INTER/A-level students start to apply for graduation classes at the start of the year in different universities and institutions which have their own admission rules and regulations, which parents have to follow for a bright future of their children. These institutions conduct tests/interviews on different timings/months till they finalise a list.
Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) is one such prestigious institution whose graduates start to get job-offer letters in the final year from big organisations of the country with better salary packages as compared to the graduates of other institutions. LUMS conducts its tests in February and students start getting admission offer letters in April/May and they have to pay the admission and semester fee in advance immediately.
The result, especially of A-levels, is announced in August and the session in LUMS starts around the end of August or early September.
But LUMS draws the fee from aspiring students’ parents nearly three to four months before the actual academic session begins which I feel is unfair and unjustified — especially for parents who have to arrange for the hard-earned money so many months in advance.
But there are other similar good institutions, e.g., Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi which is a government institution but still has a fair and adequate admission policy in which they conduct the entrance test in June/July and ask all successful students to deposit the fee in August and their session starts around early September.
LUMS is a private institution. But has a totally different admission policy which is tough for the parents to meet.
Notwithstanding the fact that taking the fee three to four months in advance, passes on LUMS not only a handsome amount in advance but also a huge profit if they have a savings account.
Being a parent seeking a better future for my children, I request all the authorities concerned to regulate the fee payment policy of all institutions in the country so that the least burden is applied on parents/guardians.
A CONCERNED CITIZEN Karachi