Assessment of Degree Colleges in the Transition Phase: A Case Study of Degree Colleges in the Makran Division

The purpose of this study was to assess the degree colleges’ preparation for the new transition phase, transferring the BA/BSc programs into ADA/ADS programs. The participants of this qualitative study were principals of Degree Colleges in the Makran division and data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Themes generated from data showed that degree colleges of the Makran division were not capable of starting the AD/ADS programs properly due to shortage of human and physical resources. The findings also identified that the principals serving these colleges were not involved in the decisions taken by Higher Education Commission for the degree colleges. Recommendations based on the findings indicate that degree colleges of the Makran region require more support and facilitation from Higher Education Commission and Provincial Government before the initiation of ADA/ADS Programs . The findings and recommendations will be helpful in the preparation of Degree colleges transferring from BA/BSc to ADA/ADS programs.


Introduction
Education is the fundamental human right of every citizen (Article 37-B, 1973 Constitution of Pakistan). However, the participation rate in higher education in Pakistan is low as compared to other countries in the region (Rahman et al., 2015). In this regard, it has been a priority of the Federal Ministry of Education and the Higher Education Commission to enhance the quality of education and raise the standard of higher education in the country to an international level. To execute this plan, a notification was issued by Higher Education Commission on July 13, 2020. According to this notification, "In place of the two-year BA/BSc programs, universities and colleges affiliated with public sector universities may offer Associate Degree programs (AD) for post-higher secondary students." The new terminology (Associate Degree or AD) was adopted in all documentation and the previous terminology of BA/BSc programs was discontinued. Furthermore, this notification mentions that for facilitating the initial stage of the degrees, the institutions entertaining AD courses will be permitted to transition gradually from their recent programs to fulfill the targeted requirements. In the first year of this phase, the design of the studies being provided in the BA/BSc program has been adapted with minor changes for the ADA/ADS program. In addition, it has been instructed to those degree colleges that are not following BS programs, to change their current set-up, start Associate Degree (AD) program, and finalize the outline immediately.
However, there have been discussions in different electronic and print media to identify the obstacles that degree colleges face while making the transition. In this regard, Hussain (2019) stated that the majority of the degree colleges in the region have a shortage of required resources and staff for starting new proposed programs, and need capacity-building for the proper start-up of proposed programs. Moreover, decisions regarding admission are pending for thousands of private candidates in undergraduate and master's programs. According to a report by Imran (2019), the Higher Education Commission needs to re-examine the situation and reiterate directions to end BA/BSc programs because degree colleges and universities cannot start Associate Degree (AD) programs without having the required resources. Punjab University's Registrar underscored that the capacity of the degree colleges is not fully developed to run Bachelor's (BS) programs or start Associate Degree (AD) programs. He further raised the issue that although the universities are following four years BS programs, they have not developed a qualitative assessment or examination system to ensure the quality of these programs. Regarding quality enhancement, Memon (2007) stated that the quality of human and physical resources including computer labs, libraries, laboratories, and other matters such as ineffective governance, academic results, weak examination system, research facilities, relevancy with societal needs, and financial crisis are the major concerns of the higher education degree-awarding institutions in Pakistan. Additionally, the supporting literature of present and past eras highlights that educational institutions should have fundamental resources such as adequate staff, and arrangements for their maintenance (Kapur, 2018).
Hence, the present project (sponsored by Balochistan Government) was conducted to assess the degree colleges' preparation for the new transition phase. The project also proposed to identify the issues related to human resource capacity, including the required number of teachers, for the AD/ADS program. Furthermore, the study aimed to ascertain availability of physical resources, including classrooms, science labs, ICT, libraries, and learning equipment in the degree colleges in Makran Division of Balochistan, Pakistan.

Research Objectives
1. To investigate the current situation of degree colleges at Makran Division in terms of human and physical resources for the implementation of the ADS/ ADA programs in degree colleges of Makran Division 2. To explore the perceptions of principals regarding the preparation of Degrees colleges about transferring BA/BSc to AD programs 3. To identify possible obstacles in the implementation of Associate Degree (AD, ADS) in degree colleges

Research Questions
1. What is the current situation of degree colleges at Makran Division in terms of human and physical resources for the implementation of the ADS/ ADA programs in degree colleges?
2. What are the perceptions of principals regarding the preparation of Degrees Colleges about transferring BA/BSc to ADA/ADS programs?
3. What are the anticipated obstacles that the degree colleges could face in the implementation of Associate Degree (AD, ADS) programs?

