Pre-admission Inter classes planned

LAHORE
HIGHER Education Department (HED) Punjab has come up with a novel idea of starting free pre-admission classes at the province’s public sector colleges for the students waiting for the results of Matriculation Annual Examinations 2015.
Under the new programme, the students of government and private schools, who are free these days after the exams, would be approached by the administration of colleges themselves to attend free pre-admission intermediate level classes.
Sources privy to the developments said committees, to be formed by respective public colleges, would arrange meetings with parents and students to inform them about the importance and utility of pre-admission intermediate classes. Similarly, the colleges would display banners outside the campuses for the awareness of the students to get themselves enrolled for the first year classes. They said it was for the first time that the department had come up with this idea of offering free pre-admission classes to the students.
The sources said the move was aimed at engaging the college teachers in academic activities in this relatively ‘inactive’ period for the teachers at the colleges. They said the department planned to keep an eye on teachers who engaged themselves during this period at private colleges and tuition centres in morning time.
It was learnt that the colleges would be directed to start entry test preparation courses, free-of-cost, for their respective students who would pass the intermediate level examinations. The sources said the move was aimed at facilitating the students who otherwise had to spend hefty amount on preparation of ECAT/MCAT from private coaching centres.
When contacted, Secretary Higher Education Department Muhammad Aslam Kamboh said the initially the department would ask the colleges to start the pre-admission classes on voluntary basis in order to facilitate the students who would be formally joining colleges after their results of matriculation examination. He said the department was also planning to hold summer camp and additional classes during upcoming summer vacation.
To a question, Aslam Kamboh said the department would also ensure that the college teachers did not teach at private colleges and tuition centres in morning time during this period.
Punjab Professors and Lecturers Association (PPLA) President Dr Zahid Ahmad Shaikh said the association welcomed the move as it was a great initiative and had input from the association. He said it was good to engage teachers in academic activities. He said however the teachers also expected that the government would reciprocate in terms of incentives for them.