HEC launches online system for degree attestation

The Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan, has launched a completely secure and robust online degree attestation system through which applicants can apply for the attestation of their degrees while sitting at home, said an official of the commission on Saturday.

Talking to The News, the HEC’s deputy director for public relations, Waseem Khaliqdad, said that complete details of the new online attestation process were available at hec.gov.pk/site/das. 

“The HEC has created a new portal which the applicants will use for online registration and creation of account. The system has been evolved to facilitate degree holders with a hassle-free mechanism where they will no longer have to stand in queues for attestation of their documents.”

The applicant may now fill an online application form and upload his/her scanned documents. After submission, the application will initially be scrutinised online by the HEC.

Khaliqdad mentioned that then the applicant would then receive an email or SMS to schedule his visit at one of the HEC offices in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar or Quetta.

On scheduled date, the applicant will bring all his/her original documents along with a copy of the same and receive attested degrees within a short time. In case, the applicant sends someone else at the scheduled time, that person should carry an authority letter from the applicant.

The applicant may also get his/her degrees attested through courier service. In this case, he/she will select the mode of attestation through courier and will submit documents and fee with the courier company whose details are available on the portal.

For PhD applicants, the verification process is based on two steps. From dashboard, the applicants will be navigated to PhD Country Directory (PCD) and the system will make a search on the basis of the CNIC or the email address provided by the user. The user will then add PCD serial number and fill in the data verification form. The HEC will verify the record for subsequent attestation.

“The applicants can also re-schedule their visit in case of failure to visit on the time prescribed earlier. The new system also provides the facility of tracking the application online.”

Khaliqdad said that the new system for degree attestation had been linked to the Pakistan Qualification Register (PQR). Unless a degree programme was listed in the PQR, the applicant would not be able to proceed for attestation, he said, adding that un this case, the applicant could contact the focal person of his/her university asking for the entry of the programme in the PQR.

He said that the list of focal persons was available at the attestation portal. “Though the majority of universities have been completing the entries on PQR proactively, some universities whose response is slow are being advised to enter their degree programmes in PQR at the earliest so as to streamline attestation and other related processes.”