Lost in communication: KU students’ careers at stake due to misunderstanding

The university’s board had failed to communicate the changes in admissions policy to the faculty.

KARACHI:

The University of Karachi (KU) has put the careers of many prospective MPhil and PhD students at stake after the varsity officials failed to communicate the purported modifications in the admission rules to their own department heads, The Express Tribune has learnt on Thursday.

On June 22, these candidates sat the entrance test that was conducted by the relevant university departments for induction into the MPhil and PhD programmes. The test comprised two sections: the English and communication skills that carried 20% marks and the subject knowledge test that was worth the remaining 80% marks.



Faculty members of various departments announced in the middle of the tests that those candidates who had already undertaken the National Testing Service (NTS) exam need not attempt the English and communication skills section. This practice was being followed by the university for the last many years.

When the university’s board of advanced studies and research (BASR) announced the test scores two days later on June 24, all those who did not attempt the English and communication skills section on the invigilators’ instructions were declared fail.

The university made a botch of the entrance test as its board of advanced studies and research that regulates the affairs of the MPhil and PhD programmes had introduced certain changes in the admission policy with the announcement of admissions on May 25.

This announcement came, according to many KU faculty members, without observing the ethical practice of holding a meeting of the academic council to debate the proposed modifications. On the contrary, the BASR admissions convener, Prof Dr Abid Azhar, claimed that all the department heads were informed in writing about this year’s admission policy.



Subsequently, the candidates as well as the heads of various departments approached Dr Azhar, and the varsity’s registrar, Prof Dr Moazzam Ali Khan, asking them to redress the grievances of the failed candidates.

The plight of the candidates has, however, been held in disdain as the registrar told The Express Tribune that the students who had accused the university officials of serious negligence had no justifiable reason to substantiate their claim.

“We expected these grown-ups and wannabe research scholars to at least read the admission prospectus before they came to sit the entrance tests,” said Prof Khan, with an obvious tone of indifference. “They should not try to shift the blame on the university.”

Contrary to his claims, KU’s head of mass communication Prof Dr Tahir Masood, head of statistics Prof Dr Mudassiruddin, and head of chemistry Prof Dr Syed Azhar Ali, said that they did read the 17-page prospectus from cover to cover, but could not find a single mention about the new rules regarding the NTS-qualified candidates.

“We expected the university administration to clearly mention the changes in the admission policy, especially in a situation when a certain rule had been in practice for the last six years,” said Prof Mudassiruddin when approached by The Express Tribune. “I have submitted my reservations in writing to the BASR as well.”

Meanwhile, Prof Masood has announced in protest not to submit the final merit list of the candidates until the university officials will compensate the victims of their “ambiguous changes in the admission policy.”

Dozens of the NTS-qualified candidates, including Muhammad Safdar and Shaista Dilshad, who sat the admission tests at the chemistry and zoology departments respectively, demanded the KU vice-chancellor, Prof Dr Muhammad Qaiser, to provide justification for punishing them for the fault of his own administrative officials and faculty members. “We will sue the varsity for attempting to play with our careers,” said Safdar.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 4^th, 2014.