T HIS is apropos the news report, `Experts find flaws with HEC`s varsity ranking` (Feb 28). Endorsing the views, it is elaborated that the Higher Education Commission has sofarconductedhve rankings ofPakistani universities according to chronological details given bellow: First ranking in October 2006; second ranking for 2010 released on Feb 23, 2012; third ranking on July 5, 2013, fourth ranking on Feb 23, 2015 and the fifth ranking on Feb 23, 2016.All of these rankings have been criticised, mostly on the following six grounds: (1)thatthe rankingisnotconductedby anindependentbody;thatthe rankingis focused more on quantity than on quality; that the ranking does not consider peer and employer assessment of the universities and their alumni; that the ranking does not verify data on the ground; that the ranking does not properly classify/categorise universities and that the ranking does not consider any input from students.

From 2006 to 2016, during the journey of one decade, the HEC still seems to be back at square one.

Pir Mehr Ali Shah (PMAS) Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, was in the category ofagriculture universities from 2006 to 2014 but in 2015 ranking it appearsin the category ofgeneral universities at 5th position. In 2006, 2012 and 2013 the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) was placed under the category of business institutes at first position but in 2014 and 2015 it appearsin the category ofgeneral universities at 6th and 7th positions.

In 2006 and 2012 the National University of Science and Technology was placedunderthe engineering and technology category but from 2013 onwards it appears under the category of general universities.

In 2006 and 2012 Shah Abdul Latif University is under the category of medium general universities at fifth position but in 2013itappearsunderthe category oflarge general university at 7th position. However, in 2014 and 2015 it fell to the position of 41 under the category of general universities when large, medium and small universities are merged.

Given the above list of observations and ambiguities, one really wonders how our universities will improve when even after one decade the HEC itself lacks clarity on the issue.

Dr Azhar Ali Shah Jamshoro