Literature Review
The Pakistani education system in higher education was inherited from the British system which was based on an annual system and comprehensive study system with two-year programs (Yousaf & Hashim, 2012).
The Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC) decided to introduce the semester system in undergraduate and graduate programs in degree colleges and other higher education institutions to update and improve the quality of education in the country. A notification issued on July 13, 2019, by the HEC has advised the government and private degree-awarding institutions and the colleges affiliated with them to discontinue the BA/BSc programs and initiate the ADA/ ADS programs from the coming academic session. It also notified universities and colleges not to start MA/MSc annual programs after 2020 (Imran 2019). However, this decision was taken without taking into consideration the ground realities of the colleges' infrastructure, and physical and human resources. As Jadoon et al., 2008 recommend that the new change in any educational program can be effectively implemented when it contains a well-designed curriculum, constructive feedback by teachers, well-trained teachers, a high level of confidentiality in exams, availability of resources for students, and timely results announcement.
The unavailability of the basic resources and requirements for implementing ADA and ADS programs can create obstacles for degree-awarding colleges. Thus prior to the initiation of the ADA/ADS program, a research study ought to be carried out to know the basic ground realities and hurdles confronted by the degreeawarding institutes.
Fundamental resources of the educational institutions consist of reports, articles, documents, textbooks, hand-outs, reading materials, reference books, projects, computers, designs, projects, internet, mobile phones, and projectors which are some of the key resources brought under usage by instructors and learners to obtain required academic results. When learners have an approach to the above-mentioned resources, they can independently perform their activities and jobs. Based on this, students are capable of completing their assignments as well as class activities and can create an effective learning environment (Mugure, 2012).
In addition, relevant factors for enhancement of quality education include availability of adequate staff and provisions for their maintenance and health, positive relationships among the workforce, job performance, rewards, and continuous professional development. Availability of physical resources include staff offices, classrooms, lecture theaters, libraries, laboratories, playgrounds and transportation facilities. Financial resources, such as funding and others are also basic requirements that directly and indirectly link with the enhancement of quality education (Kapur, 2018).
Furthermore, research was conducted by Uysal and Caganaga (2022) in the context of Cyprus on teachers' opinions regarding human resource functions. The research was qualitative with purposive sampling. Data were collected through interviews and findings revealed that human resource functions include employee training and development, evaluation, planning, and rewarding. Thus the findings suggest that provision of proper human resources' services result in teachers' positive feelings towards work responsibilities.
A similar exploratory research was carried out by Cho (2004) to study the importance of developing human resources. Results indicate that human resources management has a positive effect on employee organizational performance. A case study research was conducted by Argon (2014) in the context of Turkey. The research investigated teachers' views about administrative support for the human resource of the institution. Data was collected via convenient sampling. The research findings suggest that teachers feel professionally as well as personally positive when they get administrative support. Moreover, along with human resources, the development of physical resources is very crucial for any institute to function smoothly and become result-oriented.
Another study was conducted by Obinga (2011) in the context of Kenya for finding out the relationship between physical resources and the internal efficiency of educational institutions. The research followed a descriptive survey design. Data were collected from the country's education director, district officers, school principals, and teachers. The findings of the research concluded that physical resources are positively correlated with educational institutions' internal efficiency.

Ahmed, Bashir & Tariq
In addition, Mestry and Bodalina (2015) conducted a study to know the perceptions and experiences of schools' management teams and teachers about the impact of physical resources on the quality of education. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire and findings revealed that teachers and school administrates weakness in managing physical resources impacted schools' quality of education.
Eric and Ezeugo (2019) carried out a research study in Nigeria. The main objective of the research was to find out the relationship between the availability of physical resources and the academic performance of students. The researchers followed a descriptive survey design to conduct this research. The sample size of this research was 470 school teachers and data were collected by a structured 5-point scale questionnaire. The findings of the research suggested that physical resource availability and maintenance are essential for a smooth teaching-learning process. Physical resources include libraries, laborites, classrooms, buildings, and washrooms. The research recommended the education ministry to allocate funds for the availability of physical resources for quality education provision.
Hence, based on the above-discussed literature, the present study assesses the preparation of degree colleges in Makran Division, Balochistan in the transition phase of transferring from the BA/BSc system into the AD/ADS system in the terms of availability of human and physical resources.

