Affiliated Colleges and Universities Could be Banned After New HEC Policy

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has introduced a strict rule in the Affiliation Policy 2024 for universities or degree-awarding institutions.

In the Affiliation Policy 2024, HEC has mandated that universities or degree-awarding institutions obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the HEC before affiliating with public or private colleges.

Additionally, previously affiliated colleges will undergo desk reviews conducted by the HEC to maintain their affiliation. The higher education regulator has made it mandatory for universities to provide essential information about their existing affiliated colleges through the HEC portal.

HEC has decided to take strict action against educational institutes for non-compliance with the new policy, including refusing to attest degrees and other disciplinary measures. Furthermore, violating the policy could result in a ban on affiliating colleges. The commission has also decided that it will not be recognizing degrees or documents of students enrolled in violation of its policies.

As per the policy draft, universities are prohibited from affiliating new programs to colleges unless the respective programs have been operational within the university for a minimum of five years.

HEC has also launched an online portal to ensure the new policy is effectively implemented. Universities must provide details about their new and existing affiliated colleges on this portal.

The information will then be reviewed by the HEC Review Desk. It is important to note that the new policy has been introduced almost a year after the commission stopped public sector universities from granting new affiliations to colleges.