KARACHI, The Sindh Education Department on Thursday decided to retain uniform in the public sector colleges and made a drastic cut in their fee.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the sub-committee on education reforms, constituted by Sindh’s senior minister for education, Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq while chairing a meeting of the provincial education department’s steering committee.

The committee also gave approval to a proposal that all higher secondary schools in Karachi, which were recently excluded from the purview of Centralised Admission Policy (CAP) for admission to first year classes in the city’s government colleges would again be included in the CAP.

The meeting was presided over by provincial secretary education (Academic and Training) Taj Mohammad, and those attending the meeting included provincial acting director-general (colleges) Pervaiz Shaikh, Sukkur education board’s chairman Dr Mehboob Shaikh, provincial director (literacy) Abdul Wahab Abbasi, director private educational institutions, Sindh, Mansoob Hussain Siddiqui, a representative of a non-governmental organisation, Ms Sadequa Salahuddin, educationist Murad Ali Khan Nizamani and executive district officer (Education), Jamshoro, Ms Fakhar Karim Siddiqui.

Regarding fee in the public sector colleges, the committee decided that students belonging to science faculty would be charged Rs550 as against existing Rs950, and students belonging to arts and commerce faculties would be charged Rs450 as against the existing fee of Rs770.

The new fee structure would be applicable from the next academic session, starting from Sept 1, 2010, and students seeking admissions to government colleges in the province would have to deposit their annual fee at the time of their admission.

A notification in this regard is expected to be issued in due course of time, sources said.

Summer vacations

Discussing another proposal concerning summer vacations in public sector schools and colleges, the committee decided not to curtail the duration of vacations, and, as such, two months’ holidays would be observed in all public sector schools and colleges across the province in the months of June and July.

Exams

With a view to ensuring transparency in examinations, the committee decided that a long-term policy would be evolved whereby it would be ensured that students remain punctual and must attend their classes so that they are able to complete their syllabi in their academic sessions.

It further suggested that periodical meetings of the provincial secretary education with heads of educational boards of the province would help curb incidents of cheating and unfair means in the examinations.

With a view to encouraging students pursuing non-formal education, the sub-committee allowed them to switch over to formal education by appearing in class-V and VIII examinations in their nearby government schools in accordance with their ages. Such students would, however, be required to produce their residence and birth certificates, for appearing in class-V and VIII examinations, it was further decided.

The sub-committee also proposed a number of other measures for improving quality and standard of education in public sector educational institutions of the province.