Research Methodology
This qualitative research adopted the case study method to assess the degree colleges' preparation and principals' perceptions regarding the transition phase. This study aimed to identify issues relating to human resource capacity, including the required number of teachers, and teachers' professional development for the AD/ADS program. It further investigated the availability of physical resources including classrooms, science labs ICT, libraries, and learning equipment of the degree colleges in the Makran Division, Balochistan at Pakistan.
The sample size of the study included all principals of boys' and girls' degree colleges in the Makran Division. Antipas (2022) suggests that in a qualitative case study, the selection of the entire population as the sample is preferred, if the size of the population of the study is small. In the Makran region, a total of six-degree colleges are offering BA/BSc programs. Among them three are boys and three are girls' degree colleges. Data for the study were collected in two phases. The first phase comprised the collection of demographic data including all available physical and human resources in the colleges, which were gathered through a checklist. The second phase included the responses of the principals collected through interviews. Data collection procedures were made by self-designed Semi-Structured Interview protocols with the support of literature by Kapur (2018). These self-constructed interview questions were further validated by three academic experts in the field of education at the University of Turbat. With the help of experts, the interview guide was further modified by adding probing questions. Data were collected via face to face interviews and the responses of the principals were recorded and transcribed. Each interview took approximately 40 to 45 minutes. The procedure of data analysis was done through the thematic analysis framework suggested by Greens et al. (2007). Some interviews were recorded in the Urdu language, and, in this regard, the services of Dr. Shah Mir Baloch Assistant Professor University Turbat were hired voluntarily to transcribe such interviews into the English language. All themes were generated by following the procedure of thematic analyses which involves penetrating across a data set to find, analyze, and report repeated patterns (Braun & Clarke, 2006).

Analysis of Current Status of Degree Colleges of Makran Region in Balochistan in terms of available facilities for running ADA/ADS programs
This research study was delimited to the public boys' and girls' degree colleges of the Makran region in Balochistan. Due to ethical considerations, names of these colleges are converted into codes. However, the present study was focused only on those public boys' and girls' degree colleges, which offered ADA/ADS programs. The collected demographic data from the respondents were analyzed separately in the following pattern.  Table 1 shows the available facilities and enrolment of the ADA/ADS program of Government Girls Degree College-6 in Makran, Balochistan. According to the results of above table 1, there are 18 teaching staff, 06 non-teaching staff, 08 classrooms, 0 science lab, 0 computer labs, 01 library, 5000 library books, 03 offices, 03 multimedia, 364 ADS, and 95 ADA students' enrolment in the Government Girls Degree College-6.

Thematic Analysis
After completing the procedure of data transcription and coding following themes were generated:

Theme-1: Principals' involvement in the HEC's Decision of transforming B.A/B.Sc. programs into ADS/ ADA program
All principals of the public degree colleges replied to the research question about their involvement in the HEC's decision of transforming B.A/B.Sc. programs into the ADS/ ADA program that this decision was taken by the Higher Education Commission and they did not receive any letter prior to the decision from the HEC.
In this regard, Principal-1 replied that: "There is no involvement of this institution's head regarding the HEC's decision of transforming BA/BSc into the ADS/ ADA program." In addition, Principal-2 answered that: "There is no involvement of the institution in the decision of HEC to transform BA/BSc programs into ADS/ ADA programs." According to Principal-3: "The administration of the institution was not consulted regarding the transformation of BA/BSc into the ADS/ADA program." Similarly, Principal-4 answered that: "We are not involved regarding the decision of HEC to transform BA/BSc programs into ADS/ADA programs." The same response was recorded from Principal-5 she replied that: "The head of this institution was not involved/asked to transform the BA/BSc programs into ADS/ADA programs from HEC".
Principal-6 said that: "We were not involved in the decision by HEC to transform BA/BSC programs into ADS/ADA programs." Hence, all principals had a similar point of view that degree colleges were not involved in the decision of the Higher Education Commission.

