RECENTLY I read a statement by the Higher Education Commission chairman, claiming to complete the degree authentication before the election. This made me laugh.

I am 64 and have applied for my degree authentication about one and a half years ago. It is yet to reach its logical end. Being an ex-PAF officer, I have not only met the relevant director, director-general, and the HEC chairman, and I have also written numerous emails to the executive director, with copies to the chairman.

But nothing has been done yet. I have reported this to the Federal Ombudsman. They have never attended the hearing. One would laugh hearing the case, and surmise about the intentions as expected in any government department.

I did my matriculation in 1965. First, the HEC wants my matriculation certificate amended and include the word ‘Syed’ in my name. The next objection is on my Intermediate certificate, which was awarded to me by the PAF Academy, Risalpur.

The HEC doesn’t accept its equivalence, though this certificate has two letters printed on its reverse, from Board of Education, Lahore and Peshawar, accepting its equivalence to their Intermediate standards.

The PAF Academy has also intervened and authenticated the claim. Instead, I have been asked to send them the curriculum, subjects and other records of that era (1966), ‘so that they could correctly do the equivalence’.

The record is not available even with the PAF Academy (in those days it was called PAF College, Risalpur). Finally, I have bowed down to their desire and sent the certificate to the IBCC. I think it has been over a year but no result as yet.

By the way they have yet to have a look at my degree. May Allah give them sense and reasons to be logical.

Although I doubt if the HEC is doing any good to the nation with so much drain on national budget, certainly this aspect of degree authentication should immediately be taken away from them.

S. SALMAN AHMED Karachi