Upper age limit for girls’ admission to colleges abolished

PESHAWAR, May 17: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has done away with the upper age limit for girls’ admission to public sector universities and colleges in the province. It has also decided to provide free education and boarding facilities to the physically-challenged students enrolled in the local government educational institutions. “From today, girls in the province will not be denied higher education for being overage,” higher education minister Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani said during the inaugural session of the Forum of Zoologists at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa colleges here. “If a girl failed to pursue higher education either for poverty or other reason, she can now get admission in any university and college after passing entry test,” the minister said. An official of the higher education department added that government universities and colleges in the province had separate age limit for the girls and boys’ admission to classes of graduation and above. He said the age limit varied from 25 years to 27 years. The minister said the government had also decided that education of physically-challenged students would be free in government universities and colleges. He said ramps, special restrooms and other facilities would be provided to physically-challenged students in the buildings of universities and colleges. He said 10 years relaxation in age would be given to the physically-challenged students while getting admission to colleges and universities. Mr Mushtaq said Rs500 million under the Chief Minister Education Endowment Fund and Rs300 million under the Higher Education Endowment Fund had been allocated for two foreign scholarships for PhD programme and 1,456 scholarships for four years BS programme and that the scholarships would be provided to students on merit.]]>