ISLAMABAD, Oct 19: Legal actions would be taken against those who present fake degrees to the Higher Education Commission (HEC) for attestation, said an official statement.

The commission has the responsibility of attesting degrees and transcripts awarded by chartered universities in both private and public sectors.

During September, the commission received 15 such fake degrees which were not only confiscated but also sent to the concerned universities for cancellation. Pakistanis proceeding abroad for higher studies and employment are required to get their university degrees attested from the HEC.

Meanwhile, the commission has decided to send 200 students every year to New Zealand for PhD and post-doctoral studies in the priority areas of basic and applied sciences, social sciences and humanities.

The details of the programmes were discussed on Wednesday at a meeting held between the HEC chairman and a delegation of Massey University, New Zealand.

The other programmes and proposals discussed were creation of linkages between various university departments of Pakistan with corresponding institutions in New Zealand as well as food processing industry of New Zealand.

The delegation, led by Vice-Chancellor, Massey University, Prof Robert Anderson, is visiting Pakistan to explore ways and means for cooperation among institutes of higher learning of both countries.

The main purpose of the delegation’s visit is to have a first-hand understanding of the proper procedures required by the Pakistani government to send postgraduate students for Massey University.

The delegation also wants to understand the dairy industry in Pakistan as before offering to train the postgraduate students from Pakistan it would be prudent for the university to have some understanding of the area where the university can contribute most effectively.

Pakistani students will be sent for PhD and Post-Doctoral programmes in the priority areas of physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, computer sciences, biotechnology, economics, finance, business management etc.

The HEC chairman asked the delegation of Massey University to provide a time and money bound action plan. The first batch of students should leave as early as possible, Prof Ata said.

Prof Ata has already asked New Zealand Ambassador Harnish McMaster to identify a facilitating organization in his country to coordinate the admission process. He has also asked him to provide details about the degrees equivalence system.