Pakistan

HEC devolution: Rabbani says problems being created deliberately

Senator dispels impression that HEC is being ‘targeted’ over the fake degrees issue.

Umer Nangiana April 14, 2011

ISLAMABAD:

Chairperson of the 18th Amendment Implementation Commission Senator Raza Rabbani said certain political actors are trying to create issues out of the Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) devolution.

Refusing to take any names, he said that the coalition government is not targeting the HEC over the fake degrees cases. “Let’s not confuse the two issues,” he said, “the decision to devolve the education ministry and with it the HEC through a possible constitutional amendment was taken way before the fake degrees episode.” The commission’s job, he said, was to merely convey information as degrees are verified by concerned universities.

He was speaking at a joint press conference with members of the commission on Wednesday. He was accompanied by Senator Ishaq Dar, of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.

Rabbani said that the HEC is not much different from its predecessor, the Universities Grants Commission, which was funded by the federal government. Under the devolution plan, each province will be responsible for funding its own universities, he explained. However, he assured that the federal government will continue funding universities for a period of time decided under the finalised devolution plan before provinces take complete charge.

Dar said that no province can afford to deny funds to its universities thus there was no chance that university funding will be included in general funds.

But he was lost for a response when some reporters pointed out that certain members of his own party had expressed reservations over the issue.

Rabbani reiterated that the HEC’s devolution will not affect existing scholarships and denied that the federal government had stopped any funds.

According to the implementation commission’s members, a decision is yet to be taken whether the existing Higher Education Commission Ordinance 2002 will be amended or a new law is required.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 14^th, 2011.

COMMENTS (15)

dilber | 13 years ago | Reply this is what we said about punjab. the poorest punjab have become richest now how????? in federal departments they have jobs about 85%, they lose jobs if these departments r shifted to provinces. so would punjab want to lose their monopoly on federation????/ do u know why punjab and its bureaucracy opposes HEC devolution??? Facts: Punjab got 7,925 -KPK got 1,752 -Sindh got 891 -Balochistan got 865 -FATA 851 Azad Kashmir 213 -Islamabad likely punjab got 393 scholarships. that’s is main issue u all people see fairness Punjab HEC. small provinces getting lack of confidence that would be given their basic rights on their natural resources. If punjab make same mistakes again and again its like they PLAY WITH FIRE

Matiullah Shah | 13 years ago | Reply @mehwish: The provincial govt has not even capable to control schools and colleges. how it can control the higher education. Politician says that hec is given to provinces but if u look to planned division of HEC then nothing is given to HEC but the only purpose is to cut it in pieces, which definetly effect the higher education and research. let suppose it is given to the provinces. then its performance will be like school and colleges and it is totally hopless situation.

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Matiullah Shah | 13 years ago | Reply i do not understand that PPP has nothing to do good and it is the last BAD thing to be made good, Shame on these politions for such deed. Raza Rabani looks like a trained dog odered by his master to job without thinking that what is the impact of job he do. loyalty to a party is good but it doesn't mean to cross the borders of loyalty to Pakistan. Oooh i forgot that Pakistani polician have no interest in pakistan walfare but up to extant that its a source of thier income.

Zohaib | 13 years ago | Reply Rabbani is 100% confident that he will succeed in fooling people of Pakistan like he and his party does every time.

mehwish | 13 years ago | Reply The assertions that foreign universities would stop recognising Pakistani degrees in the absence of the HEC remain as far from reality as the HEC authorities are from egalitarianism. One wonders if Pakistan did not produce any degree holder and if the world never recognised any Pakistani degree before the HEC or, for that matter, before the UGC. This insistence on being and remaining the only centralised dictatorial body to impose self-serving terms based mostly on whims and caprices of individuals in the HEC has not taken higher education very far — yet devolution is thought incapable of doing any better. Let us learn to respect the provinces and empower them. Let us ask the HEC authorities to go into their respective provinces and steer the devolution process ahead.

