KARACHI, Aug 10: The provincial education manager (colleges) Sindh, Dr Mohammad Ali Sheikh, on Thursday said that efforts were being made to transform at least one intermediate college in each town of Karachi into a 'model college' for providing admissions to meritorious students relatively near the areas of residence.

“Currently, high achievers of SSC exams opt for admissions at few best colleges in the city. In some cases, students enrolled at these colleges have to travel a lot of distance and waste time to reach their educational institute and back to home. Possible solution to this problem is availability of best colleges in each town” he told a public dialogue on “Centralized Admission Policy (CAP) in Sindh”.

The public dialogue was organised by the Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) at its Vicky Zeitlin Media Library and was attended by educationists, teachers, parents and policy makers to discuss merits and demerits of CAP and ways and means to remove its shortcomings, if any.

Dr Shaikh said that CAP, which was first implemented in the year 2000, was praised from all stakeholders including parents and teachers but there was always a room for improvements.

He claimed that by the next year there would be 18 best colleges in all the towns of the city. As far as delayed start of classes at colleges is concerned after implementation of CAP, efforts are made to complete the placement process within four weeks, he said adding that some times, delay in the issuance of marks sheets delays the placement, for which consultations with boards were under way.

This year we have abolished the condition of showing original marks sheets for obtaining and submitting placement forms at banks, he informed. CAP committee members have also been asked to regularly visit bank branches issuing forms to redress problems of students, he added.

He said CAP committee had set a helpline: 4313551-2 while parents and students could also approach directly the CAP chairman through email: info@cap.edu.pk.To a query, he said this year some 82,510 seats were available at Karachi colleges and added that all the applicants for admissions in local colleges and higher secondary schools will be granted admissions.

“In case, number of applicants exceeds the existing seats, we can enhance five per cent seats at colleges to accommodate all the applicants” he added.

Responding to another query, he said that after the completion of placement process, CAP committee members would be asked to visit colleges to monitor the placement and take measures to avoid chances of any discrepancy in the placement process or admissions.

SPLA president Prof Syed Riaz Ahsan and others also spoke.—PPI