PESHAWAR: Serious irregularities and discrepancies have been uncovered in the academic records of private colleges affiliated with Gomal University in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, prompting a decision to conduct a comprehensive investigation.
A review of records maintained by the Higher Education Regulatory Authority (HERA), along with physical inspections, identified several shortcomings in admission, registration, enrolment, attendance and examination records of the affiliated private colleges.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Higher Education Department has called for a detailed scrutiny of the records of Gomal University and all private colleges affiliated with the university to determine the extent of the irregularities.
The department has also informed the chairman of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) about the matter and requested a comprehensive review of the affiliation status and territorial jurisdiction of the private colleges linked to Gomal University.
The department has recommended that records of admissions, student attendance, examinations and degrees issued by the private colleges be fully cross-checked against the official records of Gomal University.
It has further requested HERA to impose an interim ban on new admissions to private colleges and academic programmes that are not registered with the regulatory authority.
According to the recommendations, admissions to unregistered programmes should remain suspended until the legal status of the institutions and programmes is clearly established.
The department has also proposed verification of degrees issued on the basis of incomplete, questionable or unavailable student records.
In addition, graduates whose academic records are found to be suspicious may be required to undergo competency or verification tests to determine whether they meet the required academic standards.
The proposed comprehensive review is aimed at verifying the legitimacy of admissions, academic records and degrees issued by the institutions and ensuring compliance with higher education regulations.
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