No 2-year bachelors’ degree acceptable: HEC

Asks universities, DAIs not to offer admissions in two-year BA/BSC programmes


Zaigham Naqvi November 24, 2020
The HEC observed that two-year degree programmes were still being offered at universities and colleges affiliated with it despite its 2018 notification. PHOTO: APP/File

ISLAMABAD:

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has announced that it will not recognize two-year bachelors’ degrees issued to students enrolled in such programmes after the 2018 academic year.

“[The two-year bachelors] degrees shall not be recognized by the HEC for students enrolled in these programmes after December 31, 2018,” the HEC said in notification issued on Tuesday.

“Universities/degree awarding institutions (DAIs) are directed not to offer admissions in the two-year BA/BSC [Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science] programmes,” it added.

The notification stated that despite the HEC’s decision to phase out two-year BA/BSc programmes after the academic year 2018, it had been noted that the programmes are still being offered by universities, the DAIs and their affiliated colleges.

In 2019, the HEC had announced that they would replace the two-year BA/BSc programme with a new postsecondary programme – to be called Associate Degree (AD) programmes. The notification had exclusively stated that the BA-BSc programmes would be discontinued soon.

It said those who had enrolled in two-year programmes before December 31, 2018 would be allowed until December, 2020 to complete their BA, BSc degrees. But those, who failed to complete their course by that time, would be awarded the Associate Degree upon completion of their course.

The HEC had said the aim of the Associate Degree programme was to provide a general education “that is broadly applicable and helps students gain marketable skills”.

The HEC is a statutory regulator whose main functions are funding, overseeing, regulating and accrediting the higher education institutions in the country.

COMMENTS (11)

Noor Ahmad Zia | 1 year ago | Reply Please unbanned B.sc
Ahmed Shahzaib | 3 years ago | Reply My Name is Ahmed Shahzaib . i really want to share important thing about me . when they announced that 2 years programs have been banned from pakistan . that day was the end of my study life. i belong to a poor family. i work on a shop part time to meet my fee expenses. and it was very difficult for me to clear my FSC. but i did clear my FCS. and got 79 marks . and after FSC i was very happy that i was going to take admission in UOS but at that day i heard the news that 2 years program have been banned. now you can only do master programs. i just want to say that all the student don t have such time to study . we have lot of more things to do in our life except studies. and then just because of this dicision i reovked my studies. i beg to HEC that kindly please dont spoil the life of the poor students that cant afford such high fees and that huge time . they dont have such time like the rich student have they cant afford fee. and obviously they cant give 4 year to studies.. please dont destroy life of poor students
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