No deferment of 4-year Undergraduate & 2-year degrees: HEC

ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) Tuesday clarified that all news items circulating in the press and electronic media regarding deferment of the four-year Undergraduate and two-year Associate Degrees Programmes by HEC, published in context of the Vice Chancellors’ Committee Meeting held on July 2, 2021, were misleading and incorrect. In a statement here, the HEC said that both the programmes were intact and would continue as earlier. The enforcement of the policy prescribed in the HEC’s Notification dated July 11, 2019, regarding “Transition from BA/BSc Programme to Associate Degree Programmes: Phasing Out of MA/MSc Programmes” shall continue in letter and spirit. A meeting of all the Vice Chancellors was jointly chaired by Dr. Shaista Sohail, Executive Director, HEC and Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ali, Chair, VC Committee Meeting/Vice Chancellor, Quaid-e-Azam University on July 2, 2021. The meeting was convened on the request of Vice Chancellors who raised certain issues in implementation of HEC’s Undergraduate Education Policy and Policy on PhD Degree Programmes (2021). All points of concern were thoroughly debated, and in accordance with the majority opinion, the following recommendations were made for consideration by the Commission. The recommendation for deferring implementation of both the policies i. e. , Undergraduate Education Policy and Policy on PhD Degree Programmes (2021) until Fall 2022 may be placed before the Commission, HEC’s governing body, for consideration. A Committee of Vice Chancellors would meet in fourth week of July 2021 for three days to debate issues and come up with practicable solutions. The summary based on the recommendations of the Vice Chancellors would be taken to the Commission highlighting the factual position and requesting for allowing proposed amendments to facilitate implementation of the two policies. The universities that are willing to adopt or have already adopted Undergraduate Education Policy and/or Policy for PhD Programmes may continue with its implementation diligently.