Nixed CS programme shuts academic avenues for hundreds

Many low and middle-income students who benefited from the arrangement are now left on tenterhooks

KARACHI:

The Department of College Education’s decision to nix degree level computer sciences programmes in government colleges appears to have jeopardised the academic futures of hundreds of middle and low income students across Karachi.

The programme, since its inception, had served as a low-cost alternative for university education, creating perusable avenues in the field of computer sciences for financially weak students. However, following the provincial body’s decision, no admissions have been allowed in the programme for the year 2022.

Confirming the closure of the programme, Government DJ Science College Principal Professor Muhammad Mehr said that the orders to close the admissions were given by the former Regional Director, after which admissions have not been possible and there is no word on when the new admissions will take place.

It may be recalled that under a decision of the Sindh High Court, Karachi University (KU) also recently replaced a three-year degree in computer science with a two-year associate degree programme in at least four government colleges in the port city.

The curriculum for the new programme called Associate Degree in Computer Science (ADCS) was prepared by the Board of Studies of the Department of Computer Science at Karachi University and related colleges.

Following its formal approval from KU’s Affiliation Committee, admissions to the programme were announced on January 30, under which admissions in ADCS in DJ Sindh Government Science College, Government National College, Sir Syed Girls College and Khurshid Government Girls College were to be given on the basis of an aptitude test.

However, as soon as the advertisement was published, Karachi’s former Regional Director Colleges Hafiz Abdul Bari Indar directed the principals of the colleges concerned to immediately stop the process of admissions in the said programme, citing that there were no admissions in associate degree programmes in other disciplines as yet.

A few days later, associate degree admissions in commerce, science and arts subjects were green lit in all government colleges of the city under Karachi University. However, Sindh’s Department of College Education still did not allow admission in computer science.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, a student who was recently denied admission shared that admissions had been announced, but he was turned away when he reached the college. “I was notified that admissions will not be given because of a directive from the government,” he told, demanding the Sindh Education Minister Sardar Ali Shah and the present DG Colleges to take notice of the matter and restore admission as soon as possible.

Per Government National College’s Computer Science Department In-charge, this is the first time since 2003 that no college has been able to enroll computer science students at the graduate level and we have had no new admissions.

Sharing his personal experiences Ahmed said that he himself belongs to a middle-income family, and had secured his own B.Sc from SRE Majeed College, leading to an M.Sc from Karachi University. “I can say with confidence that this programme had been a blessing for poor students. Those who could not directly afford admission at a private university or lacked a gleaming academic record to qualify for one, were given a second chance through this programme. After spending two years here they were eligible for a third year in a BS.c programme taught at a university, but now all appears to be at sea for these students,” lamented the department in-charge while talking to The Express Tribune.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20^th, 2022.