System failure: Online admission system unpopular with college students

Students of GSSC protest against the new system.

PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa had introduced an online system in 16 colleges across the province to facilitate college admissions. The new system has only been launched in three colleges of Peshawar and Charsadda on a trial basis, and is expected to extend to other districts of the province gradually.

However, due to a lack of proper training and education in information and technology, this new online admission system is highly unpopular among students. The pupils of Government Superior Science College (GSSC) of Peshawar criticised the new system and protested against it.



Noor Rehman, a student of GSSC, who had received high marks in his SSC said, “Despite my good grades, I failed to secure admission because my online form was filled incorrectly. Most of us went to a nearby internet café to fill our forms and now my online tracking ID does not even match the one on my online form.” Another student, Waqifullah, a resident of Afridiabad in the city, said, “I live in Peshawar and applied for a local seat but my online form places me in the non-local category.” Waqifullah added, “Because of this, the admission committee has cancelled my name from the selected candidates’ list.”

Not the helpful café

Bahir Shah, also a student of GSSC, said a majority of students had no idea regarding the use of technology and they paid the internet café administrator Rs100-200 to fill their forms. He blamed the café administrator for filling the forms incorrectly.

A teacher from GSSC, requesting anonymity, agreed with Shah and said the students have suffered greatly due to the new online admission procedure. “Several qualified students’ names have been cancelled from the merit list due to incorrect information on the forms,” he added.

GSCC Admission Committee Chairman Qadeer Khan said, “We have received 800 online applications against 220 seats and have received several complaints about the new online system.” He also added all the students facing problems were encouraged to go to the college and submit a written application regarding the problem. Khan assured the students their issues will be resolved as soon as possible.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 24^th, 2015.