The Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) newly introduced digital degree attestation system, designed to make the verification process faster, fully online and paperless, has reportedly been plagued by operational inefficiencies and technical shortcomings, causing delays and increasing difficulties for applicants.
Under the new mechanism, applicants submit their attestation requests and fees online. However, candidates as well as HEC officials often remain unaware of which officer is processing a particular case and from which city the verification is being handled, leading to a lack of transparency in the system.
Sources said that degree attestation applications originating from Karachi are, in several cases, being routed to verification officers in Peshawar and Lahore instead of being processed locally. Similarly, applications from Lahore and Peshawar are reportedly being assigned to officers in Karachi and Quetta. As a result, attestation officers stationed outside the relevant province are forwarding cases to universities located in other cities, prolonging the verification process.
Applicants have complained that the cross-city routing of cases has led to unnecessary delays in obtaining verified academic credentials. They further pointed out that even after completion of the attestation process, many candidates are unable to generate or download online attestation certificates and printouts through the system.
Another concern raised by applicants is the absence of an urgent-processing option. Unlike the previous mechanism, the new online portal does not provide a provision for expedited attestation against payment of an additional fee, making it difficult for candidates who require verified documents on an emergency basis for admissions, employment or immigration purposes.
The delays have been attributed by some stakeholders to a lack of adequate attention and timely intervention by information technology officials responsible for managing and improving the digital platform.
When contacted, HEC Director General (Attestation) Hazrat Bilal said the online attestation system had been introduced to facilitate applicants and streamline the verification process. He maintained that the initiative was aimed at enhancing convenience, reducing paperwork and improving service delivery for degree holders across the country.
However, applicants have urged the commission to address technical glitches, introduce greater transparency in case tracking, and provide an urgent-attestation facility to ensure that the system achieves its intended objectives.
