LAHORE, Aug 6: Kinnaird College’s BCS and masters programme students are neither eligible for further education in public sector educational institutions nor are they able to apply for government jobs as they are not being awarded degrees upon the completion of their courses.

The Kinnaird College had launched its Bachelor of Computer Sciences (BCS) and masters programme in mass communication, English, linguistics, English Language Teaching (ELT), environmental studies and French some five years ago without getting affiliation from any recognized university from home and abroad.

The college administration says that its students need not to worry about degrees as the name of the “most prestigious” college would automatically open doors of jobs and higher education for them.

Under the education system and job requirements in Pakistan and abroad under which the claim of one’s educational qualification is accepted as true only through the degrees and certificates issued by a recognized university or college.

Most students of the college, when contacted, said that they were told at the time of their admission that the college was in the process of getting a degree-awarding status. But, there was neither a degree-awarding status for the college nor had it an affiliation with any recognized university in Pakistan or abroad.

“We have paid high fees to get education from the college which indeed is the most prestigious. But we fear to finish our studies without the degrees which are in fact bear testimonial to one’s education. We are in fact in a state of limbo,” a student said on the condition of anonymity.

The other students said they had also written letters to the Punjab governor to draw his attention to the issue but no action had so for been taken. They said that the college was charging about Rs30,000 per semester for the BCS and masters programmes.

The students urged the government to look into the matter so that their precious time and money could be saved.

When contacted, a spokesperson for the college pleaded that soon after the launch of the programmes a team from the Punjab University had visited the college and expressed its confidence in them. But when asked about the degrees, she said: “The KC is quite a prestigious and well-known institution and its graduates will be welcomed by the potential employers in and outside the country. Its graduates are not dependent on degrees.”

However, she said, the college was offering certificates to graduates with an understanding that they would be given a degree after seeking a university affiliation.

Punjab education secretary Sibtain Fazal-i-Haleem was not available for comments despite many attempts.