Senate panel told 4,383 graduates from unauthorised campuses considered for degree attestation

ISLAMABAD, Jul 14 (APP): The Higher Education Commission (HEC) representatives briefed the Senate Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training, on the issue of degree attestation for graduates of unauthorized campuses of PIMSAT, the University of South Asia, Lahore, and NICE, Karachi, informing that, out of approximately 6,000 affected students, the cases of 4,383 students had been approved for consideration for degree attestation.

The meeting of the committee under the chairmanship of Senator Bushra Anjum Butt, held on Tuesday at Parliament House. The meeting was attended by Senators Syed Masroor Ahsan, Kamran Murtaza, Rahat Jamali and Khalida Ateeb.

The committee was also updated that online facility had been introduced to facilitate the attestation process. The Chairperson directed the concerned authorities to submit, at the next meeting, a detailed report indicating the number of degrees attested through the online system.

The Committee also deliberated on the long-pending issue of non-attestation of degrees awarded by Al-Khair University. It was also informed that the Commission had planned to conduct a test for the students before verifying their degrees; however, the test has yet to be conducted. The Committee recommended that HEC resolve the matter by adopting the policy previously applied in the case of Global University, Lahore, and submit a comprehensive report to the Committee within 10 to 15 days.

Expressing serious concern over the prolonged delay, Chairperson Senator Bushra Anjum Butt observed that HEC had shown negligence in resolving the matter for several years. She further remarked that it would be unreasonable to expect individuals who had completed their studies many years ago to appear in an examination at this stage. The Committee emphasized the need for an expeditious and fair resolution of the issue to safeguard the academic and professional interests of the affected students.

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) also briefed the Committee on its plagiarism policy. The Committee was informed that the permissible percentage of plagiarism varies from subject to subject; however, the maximum allowable limit is 19 percent. HEC further informed the Committee that it uses Turnitin software to assess and detect plagiarism in academic research.

The Committee also received a briefing from the Inter Board Coordination Commission (IBCC) regarding the alleged paper leakage in the Cambridge A-Level examinations. Affected students appeared before the Committee and presented their concerns. The IBCC informed the Committee that it had shared the available evidence with Cambridge Assessment and the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) for investigation and appropriate action.

Expressing serious concern over the matter, Chairperson Senator Bushra Anjum Butt emphasized that the issue should be resolved on a priority basis to prevent any further loss of time and academic uncertainty for the affected students. She directed that letters be issued to the relevant authorities, urging them to expedite the investigation and ensure that the matter is resolved before 21st July, 2026.

Upon the recommendations of Committee, a pool of writers has been formed for the blind students to facilitate them during the examination in writing. Such efforts of Chairperson were appreciated by the members and blind participants during the meeting.

The Committee also discussed the registration criteria and infrastructure standards for private educational institutions. Senator Syed Masroor Ahsan inquired about the prescribed building standards for schools and questioned whether every school was required to provide essential facilities such as playgrounds and libraries.

 The Committee was informed that not all schools currently have playgrounds and laboratories.

Chairperson Senator Bushra Anjum Butt observed that many private schools were operating in residential houses and emphasized the need to review the existing registration criteria for private educational institutions. She expressed concern that, despite charging substantial tuition fees, many private schools were failing to provide adequate educational and recreational facilities to their students.

During the briefing, the Committee was informed about the status of accommodating 10% poor students under the free education policy in private schools. It was further informed that the Association of Private Schools had approached the High Court, which had granted interim relief by suspending the implementation of the decision.

Expressing dissatisfaction, the Chairperson observed that private schools were reluctant to accommodate underprivileged children despite their legal and social responsibility to do so. She remarked that Pakistan has been grappling with the issue of out-of-school children for decades, yet many private schools were not complying with the government’s policy on providing free education to deserving students. She emphasized that strict implementation of the policy was essential to ensure that every child has access to quality education.