FAISALABAD, Feb 7: Over 200 BSc (Hons) students of computer sciences have urged Provincial Governor Khalid Maqbool to restrain the Punjab University from holding the 4th annual examinations from Feb 11.

They said the exam should be held simultaneously with the BA and BSc examinations in March this year.

Talking to newsmen here, a group of students said four-year degree programme - BSc (Hons) in computer sciences - was introduced in November 2002 by the Punjab University.

The students already studying in three-year BCS courses were given an offer to get their courses converted into four-year programme for which they would have to extend studies for another year.

They said the university declared the matter as a 'special case' and the students were asked to take four examinations in two years because they had already completed two years of their BCS degree.

The students said the first annual examination was held by the university in the third week of May 2003, and the second annual examination in October, 2003.

Therefore, the PU was supposed to hold the third annual examination in May 2004, which was delayed by five months due to some internal problems of the university and the same was held during the last week of September, 2005. Resultantly the 4th annual examination scheduled to be held in 2004 was delayed prolonging the four-year course to five years. The third annual exam was held from Sept 24 to Oct 6, 2004 after which classes were started by the affiliated colleges, they added.

The students said the 4th annual exam by the Punjab University was now scheduled to be held from Feb 11 allowing only three-month time for preparations.

They said the problem did not look acute till the first three annual exams, but the fourth annual course, being altogether new, could not be covered in a short period of three months.