Theme-2: Perception of the Principals regarding the ADA/ ADS program
The principals were asked regarding their perceptions of the ADA/ADS program. Some difference of opinion was noted here. Two principals shared their perceptions and replied that these ADA/ADS programs are a good initiative from HEC and the programs will be more successful than BA/BSc because the semester system program is easy to adopt instead of the annual system. However, respondent-4, 5 and 6 said that though the transition process is appreciable, there seems to be no visible difference. It seems more like the same program as BA/ BSc, because the courses are the same, it is just the titles that have been changed. "I appreciate this program but this is the same program BA/BSc, the courses are the same, just the name is changed" (Principal-4).

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Furthermore, Principal-6 added that: "I perceive that both are the same programs. There is no difference between BA/BSc and ADS/ADA programs because courses are at the same level, BA/BSc programs are in the annual system, the ADA/ADA programs are also in the annual system, and only the name is changed." The same statement was supported by Principal-5, he recorded that: "There is no difference between BA/BSc and ADS/ADA programs, both of them are the same programs because their course structure and contents are the same levels, just we think that only nomenclature is changed." However, Principal-3 shared her perception about the ADA/ADS program and mentioned that: "The ADS/ ADA program will not succeed until it is recognized by HEC as equal to graduation. it will be a waste of time for those students who want to get a job after graduation." Hence, as per the above statements of all principals, it is concluded that principals of these degree colleges perceive ADA/ADS programs differently. Among them 2 principals appreciate this program, 3 agreed partially, but according to them there is no definite change in the program, because the courses are the same, just the name of the programs is changed.

Theme-3: Readiness of degree colleges for the transformation phase
All principals of the degree colleges were asked to share their readiness for the initiation of the ADA/ADS program instead of the BA/BSc program. In this regard, principals-2, 3 and 4 show their readiness and willingness to start the program with no problems.
Principal-2 recorded that: "Our college has no issue and is ready for this transformation because it already has a BS four years' program running in college since 2017." In addition, Principal-3 also shared that: "Yes, college is ready for this transformation because the BA/BSc was already being taught, so we can teach the ADA/ADS program." In the same way, Principal-4 replied that: "Our college is ready to run this program because in our college basic facilities and teaching staff are available to run this program smoothly." However, Principal-1 and 5 have shown their readiness to start these programs successfully on the condition of availability of more qualified teachers and required equipment. Principal-1 stated that: "Yes, our college is ready for this transformation because our college is one of the biggest colleges in the region where more than thousand students are enrolled and our 62 qualified teaching staff are enough to run this program successfully but we need more teaching staff and equipment." The Same reply was recorded by the Principal-5, as he answered that: "Yes, we are ready for the so-called ADA/ADS program but we are ready for true ADA/ADS programs to run successfully because it is a big project. These programs need sufficient and well qualified and trained teaching staff as well as all basic facilities for this program to run it successfully." However, Principal-6 recorded that her college is not prepared to start this program due to insufficient staff, and other resources.
She replied that: "We are not ready to run these programs because we are facing the problem of lack of teaching staff and basic facilities which are needed for the successful running of ADA/ADS programs." In short, except for two colleges, the majority of the degree colleges in the Makran Division are not fully facilitated to start the ADA/ADS program.

