Pakistan

Finance ministry to release Rs7.7b to HEC

The funds had earlier been withheld by the HEC, expected to be released in 3 days.

Express April 09, 2011

ISLAMABAD: The Finance ministry on Saturday assured the Higher Education commission that it would release the Rs7.7 billion that had earlier been withheld by the ministry.

The funds had been stopped after the ministry had declared that the status of the HEC was not known and had asked the education body to wait for the government’s decision regarding its devolution.

The ministry has said that the funds will be released within three days. According to sources, the funds will be used to pay the salaries of HEC employees.

The Higher Eduction Commission is being devolved to the provinces under the 18th amendment plan.

The HEC was created in 2002 and is widely recognised as a highly successful institution that has been able to revitalise higher education in Pakistan through its regulation of standards at public and private universities as well as securing additional funding for universities as well as scholarships for students, both to local and foreign universities. Nearly 5,000 Pakistani students are currently studying abroad on HEC or HEC-affiliated scholarships. In addition, the HEC finances research and has ensured that academics in Pakistan are well-paid.

COMMENTS (2)

Aftab | 13 years ago | Reply This Rs. 7.7 billion is not just for HEC staff, it is for the staff of 73 public universities throughout Pakistan and this is the instalment of last quarter (April-June) of this financial year. By winding up this prestigious and useful institution, the pee pee walas want to embezzle this amount, and grab the prime land on which HEC offices are located in Islamabad besides taking revenge from HEC declaring their legislators' degrees as fake. Moreover, they are not devolving HEC's functions to the priivinces but fragmenting its functions to Cabinet Division (for attesting fake degrees), Foreign Office (foreign scholarhsips) and so on.

a ercelan | 13 years ago | Reply 7 billion for salaries of HEC? what a joke. lets sue the min of finance and hec!

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