The Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) wants to review the degrees of the private universities from now onward before those institutions issue them to their students, TOLOnews has been told.
According to the ministry officials, the decision has been taken after they received complaints that in a number of private universities degrees have been sold and the graduates did not even attend classes.
Reports indicate that the ministry has not reviewed the quality of private universities for the last three years.
In 2010 an assessment was carried out by the higher education ministry after which the private universities were ranked according to quality in three categories: Good, Satisfactory and Poor.
Due to complaints regarding degree-selling at the private universities, the higher education ministry has decided to review the degrees that are about to be issued to the students and probably before issuing the degrees. The ministry may conduct a test to establish if students fulfil the required standard set by the ministry.
The new approach of the ministry is to review the students who are to graduate this year and could in the future it also be expanded to students who already have received their degrees.
“We do not issue their diplomas until the real graduates are separated from the ghost students. I do not want to say where the problem was: be it in the ministry, in the private university or the mafia outside the ministry has created the problem. We have checked all the documents and our process is continuing,” Mohammad Amir Kamawal, head of private universities department in the ministry said.
A number of students of the private universities also said they are tired of the problems in these universities, but most of them refused to comment on camera and those who did, were very cautious.
“This (diploma problem) is the only problem students are talking about. If we do not know someone (in a high place), we might not get a job. These problems have undermined the students morale,” Jawan Shir, a student said.
“At least a (government) team should come once a month and ask them (the private universities) how they teach,” Shafiqullah, another student said.