LAHORE, July 15: The Punjab Education Department’s order to increase the number of FA and FSc seats in government and autonomous colleges by 10 per cent has not yet been implemented anywhere in the city.
Requesting anonymity, principals of city colleges told Dawn on Tuesday that the City District Government had stopped them from implementing the order.
One of the principals said that he invited applications against the sports quota, but the City District Government officials directed him to withdraw the notice and stop accepting admission forms till further orders.
When contacted, Lahore Nazim Mian Amer Mahmood said the City District Government had taken no decision in this regard and would accept the order for enhancement of seats in colleges only if it was made by Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi.
Saying that the Punjab education department had no authority to increase the number of seats as it was a prerogative of the chief minister, he added that the summary for enhancing the number of merit seats by 10 per cent was still lying with the chief minister. “It will be implemented only after its formal approval by the chief minister.”
Education minister Mian Imran held a meeting with principals of some 40 boys and girls colleges of the city on July 3 and ordered that the number of seats to be awarded on merit in FA and FSc classes, should be increased by 10 per cent in all boys and girls colleges in Lahore. He also ordered restoration of the three per cent sports quota in all colleges.
The Punjab education department issued a formal order in this regard on July 12, announcing the approval of a modified policy for admissions to first year classes in government inter/degree/postgraduate colleges and autonomous educational institutions in the province.
Saying that the modified admission policy would come into force immediately, the Punjab education department asked all colleges to extend the admission schedule by seven days.
The order said that 96 per cent of the seats in first-year classes should be filled on open merit. It said that all educational institutions/colleges should increase the number of seats by up to a maximum of 10 per cent, keeping in view their capacity and facilities so that there should be no additional financial liability.
Against Mian Imran’s announcement about restoration of three per cent sports quota in colleges, the order of education department said that the colleges should fill two per cent of the seats in first-year classes on sports basis. It also said that admissions should be made against the sports quota only for studies in arts subjects. The order also laid down a criteria for preparing the merit list for admissions against the sports quota.
The order said that the colleges should also reserve two per cent of the seats in first and third-year classes for special people.
In pursuance of the education minister’s order that evening classes be launched, the department directed all colleges to examine the possibility of introducing afternoon classes in some disciplines so that more students could have access to higher education in the public sector.
It said the proposals under this programme should be forwarded for approval to the City District Government and Boards of Governors for devolved government colleges and autonomous institutions respectively.
The education minister had taken these decisions in the backdrop of a large number of complaints that despite securing the first division in the matriculation exam, a majority of students failed to get admissions to city colleges owing to a limited number of seats.
Education officials said that the boys and girls colleges in the city could accommodate around 26,000 students — which was the number being denied admission every year. They said the 10 per cent increase in seats would make available 2,650 seats in city colleges.
