PEC's controversial criteria revision

The Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) recently decided to revise the eligibility criteria, allowing pre-medical students to get admission to engineering universities. Earlier, the National Technology Council, a relatively lesser known accreditation body of engineering degree programmes, had implemented a similar policy without any academic debate.

If the PEC policy gets implemented, pre-medical students will study a condensed course of mathematics for eight weeks, and will then be treated on a par with those who have studied mathematics for two years. The PEC chairman has justified the move by saying that the decision aims at securing admissions into engineering programmes so that private- sector institutions may survive. This is a short-sighted solution to a complex issue.

Though the Higher Education Commission has objected to the decision, the matter demands the government’s attention through a policy review. Currently, things are moving in the wrong direction.

GHULAM ABBAS JUNEJO

HYDERABAD