PU to look into MPhill applicant’s complaint

‘Admission denied because of failure to obtain equivalence certificate’.

LAHORE:

Lahore High Court on Friday directed the Punjab University vice chancellor to look into the complaint of a student that he was denied admission to university’s MPhill programme because he had gone to a seminary for his master’s studies.

The LHC asked the PU’s vice chancellor to ensure that justice was done in petitioner Muhammad Azam’s case and hoped that the matter would be resolved within three weeks. The court directed Azam to submit relevant documents with the vice chancellor’s office.

Earlier, the PU submitted through its counsel that the petitioner was not admitted to the MPhill programme because he had failed to obtain an equivalence certificate for his master’s degree from the university. It said that for admission to MPhil programme, the candidates needed an MA degree in first division. Besides, it said, the candidates had to have no more than two second divisions throughout their academic career.

The petitioner’s counsel said his client had applied for the equivalence certificate but the university had refused to issue it. He said his client had then sent a legal notice to the university in this regard.

Azam submitted in his petition that he had passed his MA Islamiat from the Wafaqul Madaris, Multan, and obtained an equivalence certificate from Bahauddin Zakriya University (BZU), a higher education institution recognised with the Higher Education Commission (HEC).

He said he met the criteria set by the PU for admission to its MPhill programme but was denied admission because he had been a seminary student. He said the university required a master’s degree in first or second division from an HEC-recognised institution and three or more years of teaching and research experience.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 4^th, 2011.