E-portal, app launched for issuance of equivalence certificates

Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood on Tuesday announced the launch of an e-portal and a mobile application for the issuance of equivalence certificates.

The move, Shafqat said, will simplify an overly cumbersome process.

"Previously, the students used to apply at the Inter-Board Committee of Chairmen (IBCC) office and stood in long queues and it was a very cumbersome process," the education minister said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad and added that the students stood the risk of losing important documents during the process.

Now, he said, after meetings with the local and international boards, we have set up an online system for equivalence [certificate], which will help facilitate the students greatly.

"A student can send an online application [to get the process done] and they would not have to go anywhere physically, and the payment will be made online as well," Shafqat said and added that the manual system was also in place if someone wanted to opt for the same.

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"One of the biggest conveniences in this regard is to be able to track the progress of the application online. The IBCC will subsequently post the certificate to the student."

"In the future, the certificate will also be available in PDF format," he added.

The minister further stated that the development signalled a revolutionary change to facilitate the youth and make processes easier for the public.

He felicitated IBCC, ministry officials, local and international educational boards and others who participated in developing the system.

"With the verification system becoming digitised, there won't be any further delays [in the processing]," Shafqat remarked.

"This step will have far-reaching effects and we hope for more such measures to improve the overall academic and exam system and to address the issues faced by the students," he concluded.

On June 7, the IBCC had announced it will integrate technology to facilitate the attestation and equivalency process for the public.