ISLAMABAD, Oct 10: Local Universities have started feeling the heat of budgetary cuts imposed by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) both in their recurring and developmental expenditures.

The HEC has been forced to introduce these budgetary cuts since the finance ministry is not releasing funds which it had committed to the commission for the current financial year.

The government had frozen the HEC’s recurring grant at Rs16 billion against its earlier commitment of Rs23 billion which, in return, is seriously affecting public sector universities’ workings. The government is yet to release recurring grant for the last quarter of the financial year of 2007. The universities falling within the boundary of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) are most affected because they only get financial assistance from the HEC.

Talking to Dawn a senior professor at the Islamic International University (IIU), said the university is yet to implement 20 per cent raise in the salaries of their staff for want of funding. University’s non-teaching staff had already started protesting against the administration for not providing them salaries according to the government’s decision.

“The university is about to consume its reserves which it is utilizing to fill the gap created by the HEC’s cut in financial assistance,” he said, adding, most of the ongoing developmental projects on the campus had already been stopped due to lack of funding.

In response to a question, he said, if the current financial crisis persists, it would seriously affect the pace of development in the higher education which over the last few years had picked up pace.

Things are not much different at the Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU), another premier university of the capital city. According to an official, who requested not to be named, the QAU is already running into a deficit of Rs100 million.

The present cut in the recurring expenditures has fallen like a bombshell for the university administration which is already under serious economic constraints. When asked, the official said, next step would be increase in the tuition fee of students admitted under regular scheme, and more admissions on self-finance basis.

Since the government is sinking into the economic mire and its recovery was unlikely in the near future, the universities have to manage by themselves, an HEC official said when asked for his comments.