LAHORE - The Punjab Higher Education Department has decided to rename the two-year BA/BSc degree as associate degree in Punjab public sector universities.

The decision has been taken in consultation with the Higher Education Commission and other stakeholders and exams would be conducted on a semester basis from next academic year.

It has been decided that ban on admissions to BA/BSc programmes will remain intact and no two-year degree of BA/BSc would be approved by the HEC after 2020.

Punjab Minister for Higher Education Raja Yasir Humayun and Chairman of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) Dr Tariq Banuri, Chairman of the Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC) Dr Fazal Ahmad, Punjab University Vice Chancellor Prof Niaz Ahmed, HED Special Secretary Sajid Zafar Dal, HED Additional Secretary Tariq Hameed Bhatti, University of Sargodha VC Dr Ishtiaq Ahmad and Bahauddin Zakariya University VC Tahir Amin participated in the meeting held the other day to discuss the future plans related to the higher education system to be launched soon.

Punjab Minister Raja Yasir Humayun said that two-year degree programmes would now be called associate degree programmes instead of BA/BSc.

The minister said that students currently enrolled in two-year BA/BSc programmes would be affected by enforcement of the new associate degree programmes.  “From next year the associate degree will be offered keeping in view needs of the industry in specialised fields. Also, we will upgrade colleges,” he said. The education system will take three to four years for improvement, he said.  HEC Chairman Dr Tariq Banuri said that all universities were directed in 2017 to ban two year-degree programmes and no objection surfaced then and now HEC has decided and asked all universities to ban two-year degree programmes. The HEC chairman explained that this year exams will be conducted on annual basis but semester system will be implemented from next year.