The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has directed universities across Pakistan to reduce the fees charged to students for completing mandatory internships, aiming to ease their financial burden.
Under the revised instructions, universities have been asked to charge students for only one credit hour instead of three credit hours for internships. The decision follows concerns raised over the additional costs students face while completing their academic requirements.
Parliamentary Secretary for Federal Education and Professional Training, Rabia Naseem Farooqi, shared the details while responding to a calling attention notice in the National Assembly on Thursday. She said that internship opportunities were available at all 282 universities across the country.
According to Farooqi, undergraduate students are required to complete a two-month internship during their sixth semester. The internship carries three credit hours, which are included in students’ academic records.
She explained that internship placements are arranged according to students’ fields of study. Computer science students are placed in software houses, agriculture students receive opportunities at farms, while mechanical engineering students can gain practical experience through projects associated with the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL).
During the session, MNA Alia Kamran questioned whether the available internship opportunities were sufficient to accommodate students, given the growing number of universities. She also claimed that one university was charging students Rs. 25,000 for internships but did not identify the institution.
In response, Farooqi said the Federal Ministry of Education had written to HEC approximately a month earlier, directing universities to reduce internship charges. She added that monitoring of the internship policy had been strengthened to ensure students receive suitable opportunities without facing unnecessary financial pressure.
The parliamentary secretary also assured the National Assembly that details of the teams responsible for monitoring internship programmes and their procedures would be presented to the house.
