02 October 2004	Saturday	16 Shaban 1425

KARACHI, Oct 1: The Dow University of Health Sciences is making efforts to get about 3,000 students transferred to it from the University of Karachi with which they had enrolled themselves originally under the MBBS programme , campus sources said.

Such students include those who have already cleared, or otherwise, their first, second or even third professional year. If the DUHS succeeded in its efforts, the ultimate sufferers would be the students who would be awarded a degree of a university far less recognized than the KU as the DUHS has been granted the status of university only 10 months back and has no international credentials.

At present, about 3,500 students admitted at the Dow Medical College and the Sindh Medical College are enrolled with the University of Karachi and except those who are in the first year MBBS classes, all have taken their respective examinations under the KU.

It is learnt that on a request from the DUHS for transfer of students, KU officials have undertaken initial work in this regard. They are now preparing to hand over the list of the enrolled students, along with the duplicate tabulation registers pertaining to the DMC and SMC students, who have already taken the second and third professional examinations of the university.

A senior official of the DUHS confirmed that the university had approached the KU for the transfer of enrolment cards and right of examining the students of first, second, third and fourth year.

"We are well in a position to hold the examinations of Part A and Part B of the first professional before January next," he said, adding that the DUHS did not want to disturb the professional students set to take their final examination under the KU programme. However, independent sources said that the transfer of such a large number of students would not be an easy task, particularly in a situation where the students had not been provided any option or opportunity to express their views.

There may be many of them not willing to get a degree other than that of the University of Karachi, the sources indicated, because they had opted for a KU degree while seeking admission.

Moreover, the KU itself is committed to give its degrees to the students in question and not to surrender them to the DUHS, according to the source. Under the existing rules, a student seeking his or her transfer from one college to the other, or from one university to the other, is required to get an NOC from both the institutions involved before filing an application with the KU for such a transfer or change.

In the case of the DUHS desire, it may be said that there are three concerned parties, i.e the KU, DUHS and hundreds of students. Any decision without taking the students of the DMC and the SMC, and also their parents, into confidence, would lead only to legal complexity, said a senior academician who apprehended that any of the affected students could move a court of law.

"Students, particularly those studying in final, fourth or third year would prefer to be awarded a KU degree rather than a DUHS one. If the students of first professional, who are yet to be tested, desired to get the first degree of DUHS, they can be transferred from the KU without any problem," said the teacher.

An official on the campus said that the transfer en-mass can be executed if the two institutions desired so, but even then they would have to seek approval of their respective statutory bodies.

However, another source said that a better way to avoid any dispute could be that the students admitted at the DMC and SMC till 2004 session be given the option of either KU or DUHS degree.