In the media

Ghost teachers and ghost schools are a burden on the education system in rural areas of Balochistan and the government needs to take concrete steps to repair the damage that is caused to its children and their future. Most public schools lack basic facilities like boundary walls, chairs, toilets, clean drinking water, electricity, and even teachers, not to mention the absence of study material like course-books and other infrastructural needs. Authorities continue to pay teachers despite their wilful absence and a great number of them are hired based on political affiliation rather than their qualification and educational achievements.

A diary seized from a Karimnagar lecturer, a co-accused in the case, revealed that the certificate racket is much murkier than the police initially thought. CCS additional DCP told TOI, “We have questioned the main accused, 41, from June 7 to 11. We analyzed the diary which revealed that the lecturer, in connivance with the staff of several universities in Mumbai, Kolkata, and Guntur, obtained fake certificates for the accused. At least 4,500 certificates from 60 universities across the country were obtained and sold. He had written the rates of each university certificate in the diary.

National Accountability Bureau (NAB) officials have started collecting evidence pertaining to alleged corruption and financial mismanagement of at least Rs 4 billion in the Prime Minister’s Education Reform Programme. The former prime minister had given at least Rs 4 billion to improve the conditions of 423 federal public educational institutions that come under the purview of the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) through the Prime Minister’s Education Reform Programme. Corruption and financial mismanagement has allegedly been done in funds allocated for paint jobs, furniture procurement, and construction and renovation projects.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan last week ordered the removal of a number of university vice-chancellors because they were appointed in violation of the merit-based system. In stern remarks on 22 April over the appointment of vice-chancellors in Punjab province, Pakistan’s Chief Justice said “The Supreme Court cannot tolerate any appointment without transparency as the state of education in the province is in complete disarray,” and that the appointments were not the most senior professors but had close links with government circles.

The acting Rector COMSATS Institute of Technology (CIIT) has been allegedly found involved in a plagiarized research work in which he was a co-author and published the paper in a national research journal in 2007. 65% text of the said research paper has been found similar with a number of other papers after its verification in the Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) plagiarism detecting software ‘Turnitin’. As per HEC policy no research publication for PhD work should have above 19% similar index in overall, and 4% from a single source, an official said.

Thousands of UK nationals have bought fake degrees from a multi-million pound "diploma mill" in Pakistan, a BBC Radio 4's File on Four programme investigation has found. Buyers include NHS consultants, nurses and a large defence contractor. One British buyer spent almost £500,000 on bogus documents. The Department for Education said it was taking "decisive action to crack down on degree fraud" that "cheats genuine learners

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) will meet next week to decide the fate of its second most important officer whose research paper was found to be 88 percent plagiarized. The Chairman had set up a committee to probe the allegations of plagiarism against the commission’s Executive Director (ED). Sources said after the issue came to the light through a news story published in this paper, the committee formed by the HEC Chairman held a meeting this week to review the Executive Director’s research paper which was found plagiarized.

Students of different public and private education institutions painted the external wall of the Government Emerson College in connection with National Accountability Bureau’s ongoing awareness campaign against corruption here on Thursday. The two weeks campaign began on November 27 and would culminate on December 12. NAB Director termed the youth a frontline force to end corruption and appreciated their efforts.

Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission this month issued a public notice listing 153 illegal universities and degree-awarding institutions. A large number of illegal universities mentioned in the HEC notice do not exist, some are run from apartments and commercial buildings and issue degrees not recognised by higher education authorities of the federal or provincial governments. Academics say, however, the rising trend of fake universities cannot be discouraged without punitive action against the management of the bogus institutions.

A large number of universities, colleges and schools organised walks, seminars and debating competition to raise awareness among students, faculty and other staff. The Student Affairs Director at the University of Engineering and Technology (UET), speaking on the occasion of a debating competition organised to mark the day, said that zero tolerance would be shown against corruption and malpractices.