Students losing interest in QAU, moving to private institutions

Concern expressed over victimisation in Quaid-i-Azam University

Students losing interest in QAU, moving to private institutions

May 03

The Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW) on Friday expressed grave concern over politics and leadership crisis in the Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU).

Promotion of politics, nepotism and harassment of students since years is bringing the graph of QAU down which was once ranked as number one institution in the public sector by the Higher Education Commission, it said.

The Quaid-i-Azam School of Management Sciences (QASMS), providing quality and affordable education to middleclass has suffered the most in last two years, said Abdullah Tariq, SVP PEW.

Talking to a group of students, he said that a good number of highest achieving students get admission but fails to make it which is worrying.

Almost 60 per cent of bright students who gets admission after tough competition are being punished while the rest get depressing grade in absence of accountability of staff in the institution.

Moreover, the teachers who dare to give justified numbers to students face wrath of administration and there is no system of remedy, said Abdullah Tariq.

He said that in Oct 2010 some 900 students applied for admission in QASMS while 160 got admission out of which 60 were forced out, in 2011 number of applicants dropped to 600 in which 80 got admission and in 2012 the number of applicants dropped to 400.

Similarly, MPhill in management sciences attracted over 500 applicants in spring 2011 out of which 12 got admission while the number of applicants dropped to 200 while none made it to B grade.

At the occasion, the students said that a conspiracy has been hatched to defame the institution and divert aspiring students to private universities after demoralising them as much as possible.

PEW repeatedly tried to contact head of QASMS Dr. Ajmal Waheed and Vice Chancellor Prof. Masoom Yasinzai to get their version but to no avail.