September 23, 2006	Saturday	Sha'aban 29, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, Sept 22: The failure on part of the Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) to get an engineering programme registered with the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) despite a lapse of over five years has put the future of over 1,000 students on stake, Dawn has learnt.

The university had started a four-year BE Telecommunication Engineering programme in 2000, and received an overwhelming response from the students. At the time of admission, the students were told that after the completion of their four-year course, they would be issued a degree recognised by the PEC. The programme comprises eight semesters, and the tuition fee for each semester is Rs25,000.

Another factor that prompted parents to allow their children to get admission to the engineering programme was the AIOU’s status as a public sector university. After launching the programme, the university entered into an agreement with a privately-run Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) to start the classes because AIOU is a distance-learning university. The issue also resounded in the parliament in March 2004, when the then education minister, Zobaida Jalal, admitted that the PEC had asked the university to stop the engineering programme. She also told the house the same day that the university had constituted a committee to negotiate with the PEC on the issue of recognition of its degree.

According to the university sources, the PEC had two objections for not recognising the degree. One, the IET did not meet the minimum criteria in terms of both faculty and labs to undertake classes in the discipline. Secondly, the AIOU is a distance-learning university, hence it cannot offer an engineering degree programme, they said.

The university has been asked to make changes in its act, and improve upon teaching facility at the IET, the sources said. Interestingly, two batches of students have completed their stipulated time period for the degree. Since, it’s an engineering programme, they need recognition of their degrees by the PEC. Though, some students have been able to get jobs in the private sector, but most were rejected, members of the students action committee said.

The affected students also staged a protest demonstration at the campus the other day and pressed the university administration to resolve the issue. A student from the action committee, requesting anonymity, told Dawn that “I have nowhere to go. After spending such a big amount on fee and above all investing almost four years, I am totally lost.”

“So far, we haven’t received any satisfactory response from the AIOU, IET, PEC, or the education ministry,” the students said. There are also reports that the university has decided to close the programme, they said.

Despite repeated efforts, Dr Kaleem, dean, Faculty of Sciences, was not available for comments.