LAHORE: Students of the COMSATS Institute of Information and Technology on Monday lodged a protest against the Higher Education Commission for “creating hurdles” in getting their degrees.

“Just a day before to get degrees in a convocation, the HEC has taken a stay order from the Lahore High Court,” a COMSATS student told Dawn.

He said the career of at least 2,800 students of the management sciences and engineering was bleak if the HEC did not recognise their degrees.

The institution was offering a dual degree in collaboration with Lancaster University.

Earlier, the LHC has ordered the HEC and the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) to give approval and verify the degrees (of 2,800 students) issued by the university.

The students and their parents expressed anger over the HEC action urging the federal body to resolve the matter instead of creating hurdles in it.

“Students are facing stress and depression as their future is at stake. Parents have spent their life savings on the education of their children,” he said.

The HEC has taken a plea that the institution had not got the said programmes recognised from the HEC. The varsity, however, is of the view that it had completed all SOPs in this regard. The students say they will hold a series of demonstrations outside the HEC offices to press it to accept their legitimate demands.

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2016