A big vocational education fraud has been uncovered by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) who have revealed that technical diplomas were being issued by unregistered training centres in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
The raid was carried out following intelligence reports where FIA teams stormed several premises and apprehended three persons who were engaged in making and selling of fake diplomas. Fake certificates, official looking seals, printers and computers that were being used to forge documents were among the materials seized.
Others arrested included the operators of the so called Modern Institute of Informatics and the International College of Education which had been advertising the false qualifications in the newspapers and social media networks.
The authorities found out that these institutions were collecting huge amounts of money from unsuspecting students promising them purely fictitious certifications. All the institutes were unacknowledged by any educational board or regulative body.
The closure comes after the complaints made by the National Vocational and Technical Training commission which had identified numerous institutions that were offering training without being accredited. The FIA has cautioned that additional raids and arrests would be made as they continue with the investigations.
The government is advising learners and employers to check the certificates thoroughly and demanding tougher implementation to clean up the technical and vocational education sector in Pakistan.
