Give underdeveloped areas quota in UoI: Senate panel

Federal education minister assures committee of compliance

ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel on Wednesday called for including a quota for students from less developed areas in a proposed law to establish the University of Islamabad.

This was directed during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Federal Education, Professional Training, National History and Literary Heritage in the at Parliament House on Wednesday. The meeting was chaired by Senator Rahila Magsi.

The meeting discussed details of the University of Islamabad (UoI) Bill, 2020, the appointment of vice-chancellors at universities in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), the proposed Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) of the ministry for the upcoming fiscal year of 2020-21, the Dyslexia Special Measures Bill 2019, hurdles being faced by students of Balochistan and issues about salaries of the National Commission of Human Development (NCHD) teachers.

Deliberating over the UoI Bill, the panel took up the issue of quota for students from underdeveloped areas.

Senator Mehr Taj Roghani and Senator Engineer Rukhsana Zuberi stressed the need for allocating seats for students hailing from the less developed areas. For this purpose, they said that the necessary regulations must be put in place.

Minister for Federal Education Shafqat Mahmood assured the committee of compliance in this matter.

The National Assembly had passed the bill last Wednesday. It allows the establishment of the University of Islamabad along the Murree Expressway Islamabad. The project has been initiated by the Foundation for the Advancement of Innovation, Research and Education (FAIRE) — registered as a non-profit organisation with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP).

The committee further deliberated on points of public importance raised on the floor of parliament by Senator Javed Abbasi regarding the appointment of vice-chancellors at K-P universities. The committee directed the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to look into the matter and gave directions that all appointments must be made on merit.

The panel unanimously approved the Dyslexia Special Measures Bill, 2019 moved by Senator Samina Saeed in the Senate sitting on January 6.

Discussing the issue of salaries of NCHD teachers, raised by Senator Muhammad Usman Khan Kakar, the committee was informed that the commission has submitted a revised project concept-I (PC-I) to the federal education ministry on the feeder teacher salary component.

The committee stressed the need for the project to be made permanent and to increase the salaries of teachers working for the project.

At this, Mahmood assured the committee that the government is looking at shifting funds allocated for this programme from the development side to the non-development side, thus making the project permanent.

Development programmes

Scrutinising the proposed PSDP of the education ministry for fiscal year 2020-21, Mahmood said that the main objectives of the proposed development projects was to introduce a unified curriculum all over the country, increase the national literacy rate, reduce the number of out-of-school children, introduction of contemporary education in madrassas, introduce skills education as a new stream for matriculation examination in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), introducing a system of uniform assessment of students at boards of intermediate and secondary of education, and to enhance the learning skills of students through the introduction of technologies.

Senator Zuberi suggested additional funds should be allocated for the skills and technical education projects. Details of the Hunarmand Pakistan Programme were also shared in the meeting. The committee directed the ministry to hold an exclusive meeting on the programme.

Discussing a point of public importance raised by Senator Mir Kabeer Shahi regarding problems faced by students from Balochistan’s 32 districts — who had been awarded under the Prime Minister’s Scholarship Programme — in 2011. Shahi said that payment of their fees has been delayed due to which certificates of these students have been withheld.

Senator Shahi asserted that this programme must continue for at least the next five years. The committee directed the minister to look into the matter personally and get the fees of these students waived so that they can obtain their certificates and move on to the next stage in their academic careers.

The meeting was attended by Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Senator Prof Dr Mehr Taj Roghani, Senator Samina Saeed, Senator Engr Rukhsana Zuberi, Senator Mir Kabeer Ahmed Muhammad Shahi, Senator Muhammad Usman Khan Kakar, Senator Javed Abbasi and senior officers from the Ministry Federal Education, Professional Training, National History and Literary Heritage, HEC, NHCD along with all officials concerned.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 30^th, 2020.