PESHAWAR: The department of archaeology, Hazara University, Mansehra has allegedly deceived its students by backtracking from its earlier commitment to award them international degree in heritage management, according to sources.

Sources said that the department of archaeology of the university in 2013 introduced two-year master degree programme in heritage management, which it declared a joint international degree with University of Leicester, UK. An advertisement about admission to the programme also appeared in the newspapers the same year, declaring heritage management an international degree, they added.

Similarly, in 2014 the Hazara University again advertised opening of admissions in various disciplines and heritage management was mentioned as `Heritage Management (InternationalDegree with University of Leicester, UK` in it. A copy of the advertisement is available with this scribe.

Sources said that degree in heritage management was introduced for the first time in Hazara University with the support of British Council. After completing their course work and qualifying subsequent examinations, the first batch of the students of heritage management was denied the international degree as mentioned in the advertisements, one of the students of the department told this scribe.

`It means that department of archeology has deceived us about awarding the international degree with University of Leicester, UK, he said.

The student said that he would move court to get justice as the department wasted his precious two years. He said that he would not have taken admission in the department if heritage management was not international degree.However, he said, at the end of the course,theylearntthrough different sources that their degree was not international.

Sources said that Dr Abdul Samad, who was head of the department of archaeology at that time, introduced heritage management.

Soon after launching the programme, a statement was also displayed on the website of Hazara University, quoting Mr Samad that a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with the University of Leicester for introducing joint degree programme.

`Students of this course will have the degree of Hazara University and Leister University simultaneously,` says the statement, available with this scribe.

However, the actual status of the degree surfaced when University of Leister categorically refused to mention its monogram on the degree when archaeology department approached it for the purpose, sources said.

In response, the ofHcer con-cerned at the University of Leister said that neither it had conducted examinations nor taught the course then how its monogram could be placed on the degree, sources said.

After the refusal, the statement about MoU was removed from the website of the Hazara University, they added.

Dr Abdul Samad, who is currently head of Directorate of Archaeology and Museum, when approached for his comments, said that it was impossible to get an international degree after studying at Hazara University. `No one has told the students that heritage management is an international degree,` he said.

Mr Samad said that there was a lot of difference between the standard of education of both the universities. `There is an understanding in both universities that students of the heritage management of Hazara University can get admission in the fourth semester of Leicester after studying three semesters here,` he added.He said that under the agreement, the British Council would help the students in awarding visa to take admission in the fourth semester while the University of Leicester would extend 50 per cent discount in fee for admission.

When his attention was drawn towards the advertisements about the international degree appeared in the newspapers in 2013, Mr Samad said that publication of the advertisement was not his responsibility rather the administration of the university was responsible for it.

However, sources in Hazara University told this scribe that without the recommendation of the archaeology department, the advertisement for admission couldn`t be approved by the university administration.

The head of department of archaeology, Dr Shakirullah, when contacted, also confirmed that the heritage management was not an international degree rather it was a two-year degree of the Hazara University.