The limits to patience: when a simple task becomes a herculean one

A student from Peshawar speaks of his travails with inept officials during a visit to the capital.

ISLAMABAD:

After following the checklist I was provided with by my consultant to complete my visa process —  including carefully reviewing all requirements on the Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) website — I embarked on my journey from Peshawar to Islamabad for my Bachelor’s degree attestation.

As I arrived at the HEC’s office early the next day, I was given a numbered slip by the gatekeeper. It was not the token number that I and fellow visitors were expecting, but rather a code that would allow us to access the computer lab to print the required forms for further processing. All entrants, including those who had travelled from as far as Karachi, were told that they would be entertained that very day.

After printing the forms, the lone assistant present in the lab proceeded to assign me a token number. He reassured all visitors that their work would be completed by the day’s end. Still sceptical, we were eager to confirm this but couldn’t find help as there were only three counters in sight, all of which were occupied by officials entertaining queues of over 500 applicants.

At around 3:30pm, we were informed that we had misidentified the payment counter. A Habib Bank Limited employee was responsible for collecting fees and he would be departing at 4pm.  This created a stir among visitors, — including myself — some of whom had been waiting since 8am. Even if applicants had submitted their documents, they would not get processed due to non-payment. This prompted a group of us to visit the HEC director-general’s (DG) office to protest against the commission’s poor service and organisation. The DG, who was all ears, assured us that the officials would prioritise our cases over those of new entrants the following morning.



The next day, after waiting for an eternity in the queue, I finally reached the submission counter where I passed my documents and degrees to the administrator in charge. After verification, he informed me that the title printed on my degree — Bachelor in Computer Science (Hons) — was different from the one printed on my Detailed Marks Certificate, which read, Bachelor in Computer Science (4 years).

After spending two long days away from my hometown hoping to complete what I had anticipated to be a simple task, I was left disappointed. I now have no option but to go back to Peshawar and make the necessary changes.

I request that the HEC chairperson take serious notice of the issue and improve the efficiency of attestation facilities at all HEC centres across the country. I saw anguish on the faces of the Karachiites, who reacted with tears after finding out that their exhausting journeys had borne no fruit. The HEC must improve the efficacy of its services to avoid such scenes in future.

Email: [e-mail]

Published in The Express Tribune, May 24^th, 2013.