Degree verification: Process at a standstill due to ‘confusion’ in mechanism
The verification of around 400,000 federal government employees’ academic qualifications has hit a snag because of the emergence of differences among top bureaucrats on the ‘mechanism of the degree verification processes’.
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had ordered the verification of academic certificates of federal government employees four months ago, with a two-month deadline to complete the process. In this regard, the Establishment Division directed heads of all departments concerned to comply.
However, even four months after the orders were given by the prime minister, the authorities are ‘confused’ about the technicalities of the process of verifying the educational credentials.
“[There was confusion] whether to refer the matter to the Higher Education Commission (HEC) or not,” said a senior official. The procedure is supposed to be carried out by the Establishment Division with the help of the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC), he added. However, FPSC officials denied knowledge of any such move.
After being directed by the Prime Minister Secretariat on February 6, the Establishment and Cabinet Divisions had decided to set up a mechanism for the verification of education credentials, involving the HEC for completion of the process.
However, secretaries of the Establishment and Cabinet divisions, as well as the chairman Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR), without taking other secretaries into confidence, decided that the departments concerned would, instead of engaging the HEC, verify the degrees on their own.
Law Secretary Masood Chishti expressed concern over the verification mechanism.
“When all heads of departments…agreed to engage the HEC to ensure transparency, why did they not follow the set rules?” a senior official of the ministry of law and justice quoted Chishti as saying. “The secretary is all set to write to the prime minister for referring the matter to the HEC as it’s the only institution that can give authenticity to education credentials,” the official added. HEC focal person Rahim Bux Channa told The Express Tribune that the commission did not receive any intimation from the Establishment or Cabinet division about the verification of academic certificates.
Joint Secretary Syed Fayyaz Hussain said that photo copies of educational certificates of Cabinet Division employees have been handed over to the department concerned. “However, we have no idea what to do next,” he added.
According to Secretary Establishment Division Abdul Rauf Chaudhry, all departments concerned are seeking ways to present the matter in light of ‘Service Rules’.
Contradicting reports that the process has not commenced, he said that all ministries concerned were verifying educational certificates of their employees. However, he said that the HEC had not been engaged to carry out the process.
Secretaries have sought more time from the prime minister to clear up the confusion about the verification process, Jamal said.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 6th, 2011.
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