Call for researchers: Pakistan ‘in need of’ 36,000 PhDs

HEC chairman says dire need to increase budget of higher education.

LAHORE: Pakistan is facing a shortage of at least 36,000 PhDs in different sectors and to serve the purpose the government needs to substantially increase the higher education budget, said Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmed on Thursday.

While addressing a group of journalists from Islamabad at the Government College University (GCU) Lahore, he said after the 18th amendment, provincial higher education commissions had become a reality so there was no conflict between federal and provincial higher education commissions.

“We need to define the role of provincial higher education commissions to end this confusion and the issue will be resolved in the Council of Common Interests (CCI) meeting,” he added.

GCU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Hassan Amir Shah seconded the HEC chairman. “While the federal and provincial higher education commissions may be good for the universities, the major funding of universities came from the federal government,” he said.

Dr Mukhtar, meanwhile, expressed concerns over the rising violent incidents at varsity campuses. “This is something really serious. The issue of extremism in educational institution is being given special attention,” he said while referring to the brutal lynching of a student in Mardan.

“We are producing scientists, doctors and engineers but we also have to ask ourselves whether we are producing good human beings or not.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 28^th, 2017.