KARACHI: The College Education Department has approved the procedure of granting admissions to the fresh students for the secession year 2017-18 in the government colleges under Sindh Electronic Centralized College Admission Program (SECCAP). The department has officially announced that in the current academic year 2017-18, the SECCAP policy which formally known as Centralized Admission policy (CAP) of the year 2016 as, would be replicated in all respect. The department has directed the officials of government colleges that they will not receive any charges or cash payment from any of the applicants since the government of Sindh has exempted admission and enrollment fees of the students studying in government schools and colleges. However, the cost of claim form will be Rs 20 while the claim centers will be authorized to deduct Rs 10 per claim from the collected amount which will be used up for the expenditures and remunerations to the staff who will work on the claims centers. The remaining amount worth Rs 10 will be return to the chairman of the SECCAP’s Committee in the shape of crossed cheque or pay-order. The collected amount will be utilized for the printing of claim forms, claim orders and other logistic expenses involved in the process of admissions. The department has also directed the students; belonging to Karachi’s region that they can submit their applications for admission online on the Education and Literacy Department (ELD)’s web portal. The candidates who have passed their matriculation exam or equivalent examination from other than the Board of Secondary Education, Karachi (BSEK), successful students of General Certificate of Education (GCE) Ordinary level and the students passed their examination from the board of technical education, can as well submit their placement forms by hand in the office of the Director General Colleges Sindh located near Urdu Bazar Karachi on Burns Road. The students are also advised by the department to send their placement forms via courier service on the same address. “The IT section of the ELD will create online system for submission of placement forms by the candidates and afterwards the IT section will as well prepare merit lists of Karachi faculty and gender wise and issue the placement to the students”, the department has officially announced. However, Out of station candidates can submit application forms to the nearest college which will be forwarded to Regional Director to shortlist the candidates. “The administrations of all government colleges are bound to provide available admission in the colleges free of cost”, the officials have stressed. The department has appointed DG colleges Sindh as Chairman of CAP policy but for last 20 days the post is vacant while former DG Colleges Dr Nasir Ansar got retirement on 4th July 2017. However the Regional Director Colleges Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpur Khas, Shaheed Benazirabad, Sukkur and Larkana have been appointed as Vice Chairman and Director Inspection Colleges also appointed as secretary of the policy. It is worthwhile mentioning here that students had been paying Rs 560 for admission and Rs 100 for admission till last year but this year Sindh government has exempted these fees. Nevertheless, some officials and clerical staff of the government colleges are demanding money from the applicants across the city. On receiving such complaints Regional Director College Karachi Professor Mashooq Baloch has also issued a circular to the heads of colleges to stop this malpractice and return the fees taken to the students on Friday. Published in Daily Times, July 30th , 2017.