Punjab Study

Lahore:May 28:THE recent decision of Islamabad High Court (IHC) declaring the non-refund policy of all the educational institutions as illegal is being widely appreciated by the stakeholders especially students.

Besides declaring it illegal, the court also directed the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to formulate a policy in order to safeguard the students’ interests.

However, one wonders as to why over the years the HEC, a body to regulate public and private universities/higher education institutes (HEIs) of across the country, has remained oblivious to this issue of public interest and failed to form any policy in this regard. Anyhow, it is better late than never, as they say.

It is generally observed that at the time of admission students apply to a number of universities/HEIs with an aim to secure admission to the best of their choice and suitability among these institutes. Almost all the institutes offer admissions simultaneously but the last dates to deposit fee seldom coincide, leaving the prospective students stranded and confused. In such cases many students deposit fee at more than one institute with a hope once they get admission at the institute of their choice they will follow the refund issue. But unfortunately many of them fail to get a refund. Arham Nazir is one such student who deposited Rs 64,000 under Challan Number N-16331-FA10 for BBA programme at Comsats Institute of Information Technology (CIIT), Lahore, in July 2010. Later, he secured admission at another more suitable institute. But when he approached CIIT for refund, he was denied the same.

It is pertinent to mention here that Islamabad High Court had passed this particular order related to refund by universities while deciding the petition of a student who got admission to Comsats Institute of Information Technology (CIIT) in BS Computer Science programme in July 2010.

Now when the HEC has been directed by the IHC to formulate refund policy, the stakeholders demand that while formulating the policy the Commission should also keep in view all those students who had been denied refund by varsities/ HEIs during, at least last five years and, if possible beyond, should not be deprived of hard-earned money by universities/HEIs. HEC Executive Director Dr Sohail H Naqvi says the Commission is evaluating the whole things after the court order and will formulate a comprehensive policy in this regard.The news.