Over 98% candidates flunk Sindh University MPhil, PhD entrance tests

Our correspondent

Kotri

The Sindh University Jamshoro has called off its MPhil and PhD programmes for the academic year 2024-25 after more than 98 per cent of the candidates failed to get the qualifying marks in the recently conducted entrance test.

According to the available results, out of 819 candidates who applied and appeared in the entrance tests for 34 departments of MPhil and 28 departments of PhD programmes, only 10 candidates could pass the entrance tests, while 809 candidates failed. Consequently, the university has decided not to pursue the postgraduate programmes this year.

The successful candidates have been left in the lurch and were likely to seek admission in other universities.

Due to halt of the MPhil and PhD programmes, the university will face a reduction in government grant, SU officials confided requesting anonymity.

The university had also increased the annual fees for its PhD and MPhil programs by Rs330,000 to Rs580,000, but after the suspension of the programmes this year, the university will face a decline in its revenues.

Sindh University Research and Graduate Studies Director Prof Dr Saima Qayyum Memon was contacted for comment in this regard, but she did not attend the call.

According to Sindh University Testing Centre Director Dr Aftab Chandio, 50 per cent of the questions in the entrance tests of MPhil and PhD programmes comprised contents from related subjects, 20 per cent from General English, 15 per cent pertained to qualitative reasoning and 15 per cent evaluated analytical reasoning.

He said that the passing score for MPhil admissions was set at 50 per cent and PhD at 60 per cent.