Peshawar, The deans committee of the University of Peshawar (UoP) has failed to come up with a final decision whether to delay the MA/MSc examination until September or hold it in accordance with the already given schedule from July 4.

The delay was causing concern among the students and contributing to the tension. The meeting was held on Tuesday and presided over by Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Azmat Hayat. But due to the absence of the controller examinations, it failed to reach a final decision. Most of the participants, however, gave in writing that the examination should be held as per the given schedule, sources privy to the meeting told The News. The final decision would be made by the controller examinations on his return from Karachi, they added.

Meanwhile, some students staged a protest and asked the university administration to delay the examination until September. Majority of the students, however, are opposed to the delay in the examination. Those who seek a delay are of the opinion that owing to excessive power outages and long closure of the university on different occasions they could not complete their courses and properly prepare for the examination.

The university administration rejected both the reasons. According to an official, all the hostels have been provided with heavy power generators at a cost of Rs300 million and there was no problem of electricity suspension. “Fifteen generators have been purchased and installed in all the hostels so the students do not suffer because of load shedding,” he added.

Regarding the course of study completion, he said the university had sought details from all the departments and faculties and found a minor problem in the English Department only because the courses were completed in other departments. He was of the opinion that the students seeking delay in the examination were affiliated with different student organizations were using the issue as a political stunt.

The students who want the examination to be held in accordance with the schedule outnumber those seeking delay and are academically stronger than them. They say it would be injustice with them if the examination were put off without any justification.

Some of the students recalled that despite the closure for months of the university following the protest by the faculty last year, the MA/MSc examination was held on time and it were only the devastating floods that forced the administration to postpone the tests for a few papers.

Majority of the female students are of the opinion that they would suffer the most if the examination were delayed. Several girl students told this reporter that it would be extremely difficult for them to continue coming to the university when they have already started their preparations and have made up their minds to appear in the examination in July.

They said they had already been asked by the hostel administration to vacate the hostels soon after the commencement of examination. Moreover, Ramazan would also commence in the first week of August and the girl students would then not be able to remain in hostels. The study of the day scholars would also be affected during Ramazan, they argued.