KARACHI, July 2: Despite the fact that their engineering programmes are not accredited with Pakistan Engineering Council, some old and new educational institutions are once again out to prey on the eager students.

A number of students graduating from different institutes that offer engineering programmes in various disciplines, including Information Technology, have failed to make any gainful use of their degrees which do not qualify them for registration with the professional engineers’ council.

We do not see furtherance of our academic or professional career unless PEC recognizes us, say some of the graduates who have completed four-year engineering courses at a private sector institute.

Recent interviews with the people related to different engineering disciplines, revealed that some of the private institutions, as well as at least one government college, in the metropolis are conducting certain engineering programmes without an approval by the PEC, a statutory body monitoring the standard of engineering education and other related matters of professional engineers.

The business of private universities and institutes is flourishing due to the government’s failure in ensuring admission to the engineering programme of even those students who obtain A-1 and A graders in the HSC examinations. During the last decade, the private sector has been making capital out of the situation. The government has been ignoring this all on the excuse of the private sector’s interest in sharing the load.

Students prefer to be educated in some government institutions. However, after failing to get admission, they refer to a good private institution. While searching for a better institution, the establishments having less reputation or lacking recognition manage to lure them on the basis of a variety of attractive terms, including employment opportunities after completion of the programme.

A senior official of the PEC, Karachi chapter, says that PEC registers only those people as ‘professional engineers’ who study under a programme recognized by it and passes the examinations as required by it.

With regard to the dilemma of the students graduating from the Hamdard Institute of Information Technology (HIIT), he said that they had acquired degree of the programmes which were not recognized by the PEC and, as such, they did not qualify for a membership of the council.

It is learnt that the HIIT has sought the PEC recognition for its programmes but the request has not been accept as yet as the institute had not been able to fulfil the criteria set by the PEC within the stipulated period.

The in-charge of the HIIT Bachelors engineering programme said that the programme was offered first in 1998 and since then up to batches had already passed out while some more were being educated and trained. He maintained that the HIIT request for the PEC recognition was in process.

The Vice Chancellor of the Hamdard University, Dr Ismail Saad, acknowledged the HIIT’s failure in meeting the PEC criteria within the stipulated time. He, however, maintained: “We have improved the institute’s academic facilities and approached the PEC to arrange its experts’ visit to the HIIT.”

The Deputy Registrar of PEC, Karachi, Muhammad Javed Khan, said that the council could not be blamed for the sufferings of the graduates.

“We have a list of our recognized programmes being conducted at different private and government institutions. But the council cannot take action against those publicising their institutes in media or conducting engineering programme. The PEC moves only when it is approached for grant of affiliation.”

The list of PEC-accredited engineering programmes are either advertised from time to time in the national press or is updated on PEC website for public information, he added.

According to the list modified in February this year, different programmes of the following universities/institutes in Karachi are accredited with the PEC: NED University of Engineering and Technology, Institute of Industrial Electronics Engineering, Usman Institute of Technology, Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology and Pakistan Navy Engineering College.

Meanwhile, referring to fresh advertisements by some government and private institutions for the new academic sessions at medical, engineering and business management institutions, independent sources suggested that the government should ensure that the professional education institutions were not allowed to publish such advertisements without an approval by the accrediting bodies likes PMDC, PEC. PCATP.

Academic circles opine that certain requirements regarding teaching faculty should be relaxed for some academic programmes in view of the shortage of qualified and experienced teachers as per the PEC criteria.

The growing demand of such staff in private sector institutions may adversely affect the existing faculty strength in public sector institutions, which cannot match the salary and package offered by the private sector, they argue.