SC’s observation: B.Tech (Hons) degree holders may be treated on par with BE/BSc Eng degree holders

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has noted that B.Tech (Hons) degree holders may be treated at par with BE/BSc Eng degree holders as far as grades of pay, etc, are concerned but these two degrees would not be considered the same at any stage.

A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa and comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Mussarat Hilali heard the appeals against the judgments of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) and the Lahore High Court (LHC).

The court noted that on October 26, 1973, pursuant to the decision of the federal government, the Ministry of Education had issued a policy letter, wherein, it was conveyed that “B.Tech (Hons) shall be treated at par with BSc (Engineering)/BE degree”.

Likewise, the erstwhile UGC Equivalence Committee resolved on 25.11.1981 in the 10th meeting of Equivalence Committee that “B.Tech (Hons) degree awarded by polytechnic institutions/universities be considered at par with BSc (Engg) degree awarded by other institutions/universities in Pakistan”.

However, in the 11th Meeting of the erstwhile UGC’s Equivalence Committee dated 04.01.1983, it was resolved that the degree of B.Tech (Hons) be not considered as equivalent to the BE degree but the two must be considered as two distinct disciplines of knowledge in the field of Engineering and Technology and both streams should run parallel to each other.

B.Tech (Hons) degree holders may be treated at par with BE/BSc Eng degree holders as far as grades of pay etc are concerned but these two degrees would not be considered the same at any stage. Yet again on 12.02.1998, the erstwhile UGC’s Equivalence Committee in its 39th meeting, resolved that the degree of B.Tech (Hons) is not similar to BE/BSc engineering degree. Both the degrees of BE/BSc Engineering and BTech (Hons) be considered as two distinct disciplines of knowledge in the field of Engineering and Technology and should run parallel to each other. However, B.Tech (Hons) may be treated at par and compatible with BE/BSc engineering degree holders as far as grades, pay and promotions and other benefits are concerned.

The record further reflects that the NCRC in 2010 made the recommendations that the letter issued by the HEC regarding the equivalency/compatibility of B.Tech with BSc Engineering must be withdrawn immediately to remove any confusion, because B.Tech courses are implementation-oriented and BSc engineering courses are design and research-oriented.

The said recommendations were placed before the HEC Committee of Experts in its Meeting dated 11th March 2014, where the Committee unanimously endorsed the recommendations of the NCRC that B.Tech (Hons) is not equivalent to BSc (Eng). Both the degrees of BE/BSc Engineering and B.Tech (Hons) be considered as two distinct disciplines of knowledge in the field of Engineering and Technology and should run parallel to each other.

The HEC Accreditation and Equivalence Committee in its 4th meeting held on 02.12.2014, formally approved the recommendations of the Committee of Experts. Despite the approval of recommendations, the HEC again convened a special meeting with the NCRC which was held on 08.10.2015 at HEC Islamabad to revisit whether the NCRC had the right to suggest a withdrawal of equivalence between B.Tech and BSc Engineering.

The House, unanimously, declared that it was not the purview of the previous NCRC committee; therefore, degree status may be continued as per Government Policy 1973.

An MOU between HEC and PEC was also executed on 15.05.2015 for developing linkages, collaboration, and coordination within the entire process of accreditation for formalizing respective roles. According to Article 6 of the MOU, the PEC is made responsible for granting engineering professional equivalence in consultation with the HEC, whereas, the Pakistan Qualification Framework (PQP) will remain in the purview of the HEC.

However, on 15.11.2019, the 8th HEC Equivalence and Accreditation Committee was convened on the same subject, and the Committee, after detailed deliberation decided that both degrees of BSc (Engg)/BE Engineering and B.Tech (Hons) are not equivalent but could be considered at par for employment, grade, promotion, etc in their respective cadre/streams.

The decision of the 8th Accreditation and Equivalence Committee meeting was reaffirmed in the HEC’s 9th Accreditation and Equivalence Committee meeting held on 03.05.2021. 17.

In the 10th Accreditation and Equivalence Committee meeting of HEC held on 17.11.2021, the matter was reviewed on the recommendations of the Senate Standing Committee, and it was resolved that a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (minimum 16 years education) and a Bachelor’s degree in Technology (minimum 16 years education) are at par for recruitment, pay scales and grades.

The rationale of the Pakistan Engineering Council Act, 1976 is to devise the provisions for regulation of the engineering profession and for achieving this task, the PEC has been constituted comprising of specialists and experts in the field. The main function of the PEC is the recognition and accreditation of engineering qualifications for registration in accordance with the PEC Act.

On the other hand, the National Technology Council (NTC) has been constituted parallel to the PEC for accreditation and registration of Engineering Technologist, which is sufficient prove that B.Tech (Hons) is not equivalent BSc (Engineering) and for this reason, the PEC does not allow accreditation and registration of Engineering Technologists.

Both qualifications are regulated internationally through their separate accords i.e. “Engineering Qualification” by the Washington Accord while “Engineering Technology” by the Sydney Accord.

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