Theme-4: Obstacles and challenges of degree colleges for the implementation of ADA/ADS program in terms of Physical and Human resources
All Principals were asked about the obstacles and challenges such as the availability of human and physical resources, and trained teachers, which their colleges may face for the implementation of the ADA/ADS program. In response to this question principals 1,3,4,5 and 6 replied that currently, their colleges are not well equipped with computer labs, sciences labs, or conference rooms and also lack teaching and technical staff.
Furthermore, Principal-4 said that: "We are facing many obstacles for the implementation of this program in terms of physical and human resources. Our teaching staff and basic facilities are sufficient to run this program at this time. We are 80% ready to run the program successfully but we are also facing 20 % obstacles in terms of physical resources as well as human resources." Principal-6 pointed out that: "I think that we face numerous difficulties to run these programs smoothly because without sufficient well-trained teaching staff and availability of physical resources it is impossible to run these programs successfully in future." In addition, Principal-1 shared that: "In my point of view, we are facing the unavailability of a well-equipped lab, conference room, and teaching staff." The same statement was recorded from Principal-3, as he stated that: "Those colleges where computer labs or science labs are not available or those colleges where teaching staff are not available, how can these programs be started?" Moreover, Principal-2 shared that while implementing such a program, it will be required to teach several elective courses such as Psychology, Philosophy and gender studies. In this connection, their college may face the problem of having the relevant teachers to teach such subjects.
She said that: "If we start the ADA/ADS program, we have to teach different minor subjects which are not being taught in BA/BSc, for example, Gender studies, Philosophy, etc. The teachers are required for teaching these subjects." Briefly, it is clear that all degree colleges in the region are not able to initiate ADA/ADS programs smoothly due to the shortage of human and physical resources.

Theme-5: Expectation of the degree colleges from the provincial education ministry for the smooth running of the ADA/ADS program
An additional question was raised to know the expectation of the principals regarding the role and support of the Provincial Education Ministry for the smooth running of these programs.
In this regard, Principal-1 replied that: "HEC provided funds to the provincial government but they are not serious about allocating funds to colleges." Principal-2 pointed out that: "We need well-equipped and furnished laboratories and a library." Principal-3 shortly replies: "I am very optimistic in this regard." In the same way, Principal-4 answered that: "I expect that the provincial government educational ministry will help for the smooth running of these programs in terms of physical and human resources." Principal-5 shared that: "We hope that the provincial government would provide all facilities in terms of physical and human resources to all colleges for the successful running of this program." However, the response of Principal-6 shows a little disappointment about the role and support of the provincial education ministry in this regard, she responded: "We have no expectation from the provincial government regarding provision of facilities to run these programs successfully in future." Hence, all degree college principals are expecting that the Provincial Educational Ministry should play a vital role to allocate provincial funds for the degree colleges to overcome the shortage of human and physical resources to function smoothly and to start the ADA/ADS program accordingly.

Theme-6: Suggestions of the degree colleges about improving/implementing the ADA/ADS program
The last theme emerged from the following question: "What are your suggestions to improve/implement these programs" asked the Principals. All Principals shared their input and suggestions briefly.
of the department and all stakeholders and build a mechanism to improve this program. Moreover, the HEC and provincial government should provide all basic facilities to all colleges such as teaching staff, projectors, multimedia, computers, computers lab, science lab, digital library, conference room, classroom, teacher training programs, transport facilities, students' scholarships, and other missing required facilities." Additionally, Principal-6 recommended that the HEC and provincial government should do the following: ADA/ADS programs should be in the semester system instead of the annual system. Sufficient faculty members for all subjects should be provided to all colleges in Balochistan. University-level teacher training programs should be provided to all faculty members of the colleges. Classrooms should be provided. Needy students should be provided scholarships. Transport should be provided to all colleges. Commuter lab, Digital library, Library book, lab equipment, and science lab should be provided to all colleges.
Briefly, degree colleges of the Makran region require more support and facilitation from Higher Education Commission and Provincial Government before the initiation of ADA/ADS programs.

