Capital colleges: BA, BSc results paint gloomy picture
The academic standing of Islamabad Capital Territory’s (ICT) colleges is witnessing a decline as reflected from their recently released results wherein the overall pass percentage was 42 compared to last year’s 53 per cent.
Over half of the students of ICT colleges have failed in their BA, BSc part-II examinations which were announced on September 18.
Prior to the colleges’ affiliation with Quaid-e-Azam University, all ICT colleges were being run in line with the policies and curriculum of Punjab University.
In total, 3,942 students appeared in the examinations but only 1,656 (42 per cent) were declared successful while around 2,286 (57 per cent) flunked in various subjects.
Around 77 per cent of students failed in the Bachelor of Commerce; 49 per cent in Bachelor of Arts and 57 per cent in Bachelor of Science.
A review of the results of various colleges has depicted a sorry state of affairs at the Federal Directorate of Education which runs the policy and governing system for the last fifty years.
Bachelor of Commerce
The worst results were of commerce students wherein 951 students appeared and only 221 passed, with 730 declared fail in one or more subjects.
At Islamabad College for Boys G-6/3, about 61 students appeared and only 16 made their way to the list of successful candidates. In Islamabad Model College for Boys H-8, around 53 students appeared and only six were declared to have passed. The Islamabad Model College of Commerce for Girls F-10/3 also did not have a favourable result as out of 234 students, 131 flunked in various subjects. At Islamabad Model Postgraduate College for Men H-8, of 110 students, only 11 managed to pass and 99 failed the examinations.
The more surprising result was from Islamabad Model Postgraduate College of Commerce H-8/4 where of 497 students, 408 were declared fail.
The principal of the college, Mehboob Alam, refused to comment and said he would be able to make a statement after holding a meeting with university officials as he has yet to see the complete results.
Bachelor of Science
Around 1,123 students appeared in this field and 481 managed to pass the examination, while 642 flunked in different subjects.
At the Islamabad Model Postgraduate College for Girls (IMPCG) F-7/2, 213 students appeared and 70 of them failed. While at IMPCG F-7/4, around 209 candidates appeared and 88 failed the examination.
Islamabad College for Girls F-6/2 had 214 students oh whom 105 failed to pass the examination.
At IMCB G-6/3, some 103 students appeared of whom 76 were declared fail.
Bachelor of Arts
In this discipline, around 51 per cent of students managed to pass the examinations and 49 per cent failed in one or more subjects.
At IMPCG F-7/2, of the total 355 students, 81 failed and 274 managed to pass.
Commenting about the result at IMPCM H-8, teacher Tahir Mehmood termed the result unexpected for different reasons.
He said during this year, in every question paper there were multiple choice questions, short and long questions, and this paper pattern was altogether different from the one used by Punjab University.
“A sudden change in the paper pattern not only created difficulties for students but also for teachers who had to instruct and prepare students on the new pattern,” he added.
“I teach economics but the syllabus was changed by QAU professors and a new subject, statistics, was included. The same was done at several other levels,” Tahir commented.
While explaining the reason for the decline in the success rate, QAU Vice-Chancellor Eatizaz Ahmad said last year the courses were mostly that of the University of Punjab but in the following year, 12 new courses were introduced so that might have been a reason behind the dismal performance of students.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 23rd, 2014.
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