Daily Times

LAHORE: The University of Management and Technology (UMT) is minting money from students enrolled in media studies, as the management deliberately has failed them, forcing them to study one extra semester, Daily Times has learnt.

Documents available with this scribe testify that the students attempted the final term exams and also secured good marks. According to details, approximately 10-12 students appeared in the final term exams and cleared, but their grades were not announced by the UMT management. After the passage of more than 12 weeks, the university’s management, giving an excuse, disclosed that the attendance of the students was short, adding that some students did not even attempt the exams.

Students appealed the UMT rector, registrar, controller examination and dean of School of Social Sciences and Humanities to resolve the matter without further delay and announce their results and upload on their web-portfolio.

According to the rules of UMT, approximately 80 percent attendance is required for a candidate to attempt the final term exams, which means that out of 30 lectures, 24 are necessary for the students. On the other side, if concerned officials have cleared the students and allowed them to attempt the paper, so what reason was kept behind this issue?

On the condition of anonymity, students told Daily Times that they had taken permission before attempting the final term exam. However, they added, the university’s management was not uploading their results, besides blaming them of ‘short attendance’. They said the administration of Media and Communication Department falls under the School of Social Sciences Humanities, which gave false examination deadlines to overcome the issue but all in vain.

Students further said that it was their final year and because of this incident, their hard work of four years would be wasted. They claimed that the university’s management was using such strategies to mint money from them.

They said that they sent applications to the concerned officials many times but their response was rather discouraging. One of the students said he forwarded the application four times but the university’s management claimed to have lost it again and again.

“The tactics for charging unnecessary fines are being used and the administration is demanding extra money from students in order to register for the subject again. The management should realise that such tactics will only waste precious time of students,” he added.

Students are still confused on the matter pertaining to their future, as further delay in conferring degrees upon them could have a negative impact on their careers.