HEC launches its own testing council for university admissions

Islamabad: Higher Education Commission Pakistan (HEC) has declared the launching of the country’s first government testing organization for education zone to hold free of cost and standardized tests for admissions at university level.

Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal officially launched the Education Testing Council (ETC) during a ceremony organized at HEC Secretariat.

Education Testing Council (ETC) to hold free of cost and equal fair tests for university admissions.

State Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training, Engineer Baleegh-ur-Rehman, Chairman, National Assembly Standing Committee on Education, Amirullah Marwat, Chairman Higher Education Commission, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, as well as representatives of KPK and AJK governments and VCs of various universities were also present on the event.

Ahsan Iqbal said the establishment of this testing organization is the part of Government’s efforts to attain targets of Vision 2025, which is actually a roadmap for the development of country in all domains.

He expected that this council will prove to be a trustworthy and transparent entity to adopt a testing mechanism of international standard as well as this body will have experts from both government and private zones.

Dr. HEC Chairperson while elaborating the goals of launching ETC, stated this body will be a self-governed body, which will start its functioning from spring 2017.

He moreover said all the government and private universities of the country will be required to take on ETC entry tests for admissions. “ETC will organize a standardized entry test for admission in university, for which the respective university will regulate weightage of the test” he added.

Dr Ahmed said that at first tests will be conducted for undergraduate admissions and after that will be conducted for MS and PhD admissions.

ETC test result will organize two times in a year and its result will be valid for two years.

He also said that Government will bear the cost of this test, which will be organized two times in a year.