Private universities: Government to decide on unaccredited programmes
HED official says the universities will have to comply with the orders
PHOTO: EXPRESS
LAHORE:
The Punjab government has received applications from all the private universities which have been barred from giving admissions to students in unapproved or unaccredited programmes. The decision to accredit and approve the said programmes and departments is expected to be finalised in the coming week.
The Punjab Higher Education Department (HED) notified 18 private universities to stop admissions at several of their programmes as they had either not received approval from the chancellor or from accreditation bodies.
According to the letters issued to each of 18 private varsities on September 22, the universities were asked to seek accreditation for the approval and regularisation of unapproved faculties, departments, programmes or sub-campuses from the Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC) by September 26.
According to the HED letters, the University of Central Punjab (UCP), University of Management and Technology (UMT) Lahore, University of Faisalabad, National College of Business Administration and Economics (NCBA and E), HITEC University Taxila, Imperial College of Business Studies, Hajvery University, University of Wah, Institute of Southern Punjab Multan, University of Lahore (UoL), Superior Colleges, University of South Asia Lahore, Minhaj University Lahore, Lahore Leads University, Beaconhouse National University (BNU) and Lahore Garrison University (LGU) were among the universities and degree-awarding institutes (DAIs) which had unapproved programmes or unauthorised sub-campuses.
PHEC Director General Dr Shahid Soroya told The Express Tribune that some universities had already forwarded the required documents and their cases for approval or accreditation, while others had also sought approval for the programmes. “We were already processing some cases, while other universities have also applied and PHEC Chairman Dr Nizamuddin was personally looking after all the process.”
Meanwhile, a senior official of the HED told The Express Tribune that all private universities where the letters had been sent had to comply with the directions of the department and should not further enroll any student in the programmes or faculties identified by the department. He said that students already studying in any of the programmes would not be affected by this and they would be protected.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 28th, 2017.
The Punjab government has received applications from all the private universities which have been barred from giving admissions to students in unapproved or unaccredited programmes. The decision to accredit and approve the said programmes and departments is expected to be finalised in the coming week.
The Punjab Higher Education Department (HED) notified 18 private universities to stop admissions at several of their programmes as they had either not received approval from the chancellor or from accreditation bodies.
According to the letters issued to each of 18 private varsities on September 22, the universities were asked to seek accreditation for the approval and regularisation of unapproved faculties, departments, programmes or sub-campuses from the Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC) by September 26.
According to the HED letters, the University of Central Punjab (UCP), University of Management and Technology (UMT) Lahore, University of Faisalabad, National College of Business Administration and Economics (NCBA and E), HITEC University Taxila, Imperial College of Business Studies, Hajvery University, University of Wah, Institute of Southern Punjab Multan, University of Lahore (UoL), Superior Colleges, University of South Asia Lahore, Minhaj University Lahore, Lahore Leads University, Beaconhouse National University (BNU) and Lahore Garrison University (LGU) were among the universities and degree-awarding institutes (DAIs) which had unapproved programmes or unauthorised sub-campuses.
PHEC Director General Dr Shahid Soroya told The Express Tribune that some universities had already forwarded the required documents and their cases for approval or accreditation, while others had also sought approval for the programmes. “We were already processing some cases, while other universities have also applied and PHEC Chairman Dr Nizamuddin was personally looking after all the process.”
Meanwhile, a senior official of the HED told The Express Tribune that all private universities where the letters had been sent had to comply with the directions of the department and should not further enroll any student in the programmes or faculties identified by the department. He said that students already studying in any of the programmes would not be affected by this and they would be protected.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 28th, 2017.