HEC orders Ilma University students to pass degree verification test

Commission had granted permission to open specified campuses, but the varsity violated orders

KARACHI: The Higher Education Commission (HEC), in an action against illegal campuses, has decided that in order to get their degrees verified, the students of Ilma University will have to pass a special test. However, the students studying at the varsity's main campus, the Korangi Creek Campus, are exempt from the test.

The date of this test will be announced after the university provides the data of all students to the HEC. To clear the test, the students must obtain at least 50 marks on the basis of which, their degree will be verified.

The students will be given only one chance to appear for the test. Only the students who pass the test will get their degrees verified. The students who fail the test will not get their degrees verified, however, the varsity will be obliged to refund 3% of the fee charged by them. Additionally, Ilma University will have to bear the expenses of the test.

According to the documents available with The Express Tribune, the degrees of 1,715 students that have graduated from the university's main campus will be verified after the university administration submits the data to HEC. The degrees of 4,502 registered students studying at the main campus will also be verified as per the standard procedures and they will also not be required to appear for the test.

A total of 2,086 graduates, of which 961 were enrolled at its campus in Gulshan-e-Iqbal and 1,125 at its campus on Sharae Faisal, will have to appear in the test for the verification of their degrees.

Following educational discrepancies, lack of administration and illegality, HEC had imposed a ban on further registrations at both the campuses. HEC also directed the students to not apply for admission at the two university campuses.

According to the notice issued by HEC, the authority had granted permission to conduct specific courses and open specified campuses, but the varsity violated HEC orders.

Responding to questions regarding the notice, Ilma University Quality Assurance Director Fawad Mehmood Butt told The Express Tribune that the law through which HEC had decided to conduct the test should not apply on Ilma University. He argued that the varsity's campuses were in place long before the HEC introduced the law requiring No Objection Certificate (NOC) to open multiple university campuses in one city. He said that the law should be applied to the universities that were established after 2016.



Butt said that it was impossible to bring all the graduates under one roof for the test which could only be conducted once. He said many of the graduates were abroad. He further questioned how could one test judge the competency of students who invested four years and completed their degree. He said that this meant that HEC doubted Ilma University, its faculty and curriculum which has been approved by HEC.



According to an HEC spokesperson, the same letter notifying Ilma University has also been sent to Sindh Institute of Management and Technology (SIMT) and Dadabhoy Institute of Higher Education.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 12^th, 2019.