KARACHI: Fake institutes playing havoc with careers of students
By Mukhtar Alam
KARACHI, Nov 27: Anomalies and delays in actions on part of the authorities concerned have caused growth of ill-equipped educational institutions, which are believed to be involved in fleecing the students.
Reports and a survey, conducted by Dawn, suggest that many educational institutions of lesser credentials are exploiting the students desirous of higher education, particularly in engineering and medicines faculties.
These institutions first advertize their so-called educational projects or establishment and then resort to extract huge monies from the needy students, who fail to make their place in government-run engineering and medical institutions, which have their own limitations, an educationist told Dawn.
The claims made in advertisements with regard to courses and facilities either available or to be made available at new institutes and universities proved to be misleading most of the times, some of the students’ parents said, regretting that by the time facts were uncovered or required actions were taken by the government, a lot of damage had already been done to the students. “There should be a check on advertisements by fake educational institutions.”
Complaints have been made that medical and engineering universities charge their students irrationally and exorbitantly. There must be a national accreditation body for private institutions, which could not only devise uniform working norms for them, but could also suggest a fee schedule matching to the facilities and academic activities of the respective institutions.
In some cases, as claimed by the parents, private institutions first collect huge amounts of money for the “promised education” and then decide to spend some portion out of that.
A complainant said the city had witnessed such institutions, which had been developed largely through fees and funding from students, and added that the management of the institutions had a very little capital for launching their educational projects.
The Sindh government has granted a charter to about 17 educational universities and degree-awarding institutes so far, while cases regarding establishment of eight to nine degree-awarding educational institutions are being processed.
Regarding financial obligations on part of the managements, a Sindh government official said the education department required a reserve of five million rupees in case of a university and a fund of three million rupees in case of an institute from the party, in addition to buildings and other academic infrastructures.
An official at the University Grants Commission said the UGC had nothing to do with the process of granting charter to any university/institute. For the last few months, the UGC had stopped issuing NOCs to parties regarding processing requisite works for the establishment of any degree-awarding institution, added the official, saying it was the provinces, which decided all cases of universities/institutes in the public and private sectors.
The UGC recognises 27 universities and institutes run in the public and private sectors in the province, 20 of which are functioning in Karachi. Except two universities and two institutes, all the institutions are run by the private sector. Parents have expressed dissatisfaction over the courses taught at different universities and institutes. They say the subjects, quantum and quality of education, particularly in the field of business administration and management science, including the information technology, are not the same at all institutions and there is a need to exercise uniformity in this regard.
Referring to claims that the UGC slumbers while the forces of ills continue irking the students and parents, UGC sources said the commission had started issuing legal notices to all such institutions, which were using its name in advertisements, signboards and banners without approval.
According to the sources, by using the name of the UGC, fake or illegally-established institutions want to give an impression that they have the official blessings and their curricula and degrees are worthy of the fees they charge. The sources termed this impression totally misleading and undue.
A body of doctors in the city observed that due to wrong policies of the PMDC, some private universities and noted personalities had been able to open medical colleges without fulfilling the conditions necessary for medical education.
A senior doctor said people with vested interests were being encouraged to open medical colleges at the moment, and no wonder that Karachi had the maximum number of medical colleges, which were allowed to charge any amount of money as tuition fee in local or foreign currency.
The ordinance, which empowered the PMDC regarding medical colleges, has lapsed and stands in need of re-promulgation or legislation. Section 22 A of the ordinance said: “No person shall run or establish any college or institution for imparting education in medicine or dentistry, and neither shall any university grant affiliation to any such college or institution nor any such college or institution shall award any certificate unless recognition has been granted to such college or institution under the ordinance.”
It has been observed that the citizens of Karachi are the victims of incompetency of the medical and dental council, callousness of the UGC and unending exploitation by the owners of a few private medical universities and colleges.
In has been suggested that medical colleges in the private sector maintain uniformity in their admission policies.
Holding the government responsible for the alleged mess in medical institutions, educationists have urged federal and provincial health ministries to check the mismanagement.
According to a recently-published PMDC advertisement, DMC and SMC enjoy the permanent recognition of the council, while three other colleges, including the two run in the private sector, have been granted provisional recognition. Two private medical colleges have been granted recognition for one year each.
The PMDC list did not include the names of a couple of medical universities, which have been doing roaring business for some years. A senior administrative personnel at a private medical university told Dawn that he, too, was shocked to learn that his university was not included in the PMDC list.
