Majority of unrecognised institutions in Punjab

HEC issues advisory, warning those without NOCs to close operations

LAHORE: Punjab has the majority of unrecognised higher education institutions in the country: a whopping 61.81 percent of the total.

This was revealed through figures released by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC). In this connection, the HEC also issued a public advisory.



The document read that “It has been observed that a number of universities/institutions/campuses/affiliated colleges/ foreign collaborative arrangements are operating illegally in Pakistan without the permission of the Higher Education Commission (HEC).” It continued that all institutions, which are functioning without prior approval/NOC of HEC, are hereby cautioned to immediately stop their operations. It added that any of those institutes which had opened illegal campuses and were offering foreign collaborative degree programmes without an HEC NOC must also halt their functions.

“If such institutions fail to comply, their operations shall be shut down with the assistance of law enforcement agencies and provincial government as per the rules,” said the advisory. “Students and their parents also warned that degrees from such non-recognised and fake institutions/illegal campuses would not be verified by HEC”.

The list issued by HEC contains three categories. The first category is a list of non-recognised universities. The second are institutions opened under public-private partnership without HEC’s approval.  In the latter case, a no-objection certificate (NOC) is required.



Third, and finally, is a list of institutions under HEC’s evaluation. Most institutions mentioned in the list are from Punjab in all of the three categories.

The non-recognised list contains a total of 165 institutions, out of which 102 are operating in Punjab; an overwhelming majority of 61.81% out of the total. Of the 102 non-recognised institutions in Punjab, Lahore alone has 38, the document stated.

In the second category of institutions opened under the public-private partnership without an HEC NOC, all the identified institutions were from Punjab. The short list contains only two varsities campuses, both of which are public universities. The list names Pir Mehr Ali Shah (PMAS) Arid Agriculture University’s campuses in Vehari and Lahore, while the second is Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science & Technology’s campuses in Lahore, Narowal and Sialkot.

The third category of institutions under evaluation also contains five out of a total six institutions from Punjab. In this category, HEC lists University of Sargodha’s campuses in Mandi Bahauddin, Faisalabad, Lahore, Gujranwala, Mianwali and Bhakkar. There is also Hajvery University’s campus in Sheikhpura, National College of Business Administration & Economics’ campus in Rahim Yar Khan, Government College (GC) University Faisalabad’s campuses in Layyah and Sahiwal, and the Bahauddin Zakariya University’s (BZU’s) campus in Lahore.

The complete list of institutions is available on the HEC website as well as several advisories issued by the HEC.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 16^th, 2017.