Pakistan

HEC: 'Centralised power has only benefitted elite'

Professor Rais says HEC should be devolved according to 18th Amendment and power should be transferred to provinces.

Atika Rehman April 14, 2011

In a debate regarding the devolution of the Higher Education Commission in the light of the 18^th Amendment, Professor of political science at LUMS Rasul Baksh Rais said that concentrating power at the center has “hurt people and benefited politicians and bureaucrats.”

On The Morning show on Express 24/7, Rais said anything that is incompatible with the 18^th Amendment should “be done away with” – even if the institution is the HEC. While he highlighted the importance of the parliamentary act by saying that its implantation should not be blocked “at any cost”, he also expressed his support for devolution and the transfer of rights to provinces.

“The argument that the provinces don’t have the capability (to manage institutions) is wrong,” said Rais, adding that after his interaction with bureaucrats he is convinced that there is “a lot of talent at the provincial level.”

He reiterated that the HEC should only perform the functions defined in the 18^th Amendment, and that the management should be taken over by the provinces as the institution has made significant progress like the distribution of scholarships.

Social scientist Fauzia Saeed, who was also present on the show, emphasized the need to “look at the bigger picture” regarding devolution and the 18^th Amendment.

She clarified that the debate is not about the performance of HEC and that devolution is not punishment for intuitions based on performance. “The debate is about the provinces' right to build their institutions,” she said.

COMMENTS (8)

beyg | 13 years ago | Reply ""Today, the issue is very different, it is not of reform and restructuring of the HEC but of its disinvestment and disbanding. The reasons why this is being done are shrouded in legality but have either political motivation or lack appropriate appreciation of what the HEC has accomplished or how, given its strengths and experience, it can contribute to the advancement of higher education in the country. Foreign scholarships, educational standards and evaluation of degrees and university performance are absolutely compatible with the letter and spirit of the 18th Amendment. Disintegration of the HEC will empower no one, do no good, save nothing."" THIS WAS written by Prof. Rais on April 11. How he can change his views in a couple of days??? ridiculous..!! Academicians are now not less than Politicians!!

Agnostic Muslim | 13 years ago | Reply @Daniyal Danish: There is plenty of corruption at the Federal Level as well - the important thing, at both Federal and Provincial levels, is how independent and free of political interference any institution can be set up to be. The HEC was successful because it was largely freed of political interference and staffed with competent people who worked on the basis of merit and advancing higher education. If the HEC had been staffed with PPP 'Jiyala's' and headed by one of Zardari's cronies, then it too would have gone the way of the other failed State enterprises.

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Daniyal Danish | 13 years ago | Reply “a lot of talent at the provincial level.” I don't believe on that , i think there is a lot of more corruption at the provincial level then federal level.

Mohammad Khan Sial | 13 years ago | Reply Respected Professor Rasul Bux Rais is 100 per cent correct. It was "conspiracy" hatched against the provinces meant not to give them autonomy despite envisaged in 18th Amendment. One character who belongs to the present government was Education Minister Sardar Aseff who is also MNA from Punjab. He is known bitter enemy of three out of four provinces. His statement had appeared in the press sometime back that he would oppose devolution of HEC despite 18th amendment was passed by the Parliament and that is part of the Constitution. In the past, Sardar Aseff conspired against Sindh. The Constitution clearly said: "Coal is provincial subject" but he in connivance with notorious and corrupt WAPDA in open violation of the Constitution, unilaterally had taken the gigantic Thar Coal deposits in order to deprive Sindh from its ownership. Not only this but he got unconstitutional notification issued not less than Prime Minister Gilani himself. After hue and cry, Sindh got back Thar Coal deposits. What happened in Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Instead of punishing Sardar Aseff acting against Sindh who was Deputy Chairman Planning Commission in those days, he was made full fledged federal minister for education by promoting them.What a reward! Sometime back, he had announced resisting the already passed 18th Amendment of the Constitution by opposing the HEC's devolution. There is need to punish people like Sardar Aseff who are well known enemy of three out of four provinces. Again he has done this in case of HEC.

Iftikhar AHMAD DurranI | 13 years ago | Reply The reputation of Pakistani Education System under HEC federal control shows poor composite scores as per: 1) QS Global Academic Survey 2) Citations per faculty Score based on citations, for papers drawn from the database, 3 ) Programs based Academia-Industry Linkages 4 ) Internationalization: International faculty Exchanges 5) Innovation & Technology Incubation So let not beat about the bush or talk rubbish about HEC, we should be realistic, scientific & objective & in the best interest of Pakistan HEC should be transferred to the provinces as education worldwide is provincial matter

ilmiweb.com | 13 years ago | Reply What are we doing? and What should be done? is the only questions in this regard. No one have the clear answer in the matter of dissolution of higher education commission. Should we dissolve this institution and without providing any backup disburse every thing. This all seems the fight for nothing. Politicians, journalists, commentator and academics are taking on the issue without any logic. They should convince others with logic to justify their opinion rather insisting to implement their opinion and forcing their judgment.

Agnostic Muslim | 13 years ago | Reply “The argument that the provinces don’t have the capability (to manage institutions) is wrong,” said Rais, adding that after his interaction with bureaucrats he is convinced that there is “a lot of talent at the provincial level.” A quick comment on this. I do not disagree that there is plenty of talent at the provincial level, but I think that what people are concerned about is whether the autonomous and merit based structure of the HEC will be replicated at the provincial level or not. Again, if the provinces were to announce setting up provincial HEC's that would be autonomous and merit based in their functioning along the lines of the current HEC, a lot of criticism could be quelled.

White Russian | 13 years ago | Reply God Help me. Whom to believe and whom to not? Just two day ago, Raees Sahib wrote an oped in this newspaper with just opposite message. I am going for a walk, and may be when I come back, this present interview of Raees Sahib is again changed to something else. It seems, there is no real debate over the issue. It is only politics which is under way among academics, journalists, commentators, judges, politicians, ...

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