THIS is apropos of Dr Tariq Ali’s letter ‘Balochistan: controversial admission policy’ (Nov 21). To set the record straight, it goes without saying that with the establishment of Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences (BUITEMS) Quetta in 2002, modern educational facilities are made available to the youth of Balochistan.

They are provided opportunities to equip themselves with knowledge and confidence of facing and handling the challenges of practical/professional life. With a vision for being among one of the leading universities of the world accessible to all, BUITEMS clearly devised its admission policy allocating 90 per cent seats reserved for the students of Balochistan and 10 per cent on all-Pakistan open merit basis.

This policy has been duly approved by the statutory bodies of the university. The candidates hailing from Balochistan, who fulfill the basic eligibility criteria for admission, if not admitted in programme of their first choice, are allowed admission in other programmes of studies relevant to their qualifications.

As such, the candidates from Balochistan who meet the minimum criteria of Pakistan Engineering Council and other accreditation councils are not denied the privilege of the university.

Thus 90 per cent of BUITEMS’s student intake is from Balochistan including the remote areas. After graduating from BUITEMS, these students have brought significant change in living standards of their families and are seen as role models by youth of their areas, motivating them for acquiring higher education and improving economic profile of their region.

BUITEMS was ranked fourth in computer science and IT category by the HEC and earned ISO 9001-2008 certification in 2011. All academic procedures are automated by campus management solution. Every third student gets financial assistance. A farm is dedicated to research in life sciences at its Chiltan campus.

BUITEMS has maintained steady growth in physical facilities, human resources, nature and number of laboratories, number of programmes of study and the student body.

A sizable number of faculty members have been awarded scholarships for MS, MS leading to PhD and PhD studies in reputed national and international universities, either sponsored by faculty development programme of BUITEMS/HEC or by winning Fulbright scholarship, while some of them have been awarded scholarships either by the Australian or the Chinese government.

In the short span of 10 years the university has won seven Best University Teacher Awards, two international awards, one regional award and one national award. Three thousand alumni are serving in national and international organisations. Over 6,000 students are enrolled, and BUITEMS has the credit of being the largest engineering university in Balochistan in terms of numbers of study programmes.

The vice-chancellor of BUITEMS, Ahmed Farooq Bazai, is an internationally acclaimed educationist in the fields of engineering, management and academic administration. He has been recently conferred three prestigious international awards: Visionary Leader Award by Asian Confederation of Businesses, Outstanding Contribution to Education Award 2012 by World Education Congress, and International Socrates Award by Europe Business Assembly which has also chosen BUITEMS as one of the best representatives of national education.

He is a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers. As vice-chancellor of BUITEMS, he introduced good governing practices, hierarchal administrative and academic structures in the university.

BUITEMS has emerged as a beacon for the youth of Balochistan and is being recognised as a premier seat of learning in the region.

M. ASLAM NASIR Public Relations Officer BUITEMS, Quetta