ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC), through the 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 HEC would initially conduct tests for undergraduate 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 2017, adding, that government will bear the cost of this test, which will be held twice a year. He said that “the test will be free for all students who wish to gain admission in public and private universities.” Chairman HEC said, “The establishment of HEC is part of the government’s efforts to achieve targets of Vision 2025, which is a roadmap for country’s development in all spheres.”
ETC will prove to be a credible and transparent entity to adopt a testing mechanism of international standards and the body will have experts from both public and private sectors, he added. Dr Mukhtar described the initiative as an important step towards 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 revealed that all public and private universities of the country will be required to adopt ETC entry tests for admissions. “ETC will arrange a standardised entry test for university admissions, for which the respective university will determine the weightage of the test,” he added.
