The Punjab University, recently revived an old discarded policy of allowing its students to appear in examinations for two degrees in different disciplines simultaneously. If some students are doing masters in a subject, they can also appear in examination for a different master’s level discipline or comparable course.
The policy, according to university officials, was implemented on the recommendations of university’s academic council to syndicate -- the highest competent authority.
The notification reads: "The regular (morning) students are also allowed to appear in any other examination of the Punjab University as private candidate or in the examination of any other self-supporting evening program simultaneously subject to the condition that the requirements of minimum number of lectures of both the programs are completed by the student and the degree does not come in conflict with any other program of the university."
Though the policy has been hailed by students it raises questions on the credibility, quality and standards of the degree in an environment where there are already questions on the excellence of the education system -- where students can appear in an exam with little preparation and attain a degree privately without going to school or studying for certain credit hours.
Ask students. "It’s a good policy. The students are given a choice to challenge their intellect and intelligence. They have the right to appear in exams and test their skills," says Nadia Hassan, an MA student at the Punjab University. However, to appear in the exam privately just to get a degree without going to any school is useless.
The policy is implemented with retrospective effect because some students had moved court terming this facility as their right and legally urging the university to approve the idea, PU Registrar Amin Ather, who was also chairman of the committee to evaluate this policy, tells TNS.
Moreover, the degrees of all the candidates cancelled by the university in the past on the ground of double degree examination shall be restored henceforth, he says.
"The issue is addressed to safeguard rights of students who want to have more degrees in a year," says the registrar, adding, "However, ratio of such students is very small." He says if such students have the intellect and think they can go through two examinations in a year let them try. "It is to benefit them and it is not lowering the standard of education because the standards and courses and examination criterions are already set and they would have to go through them," he adds.
Ather further says that the decision to appear in examinations for two degrees in a year is for everyone and there was pressure from such students to do this. He remembers such system was being followed some decades ago in this oldest university of Pakistan and was stopped due to some reasons later on.
However, it is hard to find the record of those reasons at the moment. He repeats only a small ratio of students can do this and not every student wants to go for double degree. He says that regular (day scholars) students can also go for another degree of equivalent grade conditionally if he/she fulfils course requirements, credit hours and follows rules. He further says that even if a student has done intermediate in science and wants to do Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science simultaneously there is no harm in that.
The policy favours intelligent students challenging them to test their skills but it has some other aspects which can create a debate in future in terms of standards of education; finances in term of fees, registration, and examination fees; credibility and quality of testing and examination; and raising the degree principles for applying to different jobs. Currently, with high unemployment rate in the country as compare to degree requirements, double and triple degree holders are preferred to a normal job where bachelors or a single masters’ degree is required. Such policies would further start the race of obtaining degrees for getting jobs.
Suhail H Naqvi, currently vice chancellor Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), who has been executive director of Higher Education Commission (HEC) of the country for many years, says there is no harm in taking steps but we have to ensure that the quality and standards are not compromised. He says lowering of standards of education definitely comes in mind because if students start opting easy ways to go through examinations and get the degree, such degrees would not meet international standards. There is difference in their and our standards. He says though this practice is international and extraordinarily intelligent students are everywhere so allow them to appear in two examinations. But, he says, these developed countries are also very confident of their standards of education.
The Punjab University Registrar Ameen Ather, stressing on the need to improve education standards and introduce better reforms to meet millennium development goals (MDGs), calls for better policies to promote education. "Believe me, we are much behind the world in education standards and even many developing countries are doing better than us. We have to think about modern ways to improve education standards and facilitate those who want to do more in this field or can perform better on the basis of their talent."