ISLAMABAD – The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has barred 13universities, which offers distance-learning programme, from enrollingstudents in MPhil and PhD programmes for not meeting standards set by thecommission.

A letter sent by HEC Consultant of Quality Assurance Division MuhammadIsmail to universities states, “Further admissions in any of the distanceeducation programs being offered by universities are stopped immediatelytill finalisation of recommendation by the committee.”

According to Express Tribune, the banned universities include InternationalIslamic University, Islamabad; Virtual Campus, COMSATS Institute ofInformation Technology, Islamabad, University of Peshawar, Peshawar; GomalUniversity, Dera Ismail Khan; Government College University, Faisalabad;University of Agriculture, Faisalabad; The University of Faisalabad;Islamia University, Bahawalpur; Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan;Sukkur IBA; Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur; University of Sindh,Jamshoro and University of Balochistan, Quetta.

Around 4,000 students of these highest level programmes likely to beaffected after this decision. The HEC has directed the universities toshift the students enrolled in MS\\MPhil\\PhD programmes to regulardiscipline, adding that the faculty required for their adjustment beensured as per set guidelines.

The decision to ban the universities was made as experts found lack ofadequate faculty after physically visiting varsities and reviewingdocumentation.

According to the HEC figures, there are about 70,000 students enrolledacross the country in distance learning programs and several universitieshave been found violating the rules besides being recipients to benefits ofweak HEC policies about distance learning and proper approval of their ownstatutory bodies.