Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) in Karachi has dismissed 27 employees after their educational degrees were found to be fake. The development was reported during a meeting of the Sindh Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which reviewed the university’s audit findings for 2024 and 2025.
The meeting was chaired by PAC Chairman Nisar Ahmed Khuhro and attended by committee members, Dow University Vice-Chancellor Dr Nazli Hussain, and other university officials. During the meeting, the committee examined concerns about the university administration’s failure to verify employees’ educational qualifications and respond adequately to audit queries.
According to the university’s Director of Finance, Zainul Abideen Shah, the institution has a total workforce of 5,350 employees. So far, the educational degrees of approximately 1,945 employees have been verified, and 27 were found to be fake. Verification of around 3,400 employees’ degrees is still pending with the Higher Education Commission (HEC).
The finance director informed the committee that the university had outsourced the degree verification process to HRSG under a contract worth Rs. 7.36 million. Despite this arrangement, thousands of employees’ qualifications remain unverified, raising concerns about the recruitment process and the university’s internal monitoring system.
Following the findings, the PAC directed the university administration to recover all salaries paid to the 27 employees who had secured employment using fake degrees. The committee also sought reports from all public universities in Sindh regarding the verification of educational qualifications of their teaching and administrative staff.
Vice-Chancellor Dr Nazli Hussain informed the committee that more than 70 percent of the degrees held by academic doctors had been verified, while approximately 25 percent were still being processed.
The meeting also reviewed the university’s financial position. Officials informed the committee that Dow University has an annual budget of approximately Rs. 26 billion and generates around Rs. 25 billion annually through academic services, radiology, laboratory services, and other sources. Student fees contribute approximately Rs. 4.5 billion to its annual income.
The PAC’s directions aim to strengthen accountability, improve recruitment transparency, and ensure that public institutions properly verify the qualifications of their employees. The committee has called for further reporting from public universities to assess the progress of degree verification across the province.
