July 11, 2006	Tuesday	Jumadi-ul-Sani 14, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, July 10: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) is continuously monitoring degree-awarding institutions in the private sector, as the deadline is fast approaching to finally determine their status, Dawn has learnt.

The federal cabinet has set February 27, 2007 as the deadline for the private sector universities which have been able to get charters from respective provincial governments, but do not fulfil the HEC’s minimum criteria, to meet the requirement. Otherwise, they will be relegated to the level of affiliated colleges.

During the 90s, the country witnessed mushrooming of the private sector higher education institutions which lacked standard. Initially, some genuine investors came to the sector with some really good universities, but soon after the standard of education in the private sector started deteriorating.

Though some of the institutions applied for charters, most started offering admissions without fulfilling legal as well as infrastructural requirements. The HEC was constituted in 2002 through a presidential ordinance. The issue of dubious degree- awarding institutions started hitting the headlines when the commission in collaboration with the provincial governments initiated scrutiny of these universities.

To make masses aware of such educational institutions, the HEC published advertisements titled “Parents’ Alert”. In February 2002, the federal cabinet, besides setting up a minimum criteria for a future private sector university, also set a deadline of five years for all those degree-awarding institutions which had already been granted charters by the provincial and federal governments, but did not fulfil the minimum criteria.

The advertisements carried a list of institutions operating unlawfully without charter. The list of chartered institutions unlawfully operating outside their jurisdictions was also published. The advertisements said the federal cabinet had decided that those universities and institutions which did not meet the minimum criteria, laid down by the cabinet, would have their charters withdrawn on February 27, 2007.

Talking to Dawn, an HEC official said: “Feb 27, 2007 is the final date and there will be no government style extensions in the deadline. Private sector universities which are really serious in continuing their independence have to come up to the minimum criteria set up by the federal cabinet. Otherwise, they will be relegated to colleges level, and will be asked to affiliate with a chartered university.”

To a question, the official said the status of the degrees awarded by these universities during the time, would be legal, having HEC recognition. However, afterwards they would not be allowed to offer admissions as an independent degree-awarding institution.