Transparency questioned: LUMHS challenges HEC rankings

HYDERABAD:

The Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS) has objected to its placement in the Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) ranking of the country’s medical universities.

In a letter addressed to HEC chairperson Mukhtar Ahmed, the varsity officials and faculty cast doubt on the transparency of the ranking procedure. While LUMHS was fourth in the HEC’s 2013 ranking, it has dropped to eighth in the latest ranking.

“The authenticity of the ranking is tainted by the fact that some universities, which have the charter of general universities, such as Isra University, Hyderabad, and Riphah International University, Islamabad, have been listed as medical universities,” read the letter. “This speaks volumes about the ineptitude of the process.” The letter also warned that LUMHS may boycott the ranking process in the future.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 27^th, 2015.