Following the Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) directive to halt numerous MPhil and PhD programs, the University of Punjab (PU) has vowed to improve its MPhil/PhD programs by bringing them in line with the national and international standards and criteria.
In the official press release, a spokesperson of the university quoted that Punjab University Vice Chancellor Prof Niaz Ahmad ordered the officials to halt further admissions in programs that have failed to meet the Higher Education Commission criteria.
Sources added that the Higher Education Commission directed the administration of Punjab University to immediately cease its MPhil and PhD degree programs offered by the Department of Gender Studies and University College of Art and Design (UCAD), respectively.
The University College of Art and Design was started as the Department of Fine Arts in 1940 and now it has 8 sub-departments. On the other hand, the Department of Gender Studie was established in 2001 as the pioneer in the subject in Pakistan.
Moreover, other departments of the varsity, particularly the ones where the number of student intakes exceeded the prescribed limit would be reviewed, in a bid to unleash the backlog before fresh students’ intake.