Ali Jan | 13 years ago | Reply A systematic campaign backed by a section of media, seems to have been orchestrated by HEC, Its former chief, the self praising, Dr.Atta-ur-Rehaman and its main beneficiary namely some vice chancellors, a student body and teachers' associations, who ironically were the most rabid critics of HEC and had been demanding that the HEC must go, against the devolution of HEC.HEC tall claims are questionable and there has been no qualitative improvement in the sector of higher education in the last 10 years, despite of massive findings. there has been no research worth of the international patent value, there has been no minimal increase in the ranking of the Pakistani universities at the world level. education in Pakistan has seen only half-backed projects and frequently changed changed academic policies, there has been undue and dictatorship-like interference in the autonomy of the university and the state has discharge a vast majority of student and teachers by imposing policies de-linked from the ground realities.

Ali | 13 years ago | Reply Dar said that no province can afford to deny funds to its universities thus there was no chance that university funding will be included in general funds. What does he mean by the above? If he means universities are so valuable that no provincial government would dare to cut funds to them, let's see what state the primary & secondary schools are in: Corrupt: A significant portion of their funding is lost to ghost schools and teachers. Poor teaching quality in our state owned schools. Many of our children are far below international norms in terms of reading, writing and maths. This is because of large class sizes. Poor teachers. Many schools don't have running water, sanitation. Buildings are crumbling. The listy of problems at our state schools are numerous and have been high lighted by Time magazine, international media, foreign governments etc. Aren't secondary andprimary education important? Why have they been deprived of funds? This is stupid, circular logic that characterises Pakistani politics.

Ali | 13 years ago | Reply coalition government is not targeting the HEC over the fake degrees cases. “Let’s not confuse the two issues,” If the government is not interfering with the HEC over the fake degrees issue, why was the brother of the head of the HEC arrested on trumped up corruption charges before the HEC was due to release names of politicians that had lied? The nawabs that sit in the national assembly and their backers are happy to set laws for others, but only ever abuse it for their own personal gain.

madiha | 13 years ago | Reply Anybody who is following the media reports regulalry should be able understand that this is the fourth time Mr. Raza Rabbani has changed his statement regarding the devolution of HEC. Thanks to the intellectual media debate the matter was highlighted to the common Pakistani. Devolution/evolution/partition of of higher education to the various provinces is a ticklish affair and such matters should be sorted out with open debate in assembly and bringing various stakeholders on board in a wider national interest as higher education is a specialized subject whcih requires lot of expertise to give some final judement. The controversy was created because a few people made a decesion and tried to impose it, without understanding the implications ,which were far too reaching. It is not clear how provinces will take huge responsiblity of higher education.

Yasir Hasan | 13 years ago | Reply This is pathetic..simply pathetic...This is equivalent to Z.A Bhutto's stupid decision to nationalize every industry.. we are still suffering from the decision... Now these fools are after the already suffering Education... HEC is maintaining a standard of education throughout the counties, handling it to provinces would mean opening newer doors of corruption... I think PPP government knows that in next election they won't be able to make it center so they want to take as much stuff as possible to provinces...

Asmat Jamal | 13 years ago | Reply This is a game, supported by all political actors. The shifting of the HEC to provinces means more money to be swindled away. PML N cannot afford to loose the opportunity when it is running the affairs of Province.

Ahmed | 13 years ago | Reply 100% agreed! They are just political actors and just talking about the running scholarship of students around the world, but, what about the worth of Pakistani degree around the globe? The future of our students will stand 'middle of nowhere'. We have to speak, may it be on internet or on the road. Save HEC!

Imran | 13 years ago | Reply Higher Education is a matter of life & death for this country. Rabbani is loyal first to his party and than any other institution. We can not leave such important matters in the hands of those political actors who are not trust worthy. Raza Rabbani has already lost his mantle as a man of his own standing,he now has the Zardari cruthes to support himself.

Pakistani | 13 years ago | Reply Poor Thinking.... These people only see Funds Funds and Funds.... HEC is not only funding authority but one of the main purpose of HEC is to standardize Higher Education... But These Poor minded people see only Funds and how to get control of these funds.

Billoo Bhaya | 13 years ago | Reply Rabbani thinks we are bloody fools.

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