ISLAMABAD: Senate Standing Committee on Federal Education on Tuesday agreed to make internships a mandatory requirement for the students of public and private universities in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).

The parliamentary panel chaired by Senator Irfan Siddiqui took up various agenda items, including the Federal University (Amendment) Bill, 2022.

Senator Seemee Ezdi, the mover of the bill, apprised the committee that the primary aim was to make internships a mandatory part of the curriculum for varsities in Islamabad.

After a detailed discussion, the committee approved the bill unanimously.

HEC asked to submit report over refusal of funds to AIOU

Furthermore, the committee deliberated on a matter raised by Senator Bahramand Khan Tangi regarding the examination issues faced by law students at Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU). BZU VC Mansoor Akbar Kundi apprised the committee that the matter was sub judice and added that the university was unable to provide any date until the matter was adjudicated.

Senator Siddiqui with the consent of all members gave a ruling to conduct the examination of the law students by December this year.

In addition, the committee was also briefed by Allama Iqbal Open University Vice Chancellor Dr Ziaul Qayyum regarding the university’s responsibilities, administrative control, faculty, and fee structure.

He apprised the committee that the university was self-sufficient despite the closure of the two-year BA programme by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) which had enrolled at least 1.5 lac students annually.

The committee chairman was of the opinion that the policy should not be implemented at once but should be implemented in phases. He further added that a policy that rules out over 100,000 students was “not even a policy and advised the ministry to coordinate” with the HEC and AIOU in this regard and submit a report within 15 days. The chair also directed the HEC officials to submit a report as to why funds were not being provided to AIOU. He also asked the vice chancellor to satisfy the committee about an increase in the fee for the BA programme from Rs9,000 to Rs19,000 in the next meeting.

Discussing the matter of “fake institutions”, the senator remarked that it was the job of the HEC to take stern action against “fake institutions” and ensure the quality of higher education across the country. He also directed the HEC to submit a report before the committee in this regard.

Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2022