28 April 2005	Thursday	18 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1426

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ISLAMABAD, April 27: Lawmakers in the upper house of the parliament on Wednesday took serious note of the fake educational institutions and lambasted them for playing with the future of students. They demanded of the government to take an immediate and strict action against the administration of such institutions and direct the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) for an earliest resolution of the matter of non-issuance of degrees to those students who had completed their courses.

They also demanded closure of the Islamabad Medical College.

The Senate also adopted a motion unanimously, giving mandate to the health minister to take action against a Pakistan National Dental Council (PNDC) high official for his ‘arrogant’ attitude towards the students.

Senator Rukhsana Zuberi of People’s Party Parliamentarians informed the house that around 400 students had been wandering here and there for award of degrees in the medical courses but the PNDC was not issuing them degrees.

She said, “these students have become doctors after completing their courses and now when they are all set to start their career, they are not issued degrees”.

Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Sher Afgan said, “it has been seen as a general practice that certain people open a college without fulfilling any requirement.

“And when the students reach their final years, they are told that the college or the university could not be affiliated with the Higher Education Commission or PMDC,” he added.

“The management of these fake institutions mint millions of rupees from the parents and there are more than 1,000 students whose career is at stake due to their irresponsible attitude,” he stated.

Senator Kulsoom Parveen raised the issue of selling 9,000 application forms at the rate of Rs1,100 for each form by the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) Medical College.

She said when the applicants had gone through the test and interview process, the university gave admission to only 44 students despite the fact that the applicants even from Malaysia and other countries had applied to this institution.

Senator Khalid Ranjha said, the recent trend of setting up educational institutions has emerged as a mechanism to mint money.

“This is emerging as a new scam in the name of education after the higher education hype was created in the country,” Senator Ranjha maintained.

He claimed that conflict between the HEC and the provincial education ministries was also a reason behind this problem.

Senator Kamil Ali Agha of the ruling PML termed such institutions as “fraud” and criticized PMDC for embarrassing the students.

He said more than 350 girl students had completed their education from different private colleges but PNDC, the only recognizing authority, was denying to issue them certificates.

Senator Agha said, some students were shifted to Baqai University from Islamabad Medical College who passed exams from there but the PNDC was not issuing them degrees even after knowing the fact that the university was affiliated with the HEC.

He also called upon the government to control PNDC and evolve an effective mechanism to keep check on private institutions to save the future of students.

He said that the government should take strict action against the institutions operating without affiliation with any recognized university.

Senator Agha criticized the Minister for Health Nasir Khan for his lukewarm response to the issues raised in the house.

When the minister assured to resolve the problems concerning the issuance of degrees, the PML Senator Kamal Ali Agha accused him of taking no notice of the issues raised in the house.

He demanded of the chair to direct the minister for taking an urgent notice of the issue as it was the matter of the future of hundreds of students.

Senator Agha also demanded a strict monitoring of all the private colleges to avert such situation and stop them playing with the future of students.

The minister admitted that the Islamabad Medical College had referred these students to Baqai University after two years, telling them that the college was not entitled to issue degrees.

“But, the PNDC secretary refused them degrees even after they had completed their education from the recognized Baqai University,” he said and assured the house to make every effort for issuance of degrees to these students.

The minister also admitted that certain institutions in the private sector had “created a mess” that had deteriorated the education standards.

About the PNDC, he said, “although it is an autonomous institution but sometimes it goes beyond its autonomy.”

“We shall press the PNDC for the issuance of degrees,” he added.

Minister for Education, Lt-Gen (retired) Javed Ashraf Qazi said, there had been no conflict between the HEC and the provincial education ministries since the commission was created in 2002.

He said the HEC was responsible for setting standards for institutions while the universities had their own rules and syndicates.

Minister Qazi said the HEC and the PMDC repeatedly issued warnings to the parents not to get admitted their children in fake institutions. —APP/PPI