LAHORE - The Punjab Education Department is contemplating disciplinary action against the principals and teachers of those colleges whose pass percentage in the BA, BSc examination remained below the mark. Last year too the department suspended some 26 principals whose colleges showed below eight per cent result in the BA, BSc annual examination 2009. The poor pass percentage was, however, mainly due to the students poor performance in English compulsory subject wherein 80 per cent candidates failed. The colleges, which showed ten or below 20 per cent pass percentage could have shown 80 per cent pass percentage if the candidates had passed the English compulsory. The other reasons of the poor pass percentage are science subjects in BSc. The enrolment in BSc, is comparatively poor and in most of the colleges below 20 students. The BSc classes are not held regularly by the teachers because of the poor enrolment and poor attendance. Moreover, the laboratories are not up-to-date and students are seldom taken to laboratories for the practical. The poor pass percentage in English is a matter of serious concern by the policy planners and academicians. Who is responsible for that and what remedy could be made to improve the result is a question yet to be answered. The poor pass percentage, not only spoil the students career but is a colossal national loss as well. Majority of the students are dropped from further study and thus not more than five per cent qualify for admission in the postgraduate classes. The pass percentage in the Punjab University this year was 28.75, and 27.50 last year. This mean, almost 73 per cent students failed, majority of them failed in English compulsory. The pass percentage of 57 affiliated colleges was below the University mark. However, the affiliated colleges are strictly following the merit policy for fear of being prosecuted for admission in Inter and Degree classes on the one hand and trying to pull teachers to improve the result particularly in the subject of English both at undergraduate and graduate level. The college administrations are also making stricter measures to check the absenteeism of teachers and students. PhD degree awarded The Government College University (GCU) on Thursday produced first ever PhD in Pakistan on Child Labor in Human Rights Prospective. The Examinations Department notified Khalid Manzoor Butt as the Doctor of Philosophy in the subject of Human Rights. He completed his thesis on the topic of Child Labor in Human Right Prospective: Case Study of Child Scavengers of Urban Areas of Lahore under the supervision of Dr Farhat Mehmood. Khalid Manzoor Butt said that Pakistan was signatory of Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), yet a large number of children were mistreated, exploited and abused. He elaborately highlighted disadvantages of scavenging through children and suggested a model to tackle with the issue and transform child scavengers into useful and productive individuals. The thesis included interviews of about 200 child scavengers. GCU Vice-Chancellor Dr Khalid Aftab congratulated Khalid Manzoor Butt on completion of his PhD, saying that PhD should not be his final goal rather it should be the beginning of a new goal.