KARACHI, March 21: The NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi, has disaffiliated the Government College of Technology (GCT), Karachi, and the college would now no more be able to conduct the B.Tech (honours and pass) programmes.

An official of NED University said that the University had cancelled the GCT affiliation for three-years in B.Tech Honours and for two-years in B.Tech (Pass) degree programmes after getting an approval of the syndicate.

The GCT administration was given a one year notice year to improve its teaching standards, lab facilities and for acquiring qualified faculty by the affiliation committee of NED University if they wanted to remain affiliated with the university, he said, adding the GCT’s failure to fulfil these requirements resulted in the action.

He said the Government College of Technology, which was the only technical college in the city offering B.Tech (Honours) and (Pass) degree courses, was lacking basic facilities, like furnished labs and equipment and above all, trained and qualified faculty to teach higher technology.

“They used to perform B.Tech practical work at the same labs used for diploma courses whereas they had hired two diploma-holders to teach B.Tech courses, which was a clear violation of the university rules and regulations”, he said.

He attributed the lack of interest and negligence of provincial education department for providing enough funds and faculty, which resulted in the disaffiliation of B.Tech degree programme of the GCT.

Although the Asian Development Bank (ADB) was willing to provide Rs. 60 million for the betterment of technical education in Sindh, they (education department) showed their reluctance to provide equipment, faculty and other requirements asked by the NED University to have it affiliated, he added.

The NED affiliation committee placed the case and condition of GCT before the academic council of the NED university after several inspections. Notices and warnings of disaffiliation of both degree courses were dispatched to GCT authorities for considerations but in vain, he said.

Later, the matter was put up before the NED Syndicate, which after giving a one-year time period to the GCT, gave an approval for disaffiliating the Government College of Technology for B.Tech (Hons) and (Pass) programmes with NED University, he maintained.—PPI