COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT) provided a Double Degree Programme together with Lancaster University (LU) in 2009, but because the institute didn’t utilize correct routes with the Higher Education Commission (HEC), over 2600 students’ educational future is in risk. About 15 Students presently signed up for the programme have got court action against CIIT for non-issuance of degrees to them.
Reportedly, there can be 130 students who’ve graduated under the double degree programme but haven’t got their degrees till today. Presently, over 2500 students are signed up for the Comsats Lahore Campus for business studies, engineering and computing undergrad degrees. In 2014, the university released the graduates the LU degree although not the twin degree. The CIIT pointed out that the HEC banned them from giving the twin degree because no law persisted in this way.
In spite of HEC caution that the institute must not induct any more students, CIIT opened for the programme in 2014 to a new group of students for the double degree program and receiving fees from each local and international students. When CIIT Registrar Izharul Haq was asked the reason why the passed out students are not yet been certified with UK and Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC), he replied that they’ve got the letter from the LU for enrollment of students only a few days ago.
The Federal intermediary office has recommended HEC to either the institute might supply on the commitment of double degrees or return the students their own payment for the programme. The programme has been turn off for more registration till further notice.
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Because of the failure of not getting the non-objection document from the commission, PEC or its board of governors (BoG), the MoU is now useless and has probably place a damper on the students signed up for the program. This problem was talked about in 2011 in a number of meetings, it had been recommended that a combined degree of CIIT and LU or one degree of CIIT or LU together with combined records dually authorized by local and foreign professional certification councils must be supplied. CIIT went with the choice of the combined records and one diploma from LU on October 15th, 2014.
The programme was initially introduced in 2009 under the direction of the Science and Technology Ministry and the Planning Commission of Pakistan. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was finalized with Lancaster University (LU), UK. The HEC was informed about the programme on October 13th and 28th, just one of the circumstances of the MoU was for CIIT to get the approval of the HEC along with other authorities by Jan 1st, 2011. But, CIIT failed to do this which eventually caused the contract becoming null and void.
CIIT, HEC and other authorities take action in order to resolve the problem quickly.
