ISLAMABAD: The Inter Board Committee of Chairmen (IBCC) will continue equivalence of O & A level as Higher Education Commission (HEC) has only stopped the requirement of seeking detail of the previous qualification i.e. SSC & HSSC, including equivalence certificates for verification/ attestation of Bachelor and higher degrees.
According to an official source, the IBCC has confirmed that the news regarding “O & A level students no more require IBCC equivalence certificate” are baseless. This confusion started during the proceedings of Lahore High Court (LHC) in case of Romana Malik VS HEC wherein the counsel of HEC presented the notification dated 02-08-2018 according to which applicants for attestation of their degrees will no longer be required to submit information about previous academic qualifications and degree will be attested solely on its merits i.e. whether it has been issued by a recognised university/institution and whether the institution has the legal authority to issue such degree.
“The matter was portrayed in such manner as the equivalence of O and A level has been stopped which was a misinterpretation of the facts,’’ the source added. IBCC is solely authorised by the Government of Pakistan to issue equivalence certificate up-to grade 12 under Federal Supervision of Curricula & Maintenance of Standards Act, 1976 and this has also been endorsed by the Supreme Court (SC) in SCMR 2701 of 1998, he added.
