Uncertainty Prevails Over the Abolishment of 2 Year Degree programs By HEC

Earlier the higher education commission of Pakistan has announced to abolish the 2 year BA/BSc and MA/MSc degree programs. The commission had directed and the universities and colleges of Pakistan to stop offering admission in such degree programs as HEC will not recognize them. According to the authorities, the BA/BSc degrees issued after 31st December 2018 and MA/MSc degrees issued after 31st December 2020 will not be considered by the commission. As an alternate four-year associate degree program has been announced for the students in which they can take admission. But the uncertainty prevails over this decision of HEC and its recent policies. Moreover, it has also been announced that the candidates can now take admission in Ph.D. after undergraduate. 

HEC had previously warned the students to not get enrolled in the 2 years BA/BSc and MA/MSc degree programs as they have been phased out. Now the students cannot get the bachelor’s degree as the private students and they have to secure admission as a regular candidate in order to get the degree. Moreover, the associate degree programs have been announced as an alternative to BA/BSc while no alternative has been provided for MA/MSc. Besides the warning of HEC, the Punjab University and many other institutes are offering admission to the private students in the associate degree programs. 

Many universities have opposed this decision of HEC as it will affect their revenue generation from the 2-year degree programs. Thousands of students take admission in the BA/BSc and MA/MSc degree programs as private candidates. The chairmen of the higher education commission, Dr. Tariq Banuri said that the associate degree programs aimed to provide quality education to the students through which the students will be equipped with the necessary skills essential for the progression in the educational career. He furthermore added that the distance learning policy will also be announced soon that will benefit the students. Dr. Tariq clarified that the decision about the abolishment of the 2-year degree programs was not instant rather it took several years to finalize this decision.