The Higher Education Commission (HEC), the federal body that oversees universities in Pakistan, has proposed a draft framework for undergraduate admissions. It could replace separate university entry processes with one shared system. A committee formed by the federal education ministry has reviewed the proposal and agreed to take it forward, but the framework is still at the draft stage.
What the proposal would change
Under the plan, the question pools held in existing databases and item banks would be brought together and standardised. The result would be one shared Common Item Bank. An item bank is a stored collection of test questions that can be drawn on when an exam is built, so one common pool could serve many admission tests.
The proposal was presented by Dr. Imtiaz Haider, chief executive of ETC-HEC. Participants praised how clearly it was presented and responded positively to the idea.
Aims and next steps
The initiative is meant to support openness, impartiality and a merit-based process in admissions. It also aims to give students equal opportunities across the country and to ease the load of several entry tests on students and their families.
The committee agreed to set up a Technical Committee and to fix timelines for finalising the framework. Those timelines are still to be established. Once it is final, the plan should give undergraduate admissions nationwide a common footing, which could make the process simpler for families.
Aasan alfaaz mein
HEC ne university admissions ke liye aik common entry test ka mansooba pesh kiya hai, jo abhi draft ki shakal mein hai. Is mansoobay ke tehat maujooda question banks ko mila kar aik Common Item Bank banaya jaye ga. Ek committee ne ise review kiya hai aur ek Technical Committee banane par ittefaq hua hai. Agar yeh final ho gaya to students aur ghar walon ke liye kai tests ka bojh kam ho sakta hai.
