The beleaguered chairman of the Higher Education Commission on Wednesday questioned the credibility and viability of higher education and research institutions of the country.
"What have our so-called scientists produced so far? No one can tell. We doubt that they have produced anything worth mentioning," Banuri said speaking at seminar held at the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Sciences and Technology (FUUAST) Karachi.
"In Pakistan, the highly coveted academic achievement of the Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) has been turned into a market degree," said Banuri, a PhD Economics from the Havard University. He was removed from his post by the federal government in March 2021 and reinstated by the Islamabad High Court in January 2022. The federal government has, however, stripped him of all powers, which now rest with the director general of the HEC.
"Except for private universities, our public sector universities are not independent," Banuri said. Explaining the extent of official interference in the affairs of the universities, he said that the vice chancellor of a university was afraid of talking to him.
"The VC thought that if he talks to me, the authorities might deduct his salary, or worst, register cases against him, though he knew that I am telling the truth, but he cannot do anything," the outspoken HEC head said.
"One-third of universities in Pakistan are receiving excessive funding against the formula. The remaining get less funding than needed. We do not want any university to be funded on a discriminatory basis but on a performance-based formula," he added.
FUUAST Professor Asghar Dashti said the state of affairs at public universities have deteriorated to the point that the President of Pakistan and Chancellor of FUUAST Dr Arif Alvi had appointed a graduate having two-year executive BBA degree as the convener for the search committee for the vice chancellor of the institution. However, Dashti said, even that the search committee was not included in the scrutiny of the VC candidates and the whole process was outsourced.
Read IHC restores Banuri as chairman of HEC
A seminar was forcibly postponed when Karachi University Teachers Association invited HEC chairman Dr Tariq Banuri, Dashti said, "we showed more courage and political insight than the teachers of Karachi University and today we called the HEC chairman here because the doors of Karachi University were closed on the head of HEC."
‘Higher education sector in crisis’
There is a crisis in the country at the level of higher education, said the Higher Education Commission (HEC) Tariq Banuri addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Thursday along with Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER) chief Karamat Ali.
“There is a crisis of authority in HEC and I’m trying to control it,” said Banuri, who was reinstated by the Islamabad High Court earlier this year after the federal government had sacked him in March 2021.
“Ataur Rehman and Iqbal Chaudhry had a hand in getting me removed,” Banur alleged adding “We gave project concept (PC-1) of Rs700 million for the university at the Prime Minister’s House. Then this plan was taken from us and given to Dr Ataur Rehman.”
Rehman submitted PC-1 of Rs45 billion for the project of converting PM House in to a varsity as per the Premier Imran Khan’s electoral promise. The amount Rehman suggested was impracticable and “We opposed it,” Banuri said. “When I was removed through an ordinance, the PC-1 for a university at PM House was approved for Rs25 billion. This project concept was not even worth granting Rs10,” he claimed.
University teachers are being pressured not to call me. First the University of Karachi, then the University of Peshawar and now the Urdu University teachers were pressured not to invite me to the university. I want a social movement to form which would take these issues forward.
HEC alone cannot do anything. Students and teachers should join this movement. PILER’s Karamat Ali said that according to the prime minister, two million children are out of school. “What funds were allocated for them?”
Published in The Express Tribune, February 25th, 2022.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