ISLAMABAD: The Inter Boards Coordination Commission (IBCC) on Sunday said it has digitised the process for verification of academic degrees issued by boards of intermediate and secondary education.

Traditionally, students were required to submit their documents in sealed envelopes from the issuing boards for attestation by the IBCC.

`Recognising the need for modernisation, the IBCC has digitised the process, eliminating the requirement for producing hard copies,` said a press release issued by the board.

The IBCC is an umbrella board of 29 educational boards in the country that verifies matric and intermediate certificates and provides equivalence certificates against O/A levels and other foreign qualifications.

The IBCC announced that it will stop accepting sealed envelopes from midFebruary 2025. In future, only data shared through Application Programming Interface (APIs) or uploaded via the dedicated portal will be considered for document attestation.

It said that boards that already have their own digital verification systems have been integrated with the IBCC attestation portal through APIs.

`This allows verified data to be directly pushed to the IBCC portal, eliminating the need for students to obtain physical verification in sealed envelopes,` the statement said.

For boards lacking robust digital infrastructure, the IBCC has introduced a dedicated page on its website. These boards can now upload student data directly to the IBCC portal, ensuring seamless verification for attestation.

`The digitisation of the process ensures the integrity and authenticity of the data, reducing the risk of tampering or fraud. It also reduces the cost and saves time for students by eliminating the need for students to travel to their respective boards to obtain sealed envelopes,` the IBCC said.

It added that the initiative will help streamline the process, ensuring faster and more efficient attestation.