RECENTLY, I had to go through a lot of trouble to get my daughter’s admission to an undergraduate programme at public-sector universities in Lahore owing to unjustified requirement of a domicile certificate for admissions under the open merit category.

Despite clearing the admission test and interview, my daughter was refused admission for not producing domicile certificate within 24 hours, whereas the standard time for the task is 16 days. The issue affects thousands of students applying on open merit every year.

Public universities in various provinces continue to demand domicile certificates from all applicants, even for open merit seats against which no regional or provincial quota is applicable. This policy is not only illogical, it imposes unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles on students and their families.

The students are forced to go through a lengthy and sometimes frustrating process to obtain domiciles, involving multiple visits to relevant government offices, document verifications, and, in some cases, ‘unofficial fee’.

This wastes valuable time, energy and financial resources, especially when the students’ identity, citizenship and family information are already recorded with the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) in the shape of CNIC or Form B.

Domicile certificates should be restricted to quota-based or reserved seats where the applicant’s provincial or district affiliation is legally relevant. It is time the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and provincial education departments reviewed and revised the rather outdated requirement.

Simplifying the entire admission process would reduce stress on students, and help promote fair access to higher education.

Ria Ahmed
Lahore

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2025