Degree verification process fails to take off

Prime minister gave the order over a month ago.

ISLAMABAD:


Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s order to verify the degrees of federal government employees has not been implemented yet as authorities tasked to handle the job are clueless as to how to start the process.


The establishment and cabinet divisions have yet to kick-start the process of degrees verification despite the lapse of one month, officials said.

Premier Gilani directed the establishment division to verify the academic certificates of over 0.4 million federal government employees with the help of the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) on February 4 this year, setting April 4 as the deadline for completing the job.

After the PM’s directions, both divisions had decided to liaise with the FPSC and the Higher Education Commission (HEC).


However, officials told The Express Tribune that they have informed the PM Secretariat that they require more time and want to brief the PM on the matter.

“Both divisions’ high-ups dealing with the degree affair will inform Gilani how complex the process of degrees’ verification is,” a senior official said.

A cabinet division spokesperson, talking to The Express Tribune said: “The process to verify educational credentials of some 0.4 million employees is next to impossible in the given time period.”

However, HEC’s spokesperson said that the commission had not received any request from the authorities concerned pertaining to scrutiny of academic certificates.

The officials of both divisions are likely to meet Gilani to find a way to proceed on the matter in light of ‘Service Rules’ with the cooperation of the FPSC and HEC to kick off the process, according to establishment division secretary Abdul Rauf Chaudhry.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 7th, 2011.
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