Sindh colleges: 40% seats still up for grabs as deadline nears

IV Report

KARACHI: Sindh's college authorities are awaiting more applications for the 2024-25 session, with around 40% XI class seats still available.

A review meeting on August 27 revealed that the Sindh Electronic Centralised College Admission Programme (SECCAP) has received 203,852 applications out of 355,577 available seats. Admissions have been granted in various disciplines, including Pre-Medical, Pre-Engineering, Computer Science, Commerce, Humanities and Home Economics.

Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah presided over a meeting where he was informed that SECCAP is fully operational for online applications, with the deadline for XI class admissions extended to August 31, 2024.

As of now, 203,852 applicants have been approved, comprising 111,043 males and 92,809 females across Sindh. In Karachi, 113,378 applications (69% of available seats) have been approved, out of 164,260 available seats.

The meeting was attended by Secretary of Colleges Asif Ikram, Director General Colleges Navaid Rab Siddiqui, Chief Engineer Colleges Asim Hussain, Director of Development Ali Abbas Tipu, and other officials.

The minister emphasised the need for updating college education to meet contemporary demands, introducing skill-based education, and new subjects like Fine Arts and information technology. He also stressed resolving online admission complaints, increasing computer teacher positions, and creating positions for Fine Arts lecturers and music instructors.

The minister directed officials to complete development schemes promptly, with 50% of new schemes to be finished by December. He suggested conducting a baseline survey before establishing new colleges, prioritising new urban centers over areas with existing higher secondary schools.

As recorded in the meeting, overall there are 372 colleges in Sindh, including 131 men and 152 women colleges and 89 co-educational institutions.

EM Shah was informed further that work is going on 119 schemes in Sindh, including 40 new colleges.

 

 

With an uninterrupted 23-year career in daily journalism (1991-2013), the author/editor of this blog currently serves as Editor of Social Track, a weekly newspaper focused on social sectors, based in Karachi. Holding a master's degree in Mass Communications from the University of Karachi (1990), his professional experience includes roles as senior reporter at Daily Dawn, Karachi (May 2001-August 2013) and Chief Reporter at The News International, Karachi (April 1991-May 2001). He has a strong background in development journalism, he has an extensive portfolio of news stories, analytical reports and features covering a wide range of sectors. He has had the privilege of covering numerous high-profile figures, including Pakistani presidents, prime ministers, army chiefs, foreign dignitaries, and VVIPs and attending conferences and workshops abroad. He began his journalism career in the early 1980s. Throughout his career, he has received several national awards from government and private organisations. He has contributed to various radio and TV/channel broadcasts and has also served as a trainer at workshops in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad, focused on training journalists.

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