Hajvery students protest: A case of deceptive degrees

Students appeal to Chief Justice against the university administration for awarding them “incorrect degrees”.

ISLAMABAD: Engineering students of Hajvery University, Lahore, appealed to Chief Justice of Pakistan against the university administration for awarding them “incorrect degrees”.

Over 200 students of the university reached the federal capital on Monday to knock on the door of the Supreme Court, protesting against being issued BS Honours degrees instead of BS Engineering. The students said they had learnt that Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) did not accept their degrees since the university did not fulfill its requirements and demanded serious action against the university administration.

Travelling by three buses and personal vans, they approached the court but law enforcement agencies restricted them near NADRA headquarters. However, six students managed to reach the court to present their case.

The students also staged a sit-in near D-Chowk and vowed that they would not return to their homes unless their issue were resolved through serious action against the university management.

“We paid huge amounts to study engineering, but the administration is not giving us our rightful BS Engineering degrees,” said Ali, a student.

Another protester said that students would not return until the government acted against the varsity administration, adding that without the Engineering degree, students would be hard pressed to find jobs. “The labs and faculty at the varsity are not up to the mark, which is why the PEC is not approving the degrees. It is unfair to the students,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 22^nd, 2011.