PHEC rejects allegations of negligence

LAHORE:The Scrutiny & Evaluation Committee (SEC) of the Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC) has rejected allegations of negligence and inefficiency levelled by the Secretary of Accreditation Committee vis-a-vis accreditation cases of two private higher education institutions.

In a letter to the Chairperson PHEC, the SEC convener and members maintained that the PHEC Accreditation Division denied any misleading of the Accreditation Committee observing that the purview of the Accreditation Division was to scrutinize the documents as placed before it. It is pertinent to mention here that in July this year, the accreditation committee’s secretary Usman Khalid Khan, who is also Additional Secretary (Universities) of the Higher Education Department (HED) Punjab, had noted that despite the glaring deficiency of basic nature related to land issue, the sub-committee and the Accreditation Wing of the PHEC recommended the case of ORBIT Institute Lahore for the grant of charter.

About the other proposed university, Salar International University, Sheikhupura, Usman Khalid Khan, had written that the said institute was deficient of teaching faculty some disciplines. Subsequently, the PHEC accreditation committee had deferred accreditation cases of the two institutions after the committee’s secretary held the accreditation wing of the PHEC responsible for misleading the committee while processing the cases. When contacted, Usman Khalid Khan said the SEC members did not address the letter to the Accreditation Committee while he did not receive it as well. He added it had already been decided that the accreditation committee would revisit both the institutes.