TAHIR AMIN

ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) Thursday notified Education Testing Council (ETC), the country’s first government testing body for entrance exams for admission to academic degree programmes in higher education institutions as well as for scholarships and employment in national and international agencies.

The chairman HEC will be the competent authority of the ETC. One half of members of the Council shall constitute the quorum for meetings of the Council wherein all decisions shall be taken and expressed through majority vote.

The notification states, “In pursuance of the powers vested under Section-10(1) (n) of the Higher Education Commission Ordinance # LIII of 2002, the chairman Higher Education Commission — in anticipation to the approval of the Commission — is pleased to constitute the Education Testing Council (ETC), as per following composition:

“(i) Executive Director, Higher Education Commission, Pakistan, (ii) Secretary, Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training or nominee of the respective secretary not below the rank of a joint secretary, (iii) secretaries, Higher Education Departments of Balochistan, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir or nominee of the respective secretary not below the rank of an additional secretary, (iv) four vice chancellors of the public sector universities as may be prescribed, (v) two vice chancellors of the private sector universities as may be prescribed, (vi) chief executive officer/head of the ETC, (vii) two officers (BPS 20 or above/equivalent) of the Higher Education Commission, as may be prescribed, (viii) two persons of eminence and known integrity from civil society or corporate sector as may be prescribed and (ix) secretary Education Testing Council.

“The Council shall be an independent, professional and resourceful setup for conducting tests and examinations in a standardised, fair and transparent manner. The ETC shall concentrate on holding valid and reliable testing for entrance exams for admission to academic degree programmes in Higher Education Institutions of Pakistan as well as for scholarships and employment in HEC and other national and international agencies. The chairman HEC shall be the competent authority of the ETC. One half of members of the Council shall constitute the quorum for meetings of the Council wherein all decisions shall be taken and expressed through majority vote.

“The Council shall prescribe detailed terms of reference and rules and regulations for its operations, with the approval of competent authority within six months from this day i.e. January 25, 2017.”

Earlier, the chairman HEC had stated that initially tests would be conducted for undergraduate admissions and subsequently for MS, PhD admissions, and scholarships and they would be valid for a period of two years. He had announced that government would bear the cost of this test, which would be held twice a year. The test will be free for all students desirous of taking admission in public and private universities.

It will be the country’s first government testing body for education sector to conduct free standardised tests for university admissions.

Earlier, the National Testing Service (NTS), a private body, used to conduct recruitment tests not only for universities but also for private and public institutions, including courts of law and security agencies.

In March 2014, the Lahore High Court (LHC) declared the NTS illegal and directed the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to ensure that no private firms conduct tests as long as a national testing service is not constituted through proper legislation. Complying with the court’s orders, the HEC decided to form the Education Testing Council (ETC).