FINALLY, the Balochistan government has taken a much-needed decision: it has increased the budget for higher education institutions (HEIs). This is likely to resolve many long-standing issues which had hindered the progress of these facilities, such as providing relief to employees who have endured months of delayed salaries. In addition, the announcement about granting full scholarships under the Benazir Bhutto Scholarship Programme for PhD students from Balochistan to study in 200 leading universities worldwide, will also go a long way in supporting the youth to find fulfillment.

Sadly, for decades, the governance and management of HEIs in Balochistan has faced a crisis, with the recent financial collapse revealing the ineptitude of the relevant authorities. Besides, the HEIs were always far too reliant on aid and grants. While much was spent on new construction and salaries, not a penny went towards profit-making endeavours, human development, research and advancement. The latter would have kept the HEIs safe from such a dismal monetary state, making them self-reliant and able to contribute to broader social well-being, resulting in research-based and informed decision-making.

The rapid academic and structural disintegration of the HEIs was eclipsed by the protests and uproar against employees’ financial predicaments. The responsibility for this collapse rests with all stakeholders —– from lawmakers and policy engineers to administrations and university associations.

Moreover, the shortsighted, unimaginative mindset of our legislators is in complete conflict with internationally established criteria in higher education. They prefer quantity and cosmetic changes — new buildings and recruits — over quality, leading to grave liabilities, including non-disbursement of salaries to staff.

Financial support should be a provincial obligation.

The increasing inclination for hiring contractual staff, reducing remunerations, raising student fees, and limiting scholarships and internships, alongside compromised university functions, spell disaster for higher education in the province. Every arbitrary move demoralises the teaching faculty, which is unable to tend to its daily needs and professional obligations. After the Covid-19 pandemic, HEIs worldwide merged departments to foment efficiency and lower costs. Pakistan, on the other hand, continues to follow an outdated policy — expand departments into divisions and inaugurate more universities and satellite campuses. One must ponder over the questions of whether we need all those enrolled in HEIs, especially when there are no jobs for graduates, as well as whether every district has a university. Higher education has become more of a symbol than a forum for the contributions of scientists, entrepreneurs, philosophers, and historians.

The crisis is deep; it needs astute leadership to set a direction, empower others and create synergy. It is also time that HEIs’ leadership took responsibility and devised a strategy to repair the damage. Moreover, rational resource utilisation and academic management have to become a priority, with a focus on profit generation and curtailed expansion schemes in far-flung areas. All academic associations must become more proactive in promoting quality education in their manifestos.

Salvation also lies in multiple interventions — integrating departments, closing satellite campuses, collaboration with postgraduate colleges, and capacity buil­ding. A shift towards inclusive disciplina­­ry methods — subjects which enable communal engagement and are relevant to Balochistan’s socioeconomic landscape — and an eq­­u­i­­­table tuition fee str­ucture, whereby the wealthy pay a higher fee-and the poor get a subsidy, are a necessity.

The Higher Education Commission has played a disappointing role, especially in the context of the 18th Amendment. It still takes key decisions — from determining the norms for recruitment, to programmes of study, to other administrative affairs.

Financial support and academic freedom in HEIs should be a provincial obligation. While it must be acknowledged that the HEC has guided higher education insitutes in Balochistan, the dynamics have changed. It ought to give up its powers so that the institutions assume responsibility for managerial excellence as well as debacles.

The establishment of a functional provincial HEC should be a priority, with the province operating its HEIs within its budget and in line with the needs of the people. More importantly, utilising Balochistan’s human capital, as opposed to recruiting expensive foreign scholars, will make the provincial HEC more sustainable, relevant, and effective.

The writer is an educationist.

Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2024