36,931 students await degree attestation, Senate questions HEC

Islamabad – Thousands of students facing uncertainty over their degrees came under discussion in the Senate as lawmakers questioned the Higher Education Commission (HEC) over delays in verification and attestation of degrees from three private educational institutions.

The Senate Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training, chaired by Senator Bushra Anjum Butt, reviewed the progress of degree attestation cases involving the University of South Asia (USA) Lahore, Newport Institute of Communication and Economics (NICE) Karachi and PIMSET campuses in Karachi and Lahore.

The committee was informed that around 36,931 students from these institutions were affected due to issues related to degree recognition and attestation.

According to details presented before the committee, 6,556 students belonged to the University of South Asia Lahore, 5,445 students belonged to NICE Karachi, while 24,930 students were linked with PIMSET campuses in Karachi and Lahore.

During the meeting, the committee asked HEC officials to provide clear updates on the progress made and how many students had actually received degree attestation. The Chairperson questioned the “breakthrough” progress earlier mentioned by HEC officials and sought factual details instead of general statements.

Regarding the University of South Asia Lahore, HEC informed the committee that an external expert committee was formed to review the campus situation. Officials said they divided the students into different categories after evaluation.

HEC informed the committee that Category A and Category B students had been cleared, covering 4,383 students out of the total 6,556 affected students at the university. Officials explained that the overall record had been approved, but individual students still needed to apply for degree attestation.

HEC estimated that the individual attestation process could take around two to three weeks after applications were submitted. However, questions arose regarding HEC’s online attestation system. Senator Masroor Ahsan questioned HEC officials about claims that the attestation process had already become fully online.

He asked how many students from the affected institutions had actually received online processing during the previous month. During the discussion, HEC officials initially could not provide specific figures related to these particular institutions.

The senator pointed out that officials had earlier stated that the online system was operational, but later said students would start applying in the coming week. He demanded written data showing the exact number of degrees processed through the online system for students from USA Lahore, NICE and PIMSET.

HEC officials later informed the committee that around 15,000 degrees in total had been processed through the online system, but lawmakers insisted that separate figures for the affected institutions were necessary. The meeting also included complaints from students who attended the session.

A student from NICE informed the committee that although his case was supposed to be resolved, his complaint on the Pakistan Citizen Portal had remained marked as “In Progress” since June 17. The student said he had not received his verification letter or No Objection Certificate.

HEC officials advised him to apply through the on spot online attestation process. The Chairperson directed the student to visit the HEC office after the meeting, accompanied by the concerned official so that the matter could be resolved quickly.

Another student complained that despite having completed multiple attestations, the HEC portal was not showing the online ticket or verification status. The Chairperson acknowledged that the new online system was facing initial technical problems but directed HEC officials to immediately assist affected students and resolve portal related issues.

The committee directed HEC to stop providing unclear figures and submit complete factual data regarding the number of degrees successfully attested through the online system for USA Lahore, NICE and PIMSET. The Chairperson also directed authorities to provide a detailed progress report on NICE and PIMSET within 15 days, similar to the report prepared for the University of South Asia Lahore.

During further discussion, concerns were also raised regarding the infrastructure of some private campuses. The Chairperson noted that some campuses were operating in residential areas or lacked proper facilities such as laboratories and playgrounds despite charging high fees.

The committee directed that registration criteria for such institutions should be reviewed to ensure students receive quality education and proper facilities. The committee stressed that students should not suffer due to administrative issues and directed relevant authorities to ensure timely resolution of all pending degree verification cases.