The present policy discourages students possessing good research and presentation skills.
GUJRANWALA: According to the Higher Education Commission (HEC) rules, travel grants are given to teachers, staff and students who are registered in a PhD programme or an MPhil/MS programme leading to a PhD, for presenting papers at international conferences and seminars. However, there are many MPhil and MS students who are competent enough to present papers at international conferences but are refused travel grants on the grounds that their programme does not lead to enrollment in a PhD programme. The HEC should judge research papers on the basis of their quality and if they meet international standards and are free from plagiarism, then travel grants should be given to the students who wrote them.
The present policy discourages students possessing good research and presentation skills. My research papers have been accepted at international conferences which were held in Malaysia, Hawaii and China but as per HEC policy, I am not eligible to get a travel grant as I am a student of the MS programme. The authorities concerned should revise this policy and provide travel grants to MS/MPhil students as well if their research papers meet the requirements.
Khushboo Ali Bagri
Published in The Express Tribune, May 31st, 2012.
