PERCEPTIONS OF MANAGEMENT REGARDING CHALLENGES IN BS PROGRAMS IMPLEMENTATION AT GOVERNMENT GRADUATE COLLEGES

Abstract

The four years Bachelor of Studies (BS) program in Pakistan was developed with the aim of improving the quality of higher education and making undergraduate education consistent with the international standard. But the development of BS programs in government graduate colleges has brought many problems related to management. This paper attempts to investigate the perceptions of college management regarding these problems in implementation of BS programs and the impact of such problems on the implementation of the programs. The data was gathered by conducting semi-structured interviews with sixteen individuals, comprising of principals, vice principals, and heads of departments, sampled through purposive sampling from two government graduate colleges located in the district Sheikhupura. The data was analyzed through Thematic Analysis. Three major themes emerged from the analysis, namely Human Resources Issues, Issues regarding Resources and Infrastructure, and Issues related to Administration and Governance. Some of the major issues identified include shortage of faculty members, lack of administrative staff members, limited funding, insufficient infrastructure, lack of proper communication with affiliated universities, problems in handling of data, lack of quality enhancement cells, and insufficient autonomy of the institution. One of the key findings was that the expansion of BS programs has not been fully aligned with the institutional capacity of government colleges, which has led to increased demands on management and operational inefficiencies. It is evident from the study that there is a need for increasing institutional capacity, effective coordination between stakeholders, strengthening quality assurance, and giving more freedom in administration and finance.