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Get degrees attested with just one click

HEC launches online verification system to ease the process

Our Correspondent December 29, 2016

PHOTO:EXPRESS

KARACHI: Students no longer have to wait in long queues or pay several visits to the Higher Education Commission (HEC) office to get their degrees attested, as now it is just a click away.

The education authority has launched an online degree attestation and verification system to ease the degree verification process for the general public, improve the attestation process and curb the menace of fake degrees.

According to a letter issued by the executive director of the HEC, Prof Dr Arshad Ali, to the vice-chancellors (VCs) of public and private universities across the country, the HEC, through its ordinance, has been empowered to determine the equivalence and recognition of degrees, diplomas and certificates awarded by the institutes in the country and abroad.

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The main idea was to make it easy and simple for students across the country to get their degrees verified, said HEC spokesperson Ayesha Ikram while talking to The Express Tribune.

Currently, degrees can be attested and verified from regional offices in Karachi, Quetta and Lahore but soon they will be verified from other parts of the country as well, she added.

How it works

Students can upload scanned copies of their documents on the portal and apply for online verification of their degrees. The system will be integrated with the National Database and Regulation Authority (NADRA) to verify the identity of the applicants through their national identity card number.

It is also linked with the Pakistan Qualification Register (PQR), which is a database of universities. If the applicant's degree programme is not in the PQR database then he or she will not able the select the required degree programme for the attestation.

To further improve the accuracy and efficiency of the system, it will also give access to the controller of examinations to view the scanned copies of the degrees and verify them online.

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The process will be completed within 24 hours and the system will automatically inform the VC of the university through an email if it is not completed due to any reason.

Lastly, a quick response (QR) code on the ticket or stamp with applicant's identity card number, name, degree title and level of qualification will be issued. The QR code will help decrease false attestations of degrees.

The HEC will also arrange a one-day workshop for the controllers of universities at their regional offices to familiarise them with the system.

Doubting feasibility

Meanwhile, University of Karachi examination controller Arshad Azmi remarked that the new system will bring no ease for the people, as documents will still be needed to be sent to the offices for final verification.

"It is not feasible to attest a degree from 1960s and it will have to be verified first," he said, adding that most of their records are present in registers and not online.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 30^th, 2016.

COMMENTS (2)

Omar Sadiq | 7 years ago | Reply Actually what University of Karachi examination controller Arshad Azmi is saying that, "If this online verification process is implemented, my income will decrease some 99%".

Masood Ahmed | 7 years ago | Reply I am an HR professional and was glad to read that HEC is taking the right steps to make degrees attestation easier for people. In our profession we often get the degrees verified by the universities directly and it can take up to 45 days to get them verified. It is unfortunate to read the remarks of Mr. Arshad Azmi, Examination Controller, University of Karachi. Unless the mind set is changed, we will remain backwards and no significant improvements will be made. We all know how things work in University of Karachi and with the right contacts and money everything is possible. About time they get the record updated online!

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