Higher education: Khattak allays fears over privatising colleges

Says K-P govt plans to ‘free’ colleges from bureaucratic red tape

PESHAWAR: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Pervez Khattak on Monday assuaged fears of college teachers said that the provincial government has no plan to privatise government colleges.

“We want to make the system of colleges free from bureaucratic red tape,” he said while addressing students who have received admission letters from Chinese universities.

Around 200 students will soon leave to attend Chinese Language programmes at the Shangai University, Shandong University and Harbin University. The K-P government will pay all expenses for these students. During the ceremony, the chief minister also gave performance-grant cheques to colleges.

Talking about the draft bill about establishing a board of governors in colleges – which have been likened to privatising government colleges by detractors, he told students that the PTI-led government would like to see college administrations resolving the day-to-day issues of students. Once implemented, he said that students would need not visit the education department for resolving every problem.

The board of governors in colleges, which the K-P government plans to introduce, would run the affairs of the institution and solve their issues on the ground level without wasting time in visiting the higher education department. Khattak said that the boards would comprise of education experts, parents and college authorities and they will have the power to keep a check on the college and point out the shortcomings.

The CM said the PTI-led government was introducing the change to improve the standard of government colleges.  “If the current system is better, why has the performances of government colleges not improved,” he asked.

He gave assurance to the administration, teachers and students of the colleges that the provincial government was not planning to interfere in the affairs of colleges, instead, it wanted the institutions to be
more independent.

Young ambassadors

Speaking to the China-bound students, Khattak said that they were all ambassadors of Pakistan.

“I congratulate all the selected students for Chinese language course and I hope you will work hard and prove to be good citizens by observing Chinese laws and norms,” Khattak said. He told the students that their manners and conduct will reflect the provincial culture.

“I expect you to conduct yourself in a way which will bring good name for K-P. Focus on your studies and display good character,” he said.

Developing K-P

Khattak said that China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will play a vital role in the development of K-P.

He said that at first K-P had been sidelined, but the incumbent government had strived to have the western route included in CPEC which will bring development in the province. The chief minister said that peace in Afghanistan played a key role in the development of K-P.

Stability in the neighbourhood would provide business opportunities to K-P’s investors and businessmen.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 19^th, 2017.