All the government colleges of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will now be offering four-year Bachelor of Studies (BS) program following an important decision by the higher education department.

Talking about this major decision, the education department’s officials told a local newspaper that only 123 of 323 government colleges were offering different BS programs previously. “Now all the remaining colleges will introduce BS programs in the larger interest of students,” officials added.

It is pertinent to mention that public sector universities in KPK charge a significantly higher fee compared to government colleges. Local students have hailed the decision, stating that it will enable students from poor backgrounds to pursue their education.

Following the decision to extend BS programs to all colleges in the province, the two-year Associate Degree program can no longer be offered. However, those students who are already enrolled in two-year programs will continue their studies till the completion of their degrees.

Secretary Higher Education Department, Arshad Khan, said that the decision was taken due to the fact that those with associate degrees have fewer chances to continue their higher education compared to BS degree holders.

He went on to add that the higher education department is empowered to hire ad hoc teachers till the recruitment of permanent teachers by the Public Service Commission to address the need for more teachers after introducing BS programs in all colleges.

Additionally, another official of the department stated that the associate degree program has various issues. One of the main issues is “its recognition equal to BA/BSc because no such rules or law is framed to bring at par with BA/BSc.”

Source: Pro Pakistani