THIS refers to the difficulties being faced by a number of students in getting their degrees attested by the Higher Education Commission.

It is mandatory for students who want to go abroad for higher studies to get their degrees verified by the HEC. Moreover, many companies and employers also ask for attestation of degrees for employment in their firms.

The HEC ‘s main office is situated in Islamabad. It also opened its regional office in each provincial capital last year. But still graduates faced a lot of problems in getting their degrees attested.

There are now many degree-awarding institutes in south Punjab, including public and private sectors. Every year a number of graduates are being produced by these institutions.

Imagine a student from Sadiqabad or Bahawalpur travelling to Islamabad or Lahore for degree attestation. He has to bear travelling and other expenses.

Moreover, the HEC’s Lahore office usually retains original educational certificates and returns them after two days. This adds to the accommodation expense of students.

Therefore, the authorities concerned should open an HEC office at Multan for the benefit of students in south Punjab.

M. Sukhroo Arif
Multan

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2014