ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) through country’s first government testing body “Education Testing Council” (ETC) will conduct free, standardised tests for university admissions, said HEC Chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmad on Monday.
He told APP that initially, HEC will conduct tests founder graduate and subsequently for MS and PhD admissions which will be valid for a period of two years. The council, Dr Mukhtar said, will be a self-governed body, which will be operational from January (spring) 2017, adding, that government will bear the cost of this test, which will be held twice a year.
He said “the test will be free for all students desirous of taking admission in public and private universities. He said, “The establishment of council is part of government’s efforts to achieve targets of Vision 2025, which is a road map for country’s development in all spheres.”
ETC will prove to be a credible and transparent entity to adopt a testing mechanism of international standard and the body will have experts from both public and private sectors, he added. Dr Mukhtar described the initiative as an important step toward building the knowledge economy, adding that the incumbent government is providing all possible resources for the uplift of education in the country.
He also said that it was a much-needed step for standardisation of education in the country. He informed that all public and private universities of the country will be required to adopt ETC entry tests for admissions. “ETC will arrange a standardized entry test for university admissions, for which the respective university will determine weightage of the test,” he added.
