ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary committee on Thursday called for eliminating ad hocism in university appointments and establishing merit-based processes for hiring vice chancellors.

The National Assembly Standing Committee on Federal Education, Professional Training, National Heritage and Culture met with MNA Dr Azimuddin Zahid Lakhvi in the chair to discuss the report of a subcommittee besides other agenda items.

During the course of meeting, the subcommittee presented its recommendations to overhaul Pakistan’s education system, particularly targeting higher education reforms.

The recommendations included immediate implementation of minimum wage guarantees for all educators regardless of employment status and measures to strengthen HEC’s oversight of universities’ financial, administrative and academic performance. The committee also called for eliminating ad hocism in university appointments, establishing merit-based processes for selecting vice chancellors and creating a centralised digital platform to address the backlog of over 30,000 pending degree verifications.

Subcommittee comes up with recommendations to overhaul Pakistan’s education system

Additionally, stricter oversight of partnerships with NGOs was recommended by the subcommittee, including legal reviews of existing agreements and standardised MoU templates.

The main committee supported the report of the subcommittee and recommended to the government to take steps to ensure eliminating ad hocism in university appointments and establishing merit-based processes for selecting vice chancellors.

Earlier, the committee expressed dissatisfaction with the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training’s progress in regularising the long-serving contractual teachers and lecturers, calling for immediate action to grant regular status to the educators with 10 or more years of service.

“Providing job security to these professionals is crucial for strengthening Pakistan’s education system,” the committee emphasised.

It also addressed specific institutional issues, including the regularisation of employees at the National Institute of Science and Technical Education and the establishment of the University of Applied Engineering and Emerging Technologies (UAEET), a joint venture between the Punjab and federal governments. A stakeholder meeting was recommended to resolve gaps hindering the university’s completion.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Madressah Education Board (PMEB) confirmed that contractual employees’ regularisation was underway and salaries had been raised to the government-mandated minimum wage of Rs37,000.

The committee was briefed on HEC’s fiscal year 2024-25 funding strategy with a strong focus on completing ongoing projects while implementing strict controls for new development schemes.

Under the newly-approved guidelines, 80pc of funds will be directed toward priority projects that are either 80pc complete or scheduled for completion during 2025-26. Only 10pc of the total development budget has been allocated for new proposals which must demonstrate high value, feasibility, and potential for rapid implementation.

To enhance transparency, all new project proposals must now be submitted through the iPAS system, ensuring proper documentation and accountability.

“Our focus is squarely on delivering tangible outcomes from existing investments,” said a spokesperson for the HEC.

The committee was informed that Pakistan Education Endowment Fund (PEEF) had announced an expansion in its scholarship programme for FY 2024-25 from 3,000 to 10,000 to empower talented and deserving students across the country.

Published in Dawn, March 28th, 2025