Licence to practise: 43 students’ future murky as council won’t recognise degrees

Conundrum has arisen as FUUAST does not fulfil criteria defined by Pharmacy Council of Pakistan

KARACHI: How would you feel if, after studying five years in Pharm D, your degree at the end of your long journey is denied recognition from the Pharmacy Council of Pakistan (PCP)?

The future of as many as 43 students of the evening batch of Pharm D at the Federal Urdu University of Arts Science and Technology (Fuuast), who are in their final years, is at stake as even the graduates of the previous batch are still struggling to get their degrees registered by the PCP.



Niaz Ali Khan, who got enrolled in 2011, is among the 43 students of this year's batch, who will be completing their degrees in May, 2016. According to him, the registration and issuance of licences for the graduates of evening classes has been going on since last year between the PCP and the university. He told The Express Tribune that his batch is the fourth batch of evening classes in Fuuast. "Keeping in view the registration issue, the university shifted the first two batches in morning classes while they left us (the 43 students) [to suffer]," said Niaz, adding that the third batch, which passed out last year, is still awaiting registration from PCP and are not even getting jobs as they do not have the licences.

According to Niaz's class fellow, Irfan Khan, the university should take responsibility and seriously handle the question of non-issuance of licences to students. He told The Express Tribune that the university administration and their dean told them that the university did not fulfil the particular criteria and requirement defined by the PCP for a university offering pharmacy course. "We cannot apply for any government job until we get registered by the PCP," he said, pointing out the need for the issuance of licences from PCP.

The FUUAST-PCP tussle

The dispute between the university and council started on June 9, 2015, when a team from the PCP, Sindh, visited the Fuuast Gulshan-e-Iqbal campus and pointed out that the university's evening programme is not recognised by the council. "A show-cause notice was also issued to the university and their then registrar, Dr Fahimuddin, and the then dean of the pharmacy department, Dr Jajabeen, were called for a meeting at the PCP head office," PCP, Sindh, secretary Tanveer Ahmed Siddiqui told The Express Tribune.



Both the officials from the university appeared for a meeting in Islamabad on July 5, 2015. Dr Fahimuddin and Dr Jajabeen were directed to fulfil the requirement and provide the record of students enrolled so that the registration can be made possible. "The evening programme of the university is not recognised and registered with the PCP, which is why we do not give licence to the students of the evening programme," explained Siddiqui. "But the morning programme is recognised."

What are the criteria?

According to Siddiqui, there is a proper criterion to register medical institutions in the council. Out of more than 80 institutions in the country, around 60 are affiliated with the PCP, he said. Before the opening and starting of any institute, said Siddiqui, a no-objection certificate (NOC) is needed from the council, which is given after visiting the university and making sure that they have laboratories as per the council's rules. "The council allows the university to enrol a specific number of students, keeping in view the facilities," he added.

The registration and licence is actually a gazette notification from the Government of Pakistan that specific students have been registered after completing their studies from a recognised institute, said Siddiqui.

According to Siddiqui, despite several letters and notifications, the university officials are not providing the data and enrolment details to the PCP.

What is the solution?

"The university's evening programme will be recognised if they follow the proper criterion and fulfil the requirement as there are still five batches, including the final year, studying at the varsity," said Siddiqui, reasoning that the council cannot let students suffer because of the university's fault.



He also told The Express Tribune that he has prepared a proposal to extend the registration process for one year so that the students graduating in 2016 do not get affected and can easily get jobs in their fields.

Hushing up allegations

Meanwhile, denying all the ongoing issues with the university, the dean of the pharmacy department at Fuuast, Dr Arfa Akram, said that students are making up stories from their end and that all the requirements have been completed from the university's end. She refused to comment on the ongoing dispute of the evening programme with the PCP.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 6^th, 2016.