The Accreditation Committee of the Punjab Higher Education Commission recommended that the private sector Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) offering un-approved programmes should be fined Rs 5 million per programme per year.
The decision was taken in the meeting of Accreditation Committee held on December 11, 2019 chaired by Chairperson, Accreditation Committee Dr Khalid Aftab and attended by Chairman Punjab Higher Education Commission Dr. Fazal Ahmed Khalid, The Secretary, Higher Education Department, EX principal National College of Arts Prof. Naazish Ata-Ullah, Vice Chancellor, Islamia University of Bahawalpur Dr. Athar Mahboob, Adjunct faculty SDBS, LUMS Lahore Mian Khalid Rehman, Deputy Director (R) Law and Parliamentary Affairs Saira Jabeen and Deputy Secretary (Univ) Higher Education Department Ali Ahmed.
The Accreditation Committee also decided to take strict against those universities who are not fulfilling the criteria. It was also approved that private universities who are illegally running degree programmes .
The Accreditation Committee took a serious notice of un-approved programmes being offered by the provincially chartered institutions. The members highlighted the issue of already enrolled students in the various un-approved programs being offered by the Private Sector HEI's.
The Accreditation Committee suggested that a legal action may be initiated against the private sector HEI's under the relevant law to discourage them for offering unapproved programs without formal approval of governor/pattern. It was agreed that the decisions with regard to the regularization of the proposed programs may be taken keeping in view the public interest related to the already enrolled students in these programs.
According to the minutes of the meeting accreditation committee approved to issue NOC to start degree programs to seven private universities while also issued orders to halt degree programs of two private universities.
The meeting also approved to halt admissions in the sub campuses of five private universities. The board rejected the awarding of charter to seven new universities. One private university was given permission to work with name change.
The Law degree programme of a private university was given permission with subject to the NOC from Pakistan Bar Council. The board has not given the approval of awarding charter to UCL School of Management Sciences, Ghazi Institute of Engineering in DG Khan, Salar International University and ORBIT Institute of Management and Technology.
According to the minutes of the meeting Green University was allowed to work after changing its name while Faisalabad University of Science and Technology was not given charter. The board asked the administration of Rashid Latif Medical University to appear in PHEC with the authentic and updated record/information/documents with regard to the hiring of teaching faculty in the faculty of Social Sciences.
The Accreditation Committee recommends the addition of Department of Electrical Engineering with B.Sc Electrical Engineering as per approved intake of Pakistan Engineering Council under the Faculty of Engineering & Technology of Minhaj University, Lahore.
The Sub-Committee further recommends that the University shall hire one Professor and one Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering before admission intake in the said department. No admissions are allowed in MS/M Phil/PhD programmes in all Departments without fulfilling the HEC requirement as per policy.
The Commission did not approve the recommendations of Accreditation Committee for the grant of Charter to the proposed Pakistan International University, Lahore on the ground that title of land is not in the name of sponsoring body (leased land is not acceptable as per Policy of the Government of the Punjab).
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