Findings & Discussion
Firstly, the available human and physical resources of these degree colleges were listed to confirm the current feasibility of the colleges initiating AD/ADS programs through a checklist as shown in (Table1: Demographic information of Degree Colleges). The majority of the colleges have insufficient human and physical resources to run the AD/ADS program smoothly. Such as shortage of staff, lack of professional development, offices, class/lecture rooms, multimedia, library, laboratory, and other basic science and ICT equipment.
Principals of degree colleges were asked to share their readiness to initiate the ADA/ADS program in place of the BA/BSc program. Majority of them declared that degree colleges in the Makran Divisions are not fully facilitated to start the program. However, only two principals showed their readiness to start such programs. The opinions of the majority of the principals have seconded the findings of Mugure (2012) and Kapur (2018), which highlight that the success of any program in educational institutions depends upon the availability of fundamental human and physical resources. Hence, it has been revealed that all degree colleges in the Makran region require more support and facilitation from Higher Education Commission and Provincial Government before the initiation of ADA/ADS Programs. In addition, all degree colleges are expecting that the Provincial Education Ministry should play a vital role to allocate provincial funds for the degree colleges to overcome the shortage of human and physical resources to start the ADA/ADS program.
Secondly, all principals of the public degree colleges replied to the research question about their involvement in the HEC's decision of transforming B. A/B programs into ADS/ ADA programs that this decision was taken by the Higher Education Commission and that they were not informed or consulted by HEC before launching the program. Degree college principals are important stakeholders and their participation in this decision is very important because they have to implement this decision on grass root level and without their commitment and dedication it is not possible to implement such decisions. Similar findings were reported by Hussain et al. (2019). According to the authors, "Commitment moves teachers or principals towards the fulfillment of objectives. When the principal is committed, he uses his power to put the institution on the path to success (Hussain et al., 2019).
Thirdly, the most important question related to understanding the principals' standpoint on the program. In this regard, different opinions were recorded. Two principals shared their reply that these ADA/ADS programs are a good initiative from HEC and the program will be more successful than BA/BSc because the semester system program is easy to adopt instead of the annual system. These findings were similar to the study conducted by Jadoon et al. (2008) as they mentioned that the semester system examination is more effective than the annual examination in terms of quality evaluation. The same findings were revealed from the study of Alvi et al. (2016) as it has concluded that in semester system examination students spend more time on their studies and develop a habit for studying. The findings of the study also revealed that the annual examination system does not satisfy students in terms of educational aspirations. However, other participating principals opined that this transition process, though appreciable, requires that the transition in the programs should be visible because it appears to be just a change of title. Greens et al. (2007) reported similar findings in his study.
Finally, all principals were asked about the obstacles and challenges which their colleges may face in implementation of the ADA/ADS program. The views of some principals regarding lack of support and professional training are shared by Conely (2007) who states that teachers must be provided support in terms of professional training to cope with the challenges of new programs. Conely (2007) rightly mentioned, "The necessary support ideally takes the form of professional development activities in which teachers learn to focus their curricula on key ideas and supporting concepts and to teach these through techniques, activities, and assignments that require students to develop the key cognitive strategies necessary for college success" (p. 26). Findings also showed that the majority of the principals reported a shortage of human and physical resources, due to which the degree colleges in the region were unable to initiate ADA/ADS programs smoothly. Findings demonstrated that colleges in the region were not well equipped with computer labs, sciences labs, or conference rooms and also lacked teaching and technical staff. Availability of physical resources increases the chances of studying, improves academic performance and learning. These findings have been supported by Akomolafe and Adesua (2016), who report reported that "the availability and effective utilization of school physical facilities play a significant role in enhancing student's academic performance, while inadequacy of such physical facilities could contribute to poor academic performance in students"

Conclusion and Recommendations
This study elucidates that the Higher Education Commission did not take input from or involve principals of degree colleges in Makran Division regarding the decision of replacing BA/BSc programs with ADA/ADS. Currently, these degree colleges are not ready to immediately act upon this notification, because of the shortage of human and physical resources. The majority of the degree colleges face a deficit of lecturers. The principals are also concerned about the lack of teaching and learning material and essential equipment to start ADA/ADS programs. Thus the initiation of such programs in the degree colleges of the Makran region requires the support and facilitation of the Higher Education Commission and Provincial Government.
• This study recommends that higher authorities should take input from the college principals and maintain strong coordination with them before taking any decision regarding the offered and running programs of degree colleges for the successful and smooth functioning of the programs.
• To overcome the shortage of human resources, the authorities should coordinate with principals and immediately initiate the procedure of hiring faculty and other technical staff.
• The Provisional Educational Ministry should allocate funds to establish computer and sciences labs, libraries, and classrooms as per the requirements of these degree colleges.
• H EC and Provincial Government should arrange professional development programs for the lecturers of all degree colleges of the Makran Division.