KU's Mass Comm dept: ‘Sudden’ interviews take MPhil candidates by surprise

Confusion stemmed from publishing of test results three days before schedule

KARACHI: Candidates who had passed the entry test of the University of Karachi's (KU) MPhil programme for the department of mass communication were, on a day's notice, directed to appear for interviews on Tuesday.

The KU's MPhil entry test was held on Sunday, May 15 and the result was supposed to be uploaded on the varsity's website by Monday, May 23, according to the advertisement published in various newspapers and the admission prospectus. However, the result was uploaded on the KU website on Friday, May 20, three days before the deadline, which caught most candidates off guard.

On Monday, May 23, when names of successful candidates were supposed to be announced, interviews were scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday at 9:30am at the mass communication department. The decision did not only irk candidates who had to suddenly appear for the interview, but even the department's faculty was left perplexed.

Along with conducting the interview, the department is supposed to conduct a research proposal test. On the basis of those proposals, candidates are interviewed by a board based on the teachers' input.



A student who cleared the test told The Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity that just an hour before, at around 8:30am on Tuesday, she came to know about the synopsis test and interview.

"One can imagine what I would have scribbled down where I was supposed to write down the synopsis," she said angrily after being interviewed by the board. "The board should have at least given us two days before scheduling the interview so we could prepare properly," she added.



A gold medalist of the department, who also appeared for the interview, sharing the same sentiments, said that luckily he passed by the department on Monday and stopped to see the notice board and came to know that his interview was scheduled on Tuesday. "I immediately contacted all my friends who were supposed to appear [in the interview]," he said, adding that obviously he could not inform everyone on the list.

Another candidate who works in an NGO said he was out of the city and rushed back on Tuesday morning to appear for the interview. "This is sheer injustice," he claimed.

Dept's version

KU's registrar Dr Moazam Ali Khan, who was unaware of the interviews being conducted at the eleventh hour, told The Express Tribune that the decision to give the interview dates was the discretion of the departmental research committee (DCR).

Meanwhile, an assistant professor of the department, Muhammad Osama Shafiq, who is also a member of the DCR, said there was plenty of time for students to prepare for the interviews after the results were published [on Friday].

On a question regarding most of the candidates, being professionals, facing difficulty in appearing for the interview on a day's notice, he said no professional is allowed to appear for the test. He explained that it was a requirement from candidates to quit their jobs before starting their MPhil.

Out of 23 candidates, 17 managed to appear for the interview on Tuesday, he informed. However, he assured that those candidates who failed to make it to the interview on Tuesday would be accommodated on Wednesday (today).

Published in The Express Tribune, May 25^th, 2016.