April 26, 2008	Saturday	Rabi-us-Sani 19, 1429

KARACHI, April 25: The Centralised Admission Policy (CAP) for the first year classes in the city’s 119 government colleges and 31 higher secondary schools for the year 2008 will be announced in June and the entire process of admission will be completed by August 15.

This was stated by the director-general of colleges, Sindh, Dr Rafiq Ahmed Siddiqui, on Thursday.

Talking to Dawn, he said that the centralised admission policy for the year 2008 would remain almost the same as was the previous year. However, the possibility of any change in the policy by the competent authorities could not be ruled out, he added.

The official said that this system of admission was first introduced in 2002 by the provincial education department and had been successful in achieving its targets particularly in ensuring that all deserving students acquired admissions to colleges and higher secondary schools on a merit basis and according to the existing capacity of the institutions.

Highlighting the salient features of the policy, sources in the education department said that over 83,600 (around 40,800 male and about 42,850 female) students would be accommodated in the city’s 119 government colleges and 31 higher secondary schools in the academic year 2008 and the six faculties, which would be offered to them included Science (Pre-Engineering), Science (Pre-Medical), General Science (Computer), Commerce, Humanities (Arts) and Home Economics which would be offered to the female students only.

Giving the break-down of the faculty-wise seats expected to be available in the city’s 119 government colleges and 31 government higher secondary schools, the sources said these included 22,650 (about 15,000 for male students and around 7,700 for female students) in the pre-engineering group; around 16,500 (5,500 for male and 10,900 female) in the pre-medical group; about 1,300 (700 male and 600 female) in computer science group; about 22,300 (14,550 male and 7,750 female) in the commerce group and 600 in the Home Economics.

Elaborating, the sources said that students who would be passing their Secondary School Certificate/Technical Board Examination/G.C.E (O’ Level) or its equivalent annual examinations-2008 would be eligible for admissions to Class XI.

Besides, those students who had passed the above mentioned examinations in 2007 (annual/supplementary examinations) or during the last five years would also be eligible for admissions to Class XI with the condition that five marks for every year of gap would be deducted from their total marks.

However, the students who would be passing their SSC equivalent supplementary examination in 2008 would not be eligible for admission to Class XI in the 2008 session, they added.

Visit

The Sindh Minister for Education, Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq, on Thursday, visited Lyari’s Govt Girls College, directing the officials of the education department to make the college a model institution of the city.

The minister, who was accompanied by provincial education secretary, Shafiq Ahmed Khoso, and the DG (Colleges) Sindh, Prof Rafiq Ahmed Siddiqui, also asked the officials of the provincial works and services department to complete the renovation of the college within five years. MPAs Dr Salim and Engineer Mohammad Rafiq were also present.