause raised many eyebrows among the stakeholders especially students and their parents. It was also misunderstood by many who feared that according to this condition, those passing grade V and VIII exams from private schools but not the PEC would not be able to register for grade IX and X exams conducted by boards of intermediate & secondary education (BISEs) in Punjab. Explaining the issue, Secretary Schools Aslam Kamboh says the students passing grade V and VIII exams from private schools would not be offered admissions to government schools in grade VI and IX. However, such students could appear in matric (Class IX and X) exams from their respective private schools, he adds.

Nonetheless, the stakeholders are apprehensive of this condition saying those studying at private schools seldom switch over to public sector schools unless forced by extreme financial problems.

They argue that the bar would only create problems for those who want to switch over from private schools to public sector schools because of financial difficulties.

Apart from this, different associations representing private sector schools are critical of the department for announcing the PEC exams mandatory for students of private schools. Both the exams are scheduled to commence in February 2010.

All Pakistan Private Schools Welfare Association (APPSWA) has warned to close down all educational institutions if the government forced to impose PEC exams as mandatory for students of private sector schools; whereas, the All Pakistan Private Schools Owners Association (APPSOA) while terming the decision impractical and unjust has demanded the government to withdraw the notification.

The representatives of private sector schools argue that since different books are on the syllabi of public and private schools at grade V and VIII levels, it is impossible for students to be examined on a uniform basis.

Most of the private schools recommend books of different private publishers to their students of grade V and VIII while those studying at government schools in similar grades follow books of the Punjab Textbook Board, said principal of a private school. "How it is possible for PEC to examine students on a uniform basis?" he questioned.

The Schools Department's claim to implement the "Policy of Grade-V and Grade-VIII Examinations 2010" to promote a uniform system of examination has been inviting extreme criticism and people question as to how it could ensure uniform exams when syllabus followed by private and public schools was not uniform.

One cannot comprehend how the PEC would ensure uniformity when syllabi followed by private schools were not similar either, remarked a concerned citizen Faisal whose son goes to a leading private school.

Academic circles are of the view that in order to achieve a uniform system of examination at primary and middle standard levels like at matriculation and intermediate levels, the government should address the issue of syllabus.

They suggest at first the government should ensure that all the private schools of the province, except those offering foreign qualifications like O and A levels, teach textbooks of the Punjab Textbook Board as is the case at matriculation level.

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Queen Mary College to become university
Lahore: Punjab Minister for Education Mian Mujtaba Shuja ur Rehman has announced that Queen Mary College (QMC) would be upgraded to the level of a university.

Addressing party workers and notables of his constituency, he said the performance of Queen Mary College and School in examinations was very commendable. He said that the college would be upgraded for providing higher education facility to middle class population.

He said, "There is a dire need to provide students of middle class higher education at affordable fee, especially in market oriented discipline".

A student of the school, Atiqa stood first by getting 999 marks. The result of FSc Pre Medical was 98.8 per cent and students obtained 113 A+ and 77 students achieved A grade respectively, while result of FSc Pre Engineering remained 96.4 per cent.

Result of FSc Pre Engineering evening shift and Pre Medical has been 100 per cent. Ninety-nine per cent result has been achieved in matric exams while 112 students had secured A+ grade in it.

The minister said that credit of such a good performance goes to teachers, parents and students collectively.

The minister further said the government would practically acknowledge the services of this college and provide maximum financial grant and upgradation to this institution.

He said that the Board of Governors of QMC has allowed enhancing the full fee concession quota from 2 to 5 per cent and half fee concession quota from 8 to 10 percent on his suggestion. The news

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