Proving merit: QAU pharmacy students told to sit PCP examination

Students reject measure, claim they do not need to appear for the exam

ISLAMABAD: Pharmacy students of a top ranking varsity have been told that they will have to appear for a separate, comprehensive exam prepared by a council to have their degrees recognized.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Pharmacy Council of Pakistan (PCP). PCP is a regulatory body established under Pharmacy Act 1967 to regulate pharmacy practice and education by pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.

The meeting discussed the issue of Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm D) students of Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) who were enrolled in 2011 and 2012 without obtaining a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the regulator.

Students of the department have been protesting for the recognition of their degrees by the regulatory body of the pharmacy sector.

It was decided that as per the decision of the court, around 172 students, who were enrolled in the department before registering with the council, will be asked to pass an exam by the council to ensure their merit and quality of pharmacy education in the market.

Along with QAU, students of five more pharmacy departments from various universities will also have to sit the exam to get their degrees registered with the council.

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) in a similar case had decided to register pharmacy students after students sat a PCP exam.

Universities are supposed to obtain an NOC or register their departments with the concerned regulatory bodies.

However, the QAU — the top-ranked higher learning institute in the country — opened its pharmacy department without obtaining an NOC from the council and stared enrolling students.

The students were told that the affiliation process was under way.

According to the council officials, they wrote letters to the university warning that their students will not be registered. However, the varsity apparently ignored the warnings and continued to enroll students. The university though, says it applied for affiliation but bureaucratic lethargy delays caused lethargy.

The department was finally registered with the council in 2013.

The students, however, refused to accept the decision, stating that since the department operates with PhD faculty used to operate this way even before getting an NOC, hence they do not need to appear for any exam.

They also say their case is different from other pharmacy departments since their department had received unconditional accreditation while others lack that.

Ghulam Anbia, a student at the department said that students who passed out from the varsity two years ago are scattered in different parts of the country with some abroad and cannot appear in exams.

With the degrees of the initial two batches not registered, degrees of current students too will not be registered, he complained, adding that the entire department is currently on strike and demanding a resolution to the issue.

He questioned the integrity of the council which is an ad hoc set up deciding the future of students who are facing uncertainty despite spending their time, money and energy for five years.

Anbia said that graduates of the department had passed the Punjab Public Service Commission exams with flying colours but were ultimately turned away since their degree was not affiliated with the council.

Meanwhile, a meeting of the council, chaired by PCP Vice President Dr AQ Javed Iqbal, decided that the curriculum of pharmacy education will be revised in line with current international standards.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 4^th, 2018.