ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training on Thursday lauded the efforts of Higher Education Commission (HEC) along with the ministry to resolve the matter of administrative control of Municipal Corporation, Islamabad in a supportive manner. The committee met under the chairmanship of Senator Irfan-ul-Haq Siqqidui here at the Parliament House. The chairman committee reiterated that matter should be followed up time to time and the concerns could be brought back into the committee for deliberation. On the matter of provision of higher education opportunities for students of erstwhile FATA and Baluchistan, the committee unanimously recommended to extend the closure of the Portal date. “Around 20000 to 25000 students have been deprived of admission due to the portal closure date” lamented Irfan-ul –Haque Siddiqui strongly recommending extending the date for the closure of Portal. It was also recommended by the committee that the issue of the provision of the scholarships to the students at provincial level should be resolved on a permanent basis by holding joint meetings with the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) in accordance with the committee on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, the Planning Commission, and the Higher Education Commission, with the recommendation for the representation of the Provincial Governments as well. The chairman also sought briefing by the HEC to devise a mechanism for the resolution of the grant of scholarships at provincial level. The committee also noted that the students of MDCAT who were unable to be accommodated last year due to the delay in the identification of seats by the HEC were not allowed to get admission for the coming year as the criteria of admission had been changed from 60pc to 65pc was unfair and unjust with the students. “The HEC changes criteria every year, it is unjust that the present seats as well as seats from last year remain unfilled due to perfunctory changes in the criteria”, stated senator Irfan siddique recommending that the students from last year should be accommodated according to the criteria from last year. The committee recommended allowing availing the 36 seats for the students who fulfilled the apt criteria from previous year apart from the 265 seats allocated for the new academic year. The meeting was attended by the Deputy Chairman Mirza Muhammad Afridi, Senators Fawzia Arshad, Jam Mahtab Hussnain Dahar, Engr. Rukhsana Zuberi, Rana Maqbool Ahmad, Mustaq Ahmad and Senator Sardar Muhammad Shafiq. Senior Officials from the ministry and its attached departments were also in attendance.