FSc pre-medical students can now apply for Engineering degree in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: In a major policy change, students with FSc pre-medical certification will be able to take admission to engineering programme as the subject is facing a downward trend.

The Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC), the regulatory body of engineering, has allowed pre-medical students to take admission in BS engineering after completing an eight-week condensed programme.

According to the PEC, an eight-week condensed programme will compensate students with deficient courses like mathematics, before becoming eligible for admission to the engineering programme.

PEC Registrar Dr Nasir Mahmood Khan said, “Until a few years ago, our engineering universities were producing around 30,000 engineers annually. But, gradually, the field is facing a decline. So much so that there is a decline of around 10,000 admissions in one year whereas some universities have even shut down their engineering department due to a lack of students.”

In a letter addressed to the HEC, PEC stated that the PEC governing body in its 49th meeting on June 28 decided to allow the students having Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) intermediate pre-medical qualification for admission in all engineering programmes as per the PEC Regulations for Engineering Education in Pakistan.

According to the Pakistan Engineering Council, the university conducting an eight-week programme would be responsible for developing the condensed programme and ensuring the quality of teaching, learning, and assessment. Students will be admitted in accordance with the admissibility criteria as per the discipline’s merit and student preference.

40pc seats within the total allowed intake for each batch of the respective programmes may be filled with the background qualification of HSSC (pre-medical) for those students who have successfully completed the aforementioned condensed programme,” the letter read.