Post-18th Amendment: Senator calls for devolution of HEC to provinces

PM called for “maintenance of status quo” on matter, says an IPC official

ISLAMABAD: Senator Usman Khan Kakar on Monday called for devolution of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to the provinces without any further delay.

He, while speaking at a meeting of the Senate’s Functional Committee claimed “prime minister’s orders to maintain status quo” on the matter were a violation of the constitution.

The committee chairperson, Senator Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo had earlier during the meeting asked the HEC Chairperson Dr Mukhtar Ahmed whether the 18th Amendment recommended devolution of the higher education body. Upon Bizenjo’s repeated insistence, Ahmed had remarked that around 80 per cent of the HEC’s powers had already been devolved to the provinces.

Bizenjo then asked of the remaining powers, to which an IPC official intervened, stating that certain subjects were to remain with the HEC. “The prime minister on December 9 in reply to a summary regarding devolution of the HEC ordered for the maintenance of the status quo,” the official added.

At this Senator Kakar remarked, “The government does not want the devolution of the HEC, which is evident by the absence of Federal Education and Professional Training Minister for State Baligur Rehman from this meeting.”

Meanwhile, the functional committee decided to call a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI)’s concerned body to discuss the issue of devolution of various powers of the HEC to the provincial governments.

During the Senate committee meeting, Bizenjo said that the issue needed to be discussed with the CCI members, who had been looking into the matter. Ahmed told the committee members that two CCI meetings had already deliberated upon the issue, and that a third would be convened soon.

“In the previous meeting, the provinces had almost agreed on the basic points regarding devolution, while Sindh expressed some reservations about the role of the HEC,” he said. “That will be sorted out,” Ahmed said.

He further added that after the recommendations of the CCI, an amendment would first be made to the federal law, and later at provincial levels.

“As per a Supreme Court observation, the HEC Ordinance of 2002 was protected by the constitution, and only an amendment to it, can change the body’s powers and its role,” he said.

The chairperson added that the issue of devolution of the powers of the HEC surfaced after certain universities in the Punjab were barred from functioning without no-objection certificates, while the provincial higher education body had in part agreed to allow them to operate.

“This [matter] along with the provincial ordinances that led to creation of provincial higher education bodies in Sindh and Punjab are poles apart in terms of functioning and regulations. Issues such as quality assurance, international research collaboration should continue under the domain of the HEC,” Ahmed said.

A date for the suggested CCI members meeting has yet to be finalised.

The CCI committee includes Planning, Development and Reform Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Baligur Rehman and representatives from the provinces.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 29^th, 2015.