HEC committed to safeguard students' rights: chairman

Our By correspondent

Islamabad: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) is committed to protecting the rights of students amidst the mushroom growth of illegal institutions and launch of unauthorised academic programmes.

Chairman, Higher Education Commission (HEC) Dr. Tariq Banuri stated this while addressing a monthly meeting with the HEC staff at the Commission Secretariat on Wednesday.

He said the HEC has recently resolved the issue of attestation of degrees of a private university. He added that the HEC has not only provided a solution to the issue, but it has also advised the university concerned to pay compensation to students who have suffered in terms of wastage of time, financial loss in the form of fee payments, and mental agony.

“In future, if any university is found cheating the students, it will be penalised,” he said. He stressed the need for making the students aware of fictitious universities and programmes before they take admission. The public should check the authenticity of institutions and programmes before taking admission so that the students do not suffer due to the shortcomings of institutions, he emphasised. He underscored that private universities are not allowed to affiliate colleges.

With regard to degree attestation procedure, Dr. Banuri directed the HEC staff to respect the time of applicants and help them out as much as possible. He said that deliberations are being made to further simplify the attestation procedure through online attestation. He said the HEC is also taking decisions with regard to cases lying pending in the PhD country directory.

Referring to visit of Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood to HEC, Dr. Banuri said that the Government is committed to supporting the HEC efforts for promotion of higher education in the country.

The meeting ended with a question and answer session in which Dr. Banuri guided the staff with regard to various organisational activities.