KARACHI, Sept 13: The students passing out from the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology (FUUAST), Karachi are facing difficulties in getting employment and admissions for higher studies due to inordinate delays in the issuance of their marks sheets and degrees.

FUUAST students, who recently appeared in their annual exams 2005 on Tuesday, said that the varsity administration had refused to issue them degrees for at least the next six months, arguing that the administration had yet to finalize amount of fees for the issuance of degrees.

Several students who had come to collect their combined marks sheets of MA (Mass Communication) on Tuesday, were asked to come after a week as the only clerk, who was in possession of their marks sheets was on leave.

It would be pertinent to mention here that the FUUAST has already refused to issue BA (pass) degrees to students, enrolled in BA, BSc (Honours), who want to discontinue education or to seek admissions at other educational institutions.

Several students said they wanted to go abroad for higher studies while some of them wanted to get enrolled at private higher educational institutes, but owing to the varsity’s refusal, they would have to wait for another year.

According to FUUAST officials, the Urdu varsity’s academic council had decided not to issue a two-years bachelors’ pass degree to students, without any prior notification or apprising its’ students of the said decision.

Ironically, the FUUAST Academic Council has yet to decide what fee it should charge from its passed out students for the issuance of degrees and so students were being asked to approach the varsity after six months for getting their degrees.

Criticizing the varsity’s attitude, the affected students were of the view that such matters should have been decided before the establishment of the varsity.

Aggrieved students demanded of the vice-chancellor, Dr Iqbal Mohsin, to take stock of the anomalies in the FUUAST exams department and simplify the process for the issuance of degrees to the students.—PPI