MARDAN: The Standing Committee of Senate on Higher Education has shown concern over delay in setting up a university in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).

The members of the committee also suggested to the authorities concerned to increase the number of seats, reserved for tribal students in the public sector universities.

A meeting of the committee was held at Abdul Wali Khan University here on Wednesday with its chairman Senator Abdul Nabi Bangash in the chair. Minister of State for Higher Education Balighur Rehman and members of the committee Begum Najma Hameed, Ilyas Ahmad Bilour, Eng Malik Rasheed Khan, Haji Khan Afridi, Rozi Khan Kakar, Heman Das, Federal Education Secretary Raja Ahsan Iqbal, Higher Education Commission Chairman Mukhtar Ahmad Khan and vice-chancellors of Abdul Walin Khan, Malakand, Swat, Sheringil, Hazara, Charsadda and Haripur universities attended the meeting.

The meeting discussed issues of public sector universities and problems of tribal students, studying in various universities. The participants of the meeting were told that educational expenditures of tribal students were borne by HEC.

Showing concern over delay in establishment of a university in Fata, the members of the committee suggested increase in the seats reserved for tribal students in public sector universities. The meeting constituted a sub-committee, comprising Senator Malik Rasheed Ahmad, Senator Rozi Khan Kakar and Senator Haji Khan Afridi to address the reservations of tribal people.

Addressing the meeting, the minister of state said that promotion of higher education was priority of the government. “This year the entire budget for HEC has been released in time,” he added.

Senator Bangash said that lack of education was cause of terrorism and instability in the region. He said that the government needed to focus on the development of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata. The government should increase facilities of education and create opportunities of employments for youth of the region, he added.

The meeting was also briefed about development projects, especially the under-construction garden campus, at Abdul Wali Khan University.

Published in Dawn, May 29th, 2014