The government does not yet know how many Pakistani IT graduates hold degrees from unaccredited institutions. Ahad Cheema, the federal minister for economic affairs and establishment, has ordered the Ministry of Information Technology to find out. Chairing a high-level meeting, he called for a comprehensive system to prevent students from enrolling in unrecognised programmes and to ensure that graduates have skills that are competitive internationally. Details of the meeting were released on Saturday.

The meeting reviewed the IT Skills Assessment Test and the accreditation system for computing education. Mr Cheema called for coordinated action to stop admissions to institutions and programmes that lack the required accreditation.

He instructed officials to create a system for identifying such institutions. He also said prospective students must be able to check reliably whether universities, affiliated colleges and individual programmes are accredited before applying.

More than 33,000 students from 188 institutions have taken the skills test. Mr Cheema said it should be aligned with international standards and the changing needs of the technology industry. He ordered a detailed report on institutions' results to identify those needing corrective action.

The minister was particularly concerned about cases where academic results and practical skills do not match. Some students complete their degrees but fail the skills test, while others pass the test without finishing their degrees. He said such cases require scrutiny of academic standards, assessment methods and whether university curricula meet employers' needs.

He also called for closer cooperation between universities and industry. Officials were instructed to work with the Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) and other industry groups to align tests, professional certifications and degree programmes with the needs of IT employers.

The meeting also discussed requiring students to pass competency tests at several stages of their studies. Mr Cheema asked officials to assess carefully how such a requirement would affect students and institutions before any decision is made.

Responsibility for oversight is divided among several bodies. The minister called for closer cooperation among the Higher Education Commission (HEC), the National Computing Education Accreditation Council (NCEAC), the IT ministry and other federal and provincial authorities. He asked that provincial higher-education departments and their secretaries be involved in a joint approach to accreditation and quality assurance.

Officials will also review current awareness campaigns, including their reach and engagement on social media, to determine whether students are receiving accurate information. The meeting examined results from several institutions, including Virtual University, and called for closer monitoring of test results.

Mr Cheema said institutions should be given a structured process for identifying weaknesses in their programmes and correcting them. He said the aim was a credible, transparent and industry-relevant assessment system that improves IT education, protects students and makes graduates more employable. He asked officials to submit a detailed follow-up report on accreditation, institutional performance, test quality, student awareness and proposed remedies.