KARACHI, Aug 2: The process of admissions to city colleges and higher secondary schools in the first year classes will begin on Aug 11, with the sale of prospectus and application forms.

Placement forms and admission brochure for science, commerce, arts, home economics and general group classes can be obtained from any of the 40 designated branches of Habib Bank on payment of Rs 75 till Aug 25, said the executive district officer (higher education), Prof M Rais Alvi, on Monday.

He said that the forms, duly filled with SSC examination mark-sheets, would be accepted by the banks concerned till Aug 25. It is learnt that the centralized admission committee of the city government has planned to offer 75,000 seats at 120 colleges and 33 higher secondary schools.

Admissions would be given to those who have passed their secondary school certificate or O' Level or technical board examination in 2004 or in supplementary examinations of 2003 and earlier.

Students are needed to mention the name of colleges, where they want to be admitted, in order of priority. Prof Alvi, who is also the chairman of the admission committee, said placement of candidates would purely be on open merit. There is no room for provisional admission in the case of students who failed in their SSC examination, he pointed out.

Sources said that students having passed their SSC examinations during the last five years are illegible to apply for admissions, while five marks would be deducted per year from their total marks for preparation of placement results.

Meanwhile, the colleges in the city reopened after a summer vacation of two months on Monday. However, attendance was thin at the colleges. The EDO Rais Alvi said that he had already issued directives to colleges to start second year and degree class teaching immediately, without wasting any time.

Principal of D J Sindh Science College, Prof Dr Ravi Shankar Harani, has announced that teaching of class XII will start from Aug 4. The principal of Government College for Women, Shahrah-i- Liaquat, said that second year science, arts and commerce admissions were in progress at the college and will continue till August 5. However, formal teaching of second year students will begin on Aug 4, while classes of BA, BSc and BCom have commenced on Aug 2, she added.