KU to hold online classes for private postgrad students

The University of Karachi's (KU's) academic council gave approval on Monday for conducting classes for private postgraduate students online, under a distance newly introduced learning system, keeping in view the resurgence of Covid-19.

The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by KU vice-chancellor Professor Khalid Mahmood Iraqi. The admission policy for the academic year 2021 was also approved during the meeting.

According to Professor Iraqi, the distance learning system is being introduced for private postgraduate students initially, and it will later be expanded to conduct online classes for private students enrolled in undergraduate programmes.

He said that under the newly introduced distance learning system, postgraduate students would be able to access recorded lectures for 16 disciplines online. Besides, he added, it will be for the first time under this system that private students will have the option to pay examination fees only for subjects they intend to sit exams for.

Admission policy

As per the KU's admission policy for 2021, if the government does not order the closure of educational institutes, admission tests at KU will be conducted on-campus, in line with pandemic-related standard operating procedures. However, in case educational institutes are closed, the KU's administration will seek the Sindh government's permission to conduct admission tests on-campus and if denied, the varsity's administration will then give admissions on the basis of open merit.

According to sources affiliated with the KU's admission committee, if the varsity is allowed to hold admission tests, each test will be of 100 marks, of which a score of 50 has been set as the qualifying cut-off for gaining the admission. The tests will be conducted for admissions to 19 bachelors morning programmes, five masters morning programmes and three evening programmes, under the KU's testing service, Karachi University Assessment Testing Service.

Admissions are expected to begin at the public varsity from next week.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 18^th, 2020.