LAHORE, July 27: The Punjab University may slash 50 per cent of the seats in three departments of the Institute of Education and Research (IER) in the academic session starting in September in a bid to “raise standards”.

The seats are being reduced in the departments of elementary, secondary and Islamic education, which may also be merged into a single department under one head.

The plan to reduce the number of seats was discussed at a meeting attended by the IER director, chairmen of six IER departments and the university registrar, with the Punjab University vice-chancellor in the chair.

Sources said that only one of the participants of meeting had opposed the idea of reducing the number of seats and introducing co-education in these departments.

At present, the three departments have separate post-graduate classes for boys and girls. The strength of the class of boys is 35 and that of girls 50 in both Part I & II.

The university would reduce the strength and constitute classes of 40 boys and girls in each of the three departments.

University officials believe that the IER is not producing quality educationists. Therefore, the teachers should concentrate on the limited number of students to improve the quality of education.

Besides, some of the senior IER teachers told this reporter on Saturday that the university also intended to accommodate the clerical staff of IER in rooms that would be vacated after seats’ reduction. They said the chairmen of all six departments — business education, technology education, science education, elementary education, secondary education and Islamic education — did not have separate rooms and sat with the clerical staff, they said.

They said that some 90 students were studying in the elementary, secondary and business departments on self-support basis. “If the university wants to reduce the number of seats it should better slash the number of seats available on self-support basis.” A self-supporting student pays Rs50,000 for the two-year post-graduation programme.

They regretted that the university was establishing new departments on the one hand and reducing the number of seats in one of its oldest departments on the other. They suggested that the university should increase the strength of teaching staff to improve the quality of education in the department.

The university slashed five seats last year in all six departments of the IER.

When contacted in this regard, Dr Shahbaz Khan, chairman of the department of elementary education, said that a reduction in the number of seats would limit the chances of students from backward areas of the Punjab and other provinces. He said the university should consult the IER faculty council before implementing the decision.

IER director Munawar Mirza said the number of seats was not being reduced. However, the department was planning to introduce new disciplines to improve the standard of education. “It is not wise to produce hundreds of students in one discipline, who may not be adjusted in public and private sectors.”

The government changed the criteria for selection of secondary school educators (SSE) last year, rendering hundreds of MA Education degree-holders from the university and other colleges in the province ineligible for the post. Under the new criteria only a person holding the degrees of MA (education) and BEd was eligible for the post. Earlier, only post-graduation was required.

IER students said that despite assurance from the governor, the matter had not yet been resolved. Instead of helping students in this matter, the university was planning to reduce the number of seats on merit. They said they would launch a campaign against the university administration if the decision was implemented.