The Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan has issued a warning notice to students and parents about violations made by Pakistani higher education institutions (HEIs) in their transnational education (TNE) programmes.

The notice observes that some programmes had recruited students who did not meet the HEC’s admissions standards, and warns that these students “are facing problems getting recognition/equivalence of their degrees from the Higher Education Commission”. The same note also doubles as an advisory to the recognised domestic HEIs providing courses leading to foreign qualifications in Pakistan, advising them to make sure that they follow all the legal and procedural requirements outlined in the government’s TNE policy.

Pakistan’s TNE policy states that any student who undertakes an undergraduate programme must have first completed 12th grade education, and that students enrolling on a master’s degree course must have a bachelor’s degree, 16 years of education or equivalent as per the Pakistan National Qualification Framework. For students who received their 12th grade qualification from abroad, this must be assessed as equivalent by Pakistan’s Inter Board Committee of Chairmen (IBCC) before proceeding to the next level of study.

The notice also states that non-compliance with these TNE policy guidelines would mean that the HEC will not recognise those degrees and withdraw the No Objection Certificate.

British Council Comments

The notice highlights the need for overseas universities (including those from the UK) to understand the need for due diligence when working with local partners. Adhering to Pakistan’s policies and meeting the necessary standards set out by local regulations will help to minimise any risk of reputational damage for UK institutions and enhance business continuity with their partners in Pakistan.

The HEC, which is responsible for regulating higher education in Pakistan, gives considerable importance to the quality assurance of TNE provision in Pakistan. This has become more significant with the steady rise in the number of TNE students observed in the past few years.

The British Council works closely with HEC to address these issues and supported development of the Foreign Collaboration policy which was launched in 2018, and based on it, the TNE handbook which provides guidelines for international providers to understand local laws and requirements to offer degree programmes in Pakistan. The Pakistan TNE handbook can be accessed here.

According to HESA, the number of students studying UK qualifications in Pakistan has increased by almost 20 per cent in each of the last two years, reaching 9,770 in 2021/22. While the majority of these are studying distance learning courses offered directly by UK HEIs, UK institutions also reported more than 1,000 students studying on in-person courses in the country.

For questions, please contact Hamza Salim

Reference links

HEC notice/press release: https://twitter.com/hecpkofficial/status/1647506112403628032/photo/1

News coverage: https://www.nation.com.pk/18-Apr-2023/hec-advises-students-to-beware-of-...

https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1061766-hec-warns-students-to-beware-o...

List of recognised foreign collaboration institutions: https://www.hec.gov.pk/english/universities/Pages/Foreign-Collaboration-...