KARACHI, Aug 28: Despite clear and repeated directives by Karachi University Vice-Chancellor Dr Zafar Saeed Saify asking varsity officials to facilitate students, the staff posted at the Semester Examinations Cell (SEC) is creating immense problems for the students in processing their applications to get necessary documents, mark sheets, certificates and clearance forms.

The students have to approach the SEC to obtain their mark-sheets, or clearance before leaving the varsity in order to draw his or her degree, etc and the Cell staff, allegedly, too often uses delaying tactics in the procedure.

The students complain that the campus office of the SEC remains closed for most the office timings and even when the students are allowed to approach and submit their applications, the officials posted there use delaying tactics and cause trouble to the students in getting their documents.

“I have been visiting the Semester Cell for weeks and the process has been made so lengthy and hectic, besides presence of inattentive staff posted there, that I’m compelled to approach students’ groups to get my documents released,” a female students complained.

The head of the Cell, Dr Azeem, is a full time faculty member and often remains unapproachable to the students, who intend to seek his assistance for early release of their documents, the students deplore.

Besides, if a student is lucky enough to find the Cell In charge, he or she is asked to wait and is told that the procedure can’t be expedited.

Ironically, various students groups at the varsity can arrange the release of documents within a day, and in some cases, as some of the students inform, the documents are made available the same day, if the applications are submitted through “administration in charges” of these groups.

“Staff of the Semester Examinations Cell pays more attention to the applications through students belonging to various student groups, at the varsity, probably due to pressure they (groups) exert on the Cell officials,” another student informed.

An ‘administration in charge’ of a student political group, when contacted, admitted that the officials of Semester Examinations Cell ‘cooperate’ with them owing to fears that their alleged ‘irregularities’ would be made public and they would have to face departmental action.

According to him, after failing in improving the working at various varsity departments, political groups have started blackmailing the officials for early processing of the documents of group members and those of the common students who approach them.

The process of submitting semester fee, obtaining degrees and mark sheets and submission of various types of forms and applications, had become quite a nuisance for common students, while varsity officials do nothing unless they are pressurised, the in charge added.

He said unless politically based recruitments were stopped and varsity administration became vigilant, the students would continue to suffer at the hands of varsity lower staff. Situation was worst at upper level and the applications sent to higher varsity officials also took months in processing, he claimed.—PPI