Govt calls for reconfiguring pension system of varsities

Vice-chancellors want political interference in universities to end

ISLAMABAD: With universities in the country facing a financial crisis, the government on Friday called for reconfiguring the pension structure of universities even while advocating greater autonomy in administrative and managerial affairs with accountability.

This was suggested by Federal Minister for Federal Education and Profession Training Shafqat Mahmood on Friday while addressing a Vice-Chancellors Committee meeting on Friday. The meeting was presided over by VCs’ Committee Chairman Dr Muhammad Ali and attended by Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairman Dr Tariq Banuri and the heads of all public and private universities.

Mahmood said that intensive measures are needed to improve the quality of higher education in the country so that graduates are skilled enough to obtain jobs.  In this regard, the education minister said there is a need to ensure that the faculty hired is qualified and the curriculum is up-to-date.

He said the government is successfully operating a skills training programme which offers six-month courses. He added that a majority of students acquiring training under these programmes are already graduates but require additional skills, other than their degrees, to get jobs.

Observing that public and private sector universities are facing several issues, which need to be addressed, Mahmood said that the government is cognizant of these issues.

Stressing that quality should not be compromised, Mahmood urged private universities to be mindful of maintaining quality while expanding their networks and establishing sub-campuses.

The minister said the government realises that universities must be autonomous to cope with administrative and managerial challenges and that lack of autonomy had caused delays at various levels.

“We want to enhance autonomy [of universities] as much as we can,” Mahmood said. However, he also stressed the importance of accountability which needs to be ensured for autonomy. He added that higher education institutions must enforce discipline.

Terming the recently-launched Ehsaas Undergraduate Scholarships a game-changer in extending support to students from low-income families, the education minister asked universities to supplement it with scholarships from their funds.

For this purpose, he exhorted universities to ensure that those who can afford education,  are asked to contribute fully to the costs.

Reminding vice-chancellors that it was their duty to provide their students with an environment conducive for studies, Mahmood urged them to provide the government with guidance on restoring student unions.

“A great responsibility lies on our shoulders to take Pakistan forward.”

He also commented on the pension-related problems faced by retired university employees, saying the entire pension system must be reconfigured.

Earlier, HEC Chairman Dr Banuri underlined the critical issues faced by universities across the country such as harassment on campuses.

“We cannot allow any issue to pollute the learning environment at our universities. As educators, the responsibility lies upon all of us to provide a safe and productive environment to our students,” he said.

He further stressed the need for varsity harassment committees to resolve complaints.

Dr Banuri disclosed that he had raised the issue of the severe financial crisis faced by varsities before Prime Minister Imran Khan who was sympathetic. He added that the premier was requested to provide Rs20 billion to help ease these difficulties. However, the finance division approved Rs5 billion.

He also emphasised taking urgent measures to prevent the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) which has turned into a pandemic. While the HEC has issued guidelines on student safety, he said that tangible measures are required to safeguard students and provide them with a safe and productive environment.

In his welcome remarks, Dr Ali said heads of universities must sensitise students and create awareness about COVID-19.

Terming sexual harassment a very sensitive issue, he said that the authorities dealing with such issues must be very careful of false allegations while ensuring that the real culprits are punished.

Briefing vice-chancellors about sexual harassment on campuses, Mehergarh Executive Director Maleha Hussain said that sexual harassment is considered a taboo in Pakistani society, which is why many cases are suppressed for fear of the stigmas associated with it.

But the surge of harassment cases in universities recently is a matter of grave concern. The issue has worsened because HEC’s anti-harassment policy was not implemented in full.

Hussain informed vice-chancellors that HEC is revising its policy on harassment to make it more effective and feasible.

Talking about preventive measures for COVID-19, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) Coordinator Professor Dr Naseem Akhtar called for creating awareness amongst faculty members and students.

All vice-chancellors said the issue of restoring student unions must be decided based on results produced by student bodies in the past.

They emphasised practical steps to avoid harassment cases in the future. Grave concerns were expressed about political control over universities and demanded that the government work to end political interference in academic as well as administrative affairs of universities.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 7^th, 2020.