Despite being declared illegal and fake by the High Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC), reports suggest that 36 degree awarding institutes, universities and sub-campuses are active in fleecing students in the name of education across the Sindh province. The list of unrecognised and fake institutes is available on the HEC’s website. Thousands of students have enrolled in these institutions. However, these universities did not inform the students about the status of their recognition at the time of admission. Ironically, there is no authority to deal with non-recognized and fake educational institutions being run in the province. Apart from this, some of the public-sector universities are also violating the HEC rules as these do not qualify the commission’s criteria. The government has made rules and regulations for the establishment of degree awarding institutes both in the public and private sectors, but these institutions are openly violating those rules. The HEC had released a list of fake universities operating throughout the country earlier this month and had advised students as well as parent to check whether their universitieswere accredited with the relevant authorities. But the reports suggest that institutes continue to operate without much scrutiny, fleecing thousands of students, as the HEC does not have any power to take action against these institutes. There are two types of educational institutes which are misguiding the students. Some are even chartered by the government but do not fulfil the HEC criteria. HEC does not recognise such institutes. Other types of institutions are neither chartered by the government nor are they recognised by the HEC but are still offering degree programs. The Higher Education Commission is the only authority for recognition of universities, and it is the responsibility of the commission to tackle with such fake and illegal degreeawarding institutes. There are some unreported institutes established in the streets for earning money from students. There should be a proper law to deal with the fake colleges and universities. It is not enough on the part of HEC to just put the names of fake and unrecognised institutions on its website. Pakistani universities have traditionally struggled to break into the top-500 universities in the world due to different problems. The condition of higher education has remained petty and the blame lies with both the universities as well as the regulating body. The government has not paid much attention to the sector either, and the quality of education in even some of the top institutes of the country has deteriorated over the years. Although it is the responsibility of the students to vet the credentials of the institutions they want to study at, the regulating body should have the authority to measure the quality of education of such institutes as well as take appropriate action against them. *