The National Assembly Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training recommends the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to hold special session of their Commission and review the longstanding issue of degrees’ attestation of 54000 students of different Universities/Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) on case-to-case basis as one time dispensation. The managements of these HEIs were, however, advised to withdraw their litigations against the HEC and provide data of complete fee record, attendance/enrollment, transcripts/results, etc., of their students to HEC for early resolution of long outstanding issue. The 45th meeting of the Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional training was held yesterday under the Chairmanship of Makhdoom Syed Sami-ul-Hassan Gillani, MNA. The committee was told by the Convener of the Sub-Committee, Ch. Muhammad Hamid Hameed, MNA, that the Sub-Committee held two meetings on the issue of non-attestation of degrees of thousands of students of different HEIs. The HEC, being co-operative in the whole scheme of thought, expressed inclination towards resolution of the issue subject to fulfillment of their criterion and resultantly the issue of degrees’ attestation of 54,000 students will be resolved, he added. The standing committee, endorsing the recommendations of the Sub-Committee, urged the HEC to hold a special session of their Commission and review the longstanding issue of degrees’ attestation of 54000 students of different Universities/Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) on case-to-case basis as one-time dispensation. The committee also advised the HEC to impose a penalty of rupees five lacs per complaint against those Universities/HEIs who demand any extra charges in the name of attestation fee from students. On the agenda concerning the removal of the name of “The Open International University for Complementary Medicine Colombo Sri Lanka” from illegal and fake Universities list of HEC, the Committee; while referring the matter to the HEC, recommended that all possible measures be taken to resolve the issue at the earliest. Besides the Honorable Members namely; Ms. Mehnaz Akbar Aziz, Ch. Hamid Hameed, Dr. Zulfiqar Bhatti, Ms. Musarfat Asif Khawaja, Ms. Kiran Imran Dar and Ms. Shamim Ara Panhwar, MNAs, the meeting was attended by senior officers of HEC and the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training.