HEC has recently written letters to all universities across the country to start online classes since the lockdown isn’t expected to end anytime soon. The letter has been written by Dr. Nadia Tahir, Managing Director at HEC’s Quality Assurance Agency, who has told all universities to set up online academic councils to manage the process of online education.
The commission is not ready to heed to the pleas made by the students living in rural areas where internet service is barely available. Similarly, ex-FATA students have also protested against the policy since internet service is not even available in most of the former tribal areas.
Islamabad High Court has only recently ordered the restoration of internet services to these areas but it hasn’t yet been verified whether the court orders were implemented by the state institutions or not.
Forcing the universities to start online courses under such circumstances is an arrogant attempt by the HEC authorities to prove to the government that it has somehow compensated for the disruption of physical academic activities, analysts say.