Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Higher Education Commission (HEC) has been failed to maintain centralised record of honorary PhD degree holders whereas no specific practices are being followed by the commission to monitor the implementation on its guidelines and procedures for the conferment of honorary degree issued in the year 2010.

The apex regulatory body of higher education in Pakistan has been failed to maintain centralised record of honorary PhD degree holders as presently no date is available in this regard that how many people have been awarded an honorary degree of PhD so far and on which grounds they were received such honorary degrees by institutions of higher education.

The commission in its 21st meeting held on January 11, 2010 had approved guidelines and procedure for the conferment of honorary degree but unfortunately the commission has been failed to establish a system to monitor this process. The question arises that how is it possible for the commission to oversee or monitor its guidelines and procedures when even it does not have the names of all degree holders.

An insider while talking to the Daily Times said, “HEC just issued guidelines to shift their burden on others shoulders. If HEC is maintaining the record of each graduate then why it is not regulating such highest award.” He further said that there is no implementation on the guidelines issued by HEC to award an honorary degrees and universities are clearly violating the said guidelines adding that the HEC is silent on the issue because it is a routine that universities award honorary degrees to those who are on the top posts like politicians and much influential people.

As an instance, International Islamic University, Islamabad (IIUI) in its 9th convocation held in 2013 had crowned an honorary PhD degree to Saudi King Shah Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz on his services but he was not personally present on the occasion. Besides his personality, in this case the award of degree is a violation of HEC’s guidelines because the 6th guideline can be read as, “An honorary degree shall not be conferred in absentia”. The award of this degree also raised the eyebrows because the involvement of the IIUI President Dr Yousef Ahmed Al Darwaish was also not out of question as he is also a Saudi national.

Although the guidelines includes that an honorary degree shall not be meant to please someone nor shall be given as measure of gratitude and even it shall not be conferred on a person currently employed but it is a routine to award such degrees to persons who are in power as the Government Collage University (GCU) Lahore awarded an honorary PhD. degree to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Karachi University awarded an honorary PhD degree to former Interior Minister Rahman Malik and Shah Abdul Latif University conferred honorary PhD degree to Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah.

Comparing internationally, Washington University clearly declared that the candidates running for public office are not appropriate nominees for an honorary degrees whereas in our country, the people who are holding the public offices are being awarded the honorary degrees, which shows flattery behaviour of our institutions.

The unwillingness to regulate the honorary degrees by HEC is itself a derivation to the clause 10 (x) of HEC Ordinance 2002 in which one of the main functions of HEC include, “Collect information and statistics on higher education and institutions as it may deem fit and may cause it published”, but this function is not being properly performed by HEC. As reviewing the HEC’s website, we can observe that no data related to honorary degree holders is available whereas two links available in this regard are also non-functional.

HEC Public Relation Officer Aysha Ikram while responding on written quarries of the Daily Times has accepted that the commission has currently no data on honorary degrees of PhD but universities are being approached for sharing that data. Aysha further clarified that as per international practice, the prefix of “Dr” for honorary award cannot be used. It is a title that is bestowed on the recipient for recognition of services in a particular field.

HEC Chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmed said, “We believe on rules and regulations and trying hard to implement laws made by the commission time to time. However, the commission will further look into the matter and ensure the implementation of guidelines and procedures to award an honorary degree”.