HYDERABAD: Higher Education Com­m­i­ssion (HEC) chairman Prof Dr Tariq Banuri has said that African countries are spending more on higher education than Pakistan. Student there pay Rs150,000 annually to pursue their higher education which is far lower than in Pakistan.

Prof Banuri regretted that higher education sector was getting inadequate budgetary allocations, pointing out that against the demand of Rs103 billion for 2019-20, the federal government earmarked only Rs65bn. “The higher education budget suffered the heaviest cut in budgetary allocations although many new universities, campuses and colleges have been established across the country and students’ enrolment has increased,” he said, adding that on the other hand, the government also increased salaries of teachers and other employees causing increase in the overall expenditure.

He was speaking at a programme held at the Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET) in Jamshoro on Monday. Vice chancellors of MUET, Sindh University (SU), Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS) and Sindh Agriculture University as well as the deans, directors, departmental heads and other faculty members of the universities attended the programme.

Says African universities more cost-effective than Pakistan’s

He urged the government to take immediate steps to rid the HEC and universities of the economic crisis.

Prof Banuri noted that the process of reforming the higher education syllabi and system by the HEC was under way. “Substandard programmes at different public and private sector universities have been done away with,” he added.

He remarked that the standard of higher education could not be improved unless qualitative changes were made in the system and syllabi.

Highlighting the importance of higher education and HEC’s achievements, he said the HEC was like a ‘passport’ for citizens because human development was directly linked with quality higher education. Research activities had increased ever since the commission was established in 2001.

“Education or research is useless if it does not help resolve the problems faced by the country and the nation,” he said, and stressed that every educated individual must have knowledge of his/her field and related conditions.

He admitted that Pakistan had an old education system, and said that modern syllabi was the need of the hour for bringing about an improvement.

“Degrees and certificates will carry some weight only when the persons carrying them will also have the knowledge of their respective fields. This knowledge has to be offered by the HEC as it’s the prime responsibility of the institution,” he said.

The HEC chairman disclosed that a national academy for higher education was also being established in order to impart training to teachers and administrative officers of various universities. He said changes were being made in the process of promotion and appointment of teachers as well as publication of research journals and magazines. He sought cooperation of the managements and representatives of universities in this regard.

Prof Banuri told the audience that “HEC is a national institution and not a federal body alone as it has representation of all provinces”.

He deplored that HEC’s resources had been misused in the past but strict measures were being taken now to check the practice.

Vice Chancellors Prof Dr Mohammad Aslam Uqaili, Prof Dr Fateh Mohammad Burfat, Prof Dr Bikha Ram and Prof Dr Mujeebuddin Sehrai were prominent among the audience.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2019