HEC refuses relaxation for 11,515 Al khair affiliated college graduates

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has maintained its requirement that 11,515 graduates of colleges affiliated with Al Khair

Islamabad:  The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has maintained its requirement that 11,515 graduates of colleges affiliated with Al Khair University must pass a comprehensive test for degree recognition, despite calls to treat these students like graduates of other institutions.

The issue came up for discussion before the committee during an HEC briefing on degree attestation and pending cases involving Al Khair University, Preston University, PIMSAT and the University of South Asia. HEC Chairman told the committee that the Al Khair case had been considered twice by the Commission and had also reached the Supreme Court. He said the court had supported the HEC position on the matter.

According to the briefing, HEC has recognized the degrees of 64,379 Al Khair graduates, while 11,515 graduates from affiliated colleges are required to pass a comprehensive test before their degrees can be recognized. The requirement was upheld by the Supreme Court on May 5, 2021. HEC again confirmed the same decision in its Commission meeting held on August 3, 2026.

The issue arose after a student representative argued that Al Khair graduates should be treated the same way as students from the University of South Asia, PIMSAT and Newport, where certain students had been allowed to proceed after record checks. The representative said students were seeking similar treatment for Al Khair cases.

The HEC Chairman rejected the request for relaxation and said the Commission could not change the decision because it had already been considered at two levels. He said the university did not have complete records in the cases under discussion and that the Commission had already decided the matter. He also said HEC could not ignore the directions of the Commission and the court.

The Vice Chancellor of Al Khair University gave a different account of the issue before the committee. He said the university had stopped admissions and closed the affiliated colleges after receiving HEC directions. He also referred to the Supreme Court proceedings and said the university would not compromise its records.

The committee chairperson said the dispute over admissions could be checked through the record and suggested that the documents should show whether admissions continued after HEC directions were issued.

The briefing also showed progress in the HEC degree attestation system. HEC told the committee that its new paperless online system, launched in May 2026, had processed 73,146 attestation cases involving 139,021 academic documents. The system allows applicants to submit requests online and download electronic attestation certificates without visiting HEC offices.

HEC also provided figures for students from PIMSAT, the University of South Asia and Newport. A total of 1,266 students from the three institutions had applied to HEC, while 67 applications were still pending with the universities, according to the HEC Chairman. In the PIMSAT cases, 135 students had applied, 109 applications had been processed and 26 remained pending with the university.

The committee also discussed the academic status of Diploma of Associate Engineer (DAE) holders seeking exemption or advanced standing in degree programmes. HEC and the Pakistan Engineering Council were involved in the discussion, with the committee directing HEC to review the policy for DAE equivalencies within its legal powers.

The Al Khair dispute now remains tied to the existing HEC requirement that the affected 11,515 graduates clear the comprehensive test for degree recognition, while the university maintains it followed HEC directions regarding its affiliated colleges.