KARACHI: Students’ fate hangs in the balance: Rangers still occupy college building
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Nov 1: A large number of students, including 350 of the Jungle Shah college, who have been placed for admissions to first-year classes in colleges but could not yet finalize their admission process due to official apathy, are perturbed as Nov 2 is the last date for enrolment.
Sources in the academic circle said that the students could not finalize their admission process because either their cases were cleared late by the centralized admission committee of the city government or they were still in search of some other suitable government colleges.
It was learnt that the Board of Intermediate Education, which has not been entertaining science and commerce groups’ enrolment forms without surcharges, would accept the enrolment forms of HSC part-I (Humanities) students without late fee till Nov 2.
In a statement on Friday, a spokesman for the city government said that the admission process could not be started till Friday due to prolonged occupation of the Govt Degree Boys College, Jungle Shah, Keamari, by Rangers personnel.
While claiming that the rangers had started vacating the college building on Friday, the spokesman asked the students, placed for admission at the college, to report at the institution on Saturday for admission.
However, insiders said that on the ground the situation was the same and occupation by Rangers was continuing. Now the government has decided that irrespective of the fact whether the Rangers vacate the college premises on Saturday or not, admissions process for the 350 students should be started in order to save the precious academic time of the students and to avoid any enrolment problem with the Board.
“If we do not get the premises vacated or are not allowed to enter the college rooms and offices, we could erect a tent either inside or outside the college premises,” said an official.
The City Nazim has already asked the officials to ensure immediate commencement of admission process to save academic activities from further delay, claimed one source in the city government.
A source privy to the admission process said that the cases of 10 to 12 thousand students in colleges were in pending and colleges would have to pay penalty while submitting those cases to the Board.
The students are of the view that demand for enrolment fee along with admission and tuition fees is not justified. In the past, they maintain, colleges used to send the enrolment forms separately a couple of months after the finalization of admissions.
The Nazim was not available for comments on the situation, including that of the rangers’ role, but a key official in the education department claimed that the city government had decided to urge the Board for extension in date for enrolment of all faculties without any late fee till Nov 15.
