The Higher Education Commission (HEC), on directive of the government, has asked all universities to check the terminal degrees of their employees in grade-17 and above. This is a rather funny demand and involves a lot of risk. Suppose a professor submits his original PhD degree obtained from a university abroad to the HECand the HEC would have thousands of such degrees to verifywhat is the guarantee that his degree would not be lost and if lost who would be responsible for it? What would that poor professor do if he needs his degree for use in future? The best alternative would be for the HEC to send its representatives to all universities in Pakistan, they should see the originals and take photocopies on the spot after due verification to file for the record. This will remove the element of risk. To begin this onerous task, the HEC should start by checking out the degree of 'Doctor Babar Awan. If his degree is found to be not genuine, strong action should be taken so that this long-standing issue is settled once for all. -DR. NAGHMA QAZILBASH, Islamabad, June 26.