College Life and the Dilemma of Red Tape

 

I belong to the 2006 batch of Bahria University. After completing two semesters at BU, one day my mom asked me to show her my interim transcript. Figuring I needed a print copy of my transcript, I went to the examination department, who promptly said, “sorry, we can’t give you the transcript since there is no paper.”

I was a bit puzzled over such an unlikely excuse. The next day, I was informed by a couple of friends, “They give this paper excuse to everyone, they don’t want to give transcripts out”.

I didn’t give up and went to the Director Academics. He told me that he couldn’t help me and referred me to Director Exams. They too seemed reluctant to give me the transcript.

I then went to an old teacher of mine, who was acting as head of Examination Department and finally I was granted my transcript without any paper “filling” at all.

At times there are unnecessary filings and paper work at BU. It is good to keep a record of students and their grades, but the incredible amounts of red tape destroys the functionality of an organization.

Case in point 2: I was supposed to present a BU shield to a guest for delivering his lecture and taking time out of his hectic schedule. Enter the red tape again. The admin person responsible for shields refused to give it to me.

“First get it signed by your instructor, Deputy Director and XYZ, then I will give the shield to you.”

I looked at my watch. There was little time left and the guest was about to depart. He had specially come from Lahore for this lecture. Being out of time and options, I had to threaten the concerned person to give me the shield to present to the guest.

The crux of the matter is that an institution simply cannot function well unless we cut the red tape and move forward. Unnecessary paper work and official mechanisms only destroy an organization and bring havoc to its functionality. The amount of time administration spends in getting forms filled, taking signs, stamping them and then maintaining  a paper record is totally inefficient. Sure, sometimes it’s necessary to keep a paper record and track of everything, but then why despite having so many records and files was my thesis result lost or misplaced?

The thesis department claimed to have sent my result to exam department. The exam department told me they had not received it, so they couldn’t prepare my final transcript. Upon asking a middle man (PA to HOD), I found my thesis on his table below a stack of papers.

It is high time we see a more innovative, more progressive system, and the elimination of red tape culture at universities.

The Article was Published in Express Tribune.

Bahria Alumni Network – Unison Altogether

Written for Bahrian's Page, on Oct 9th, 2009

By

Sadaf Fayyaz

Let's join hands together! It is indeed the best place where you can find your old best friends and colleagues. An alumni association works like a network so that you stay in touch with the past, enduring and forthcoming activities. Since students graduating from Bahria, are working in different organizations; they need to stay in touch with each other. Bahria alumni serve the same hub function for different professionals. An alumni association brings those in the limelight who were once a part of Bahria, and now serving in different organizations. At times you feel like exploring about some of your old associates, with whom you are not in touch for many years. Alumni not only serve like a database, but also like a network of top-quality professionals. It also aims at building an association of graduates with a mutual affinity for the university. It assures that you are connected with your mates and serves like a social media, because once you are out of the university, you are almost out-of-sight.

When you are presently enrolled, the alumni offer certain services like “Job Hunt” and “CV Posting”. Under these sections, you can keep yourself updated on the recent job postings from sundry industries. An alumnus offers manifold career solutions and talent hunt opportunities too, thus making transition more fluid. Also, the graduate profiles are updated regularly according to the batch and year. The discussion forums make you clued-up and share/post your opinion on certain subjects/issues. You can also get acquainted with the views of other members. You can also maintain your own set of blogs and let them visible to all the alumni members.

You can manage to get weekly or monthly alumni newsletter subscriptions too. A good alumnus also keeps the interviews of prestigious industry leaders, who had been a part of the university. It seems fascinating to see their triumphs and how they feel now. You would often see some testimonials and group discussions on alumni.

Usually alumni dinners are the most exciting part for an individual. They revitalize the enduring relationship with your old fellows. All you need to do is, just sign in and fill the registration form and share some golden memories. Also stay in touch with Bahrians.com (http://www.Bahrians.com) for sizzling and upcoming events. A better contribution is expected from your side. Once you become a part of the alumni, you will certainly enjoy the set of opportunities provided by it. Let us see how you take the advantage of this captivating integration and overwhelming reunion.

Sadaf Fayyaz is an Islamabad based Ex-Bahrian. She completed her Bachelors and Masters in Business Administration from Bahria University. She worked as a freelance writer at Auto tech. Her research publication has appeared in Yearly Journal of Institute of Bankers Pakistan. She loves writing on social, entertainment and academic issues. She taught O levels economics and business Studies for some time. In her leisure time, she spends teaching yoga, reading literature, painting, and writing short stories in Hindi and Urdu. She also enjoys listening to classic and pop music. Currently, she is working as a help desk analyst at Habibullah Energy Ltd. She can be contacted at sadaf_fayyaz_805@yahoo.com

This article has also been published at: http://www.bahrians.com/bl

og/2009/10/bahria-alumni-n

etwork-unison-altogether

Orientation Day at Bahria University 2001

Written on 1st Nov, 2009 Personal Diary

By

Sadaf Fayyaz

After getting admission at Bahria University for my BCS program, we were all formally informed by the administrative authorities about our orientation day. I wasn’t much interested in attending it but the word “Mandatory” convinced me to attend it. We were asked to come in full-fledge uniforms. The Orientation happened in the end of 2000 and our regular semester classes commenced from 12th Feb, 2001.

We all came in our uniform and those who came in fancy weren’t allowed to enter the auditorium. I remember a girl, who later became a friend of mine in BCS, came in dark make up and lilac colored dress. The authority figures didn’t let her enter the auditorium. We entered and were getting bored, as Rector’s speech and address was something very conventional and monotonous, repeating to every new batch of students in every semester. However, the lecture by the two Head of the Departments was worth listening and much impressive. I think Bahria should change its strategy of repeating the same kind of lectures and addresses for each semester. Policies and rules keep changing at Bahria, so why not the addresses and speeches by high authorities?

After the session ended, we were led by a young lecturer Kiran Hayat, to take a round of the campus and the premises. She took us to cafeteria and said,”This an ideal place for your bunking classes and these windows ideal for jumping out of the class.” She taught us Data Base Management System (DBMS) and System Analysis & Design (SAD) in third semester. Later, the ones who joined BCS program introduced themselves to each other. I remembered only Mehreen, Apsara, Zara and Mudassira and no one else. Our regular classes started afterwards in February 2001. The earlier batches were getting their degrees from Peshawar University, with which BU was affiliated. In 2001, it became a chartered university, granting its own degree during our times.....