HEC abandons previous degree condition for attestation

No need to submit previous transcripts to attest higher education documents

ISLAMABAD: In what appears to be a decision that would impact millions of degree holders in the country, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) has lifted the requirement of submitting previous educational certificates for the attestation and verification of higher education documents.

HEC chairperson Tariq Banuri had announced it in his address on August 3 to staff members before leaving on two weeks leave to go to the United States for the second time since his arrival in May.

The authority further announced that "Every degree will be attested solely on its merits i.e. whether it has been issued by a recognised institution and whether the institution has the legal authority to issue such degree".



As a practice, the HEC since its establishment would attest and verify degrees by firstly going through all the previous documents of higher secondary school, college or O&A levels. Besides that those documents must be approved by the respective boards or controlling authorities.

Following this practice, over 40 members of the parliament were sent packing in 2010 and onwards when the then law required them to have a minimum of a graduation degree.

The lawmakers had some matriculation degree missing or some transcript was lost that were considered incomplete documents hence could not be verified by HEC.

The issue became so serious that many big names including former education minister Sheikh Waqas Akram came under the list and was shamed in media for having a previous dubious A-levels degree.

It has also been clarified that applicants for attestation shall no longer be required to submit proof of previous or subsequent academic qualifications.

Sources in HEC's Attestation and Accreditation Division, privy to the development, were apprehensive that this decision has the potential to impact either way. "It also gives blanket to those whose prior certificates are dubious."



Banuri while addressing the staffers stated that FSc and other certificates have simplified and HEC would only look for valid degrees from recognised institutions but any degree from fake or unrecognised institute would not be entertained. “It will make our work easy for those who want it attested or verified,” he said.

According to the notification issued a day before he addressed the staff, “every degree will be attested solely on its merits ie whether it has been issued by a recognised institution and whether the institution has the legal authority to issue such degree”.

It also states that “applicants for attestation shall no longer be required to submit proof of previous or subsequent academic qualifications.”

Sources in the HEC’s Attestation and Accreditation Division, privy to the development, were apprehensive that the decision has the potential to impact either way. “It also gives a blanket pardon to those whose prior certificates are dubious,” said one of the officials while asking for anonymity.

Another source in the commission said the step would open the floodgates of approval of fake degrees as earlier, even a cursory look at the previous documents would expose any wrongdoing.

Defending the decision, the HEC chairperson took up to Facebook, saying, it would still be the responsibility of universities to ensure that they admit students with the requisite prior to educational achievement. “However, in the [hopefully unlikely] case of future violation, action should be directed at the admitting institution rather than the student,” he wrote, but did not clarify what and who will take the action.

Similarly, the chairperson took the said major decision of change in Standard Operating Procedure of A & A without prior approval from the commission that has yet to take place since the arrival of Banuri as the new chief.

The HEC spokesperson commented that the decision has been taken to simplify the process of verification and make it hassle-free for those who seek it.

In June 2017, HEC launched a service of attesting degrees online, besides carrying out registration for about 20,000 degrees programmes, in order to curb increasing fraudulent practices.

Prior to this, it was widely criticised for its ill-managed and orthodox degree verification process whereby it was fairly easy for people to get fake degrees attested.