No cut in HEC budget, ministers assure VCs

Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal and Minister for Education and Professional Training Rana Tanvir Hussain have assured heads of public sector universities that the government will not cut the higher education sector’s budget for the fiscal year 2022-23.

The ministers were addressing the vice-chancellors’ committee meeting held at the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Islamabad. Vice-chancellors of all the public sector universities and the HEC’s governing body members attended the meeting.

The vice-chancellors conveyed their concerns about the proposed budget ceiling of only Rs30 billion for higher education’s recurring grant for the financial year 2022-23. However, they welcomed the assurances of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif concerning the protection of the higher education sector’s budget. They emphasised that HEC had presented a rationalised demand of Rs104.983 billion for the next financial year, which was worked out together with the Ministry of Finance which needed to be protected.

Ahsan Iqbal affirmed that the government was cognizant of the importance of higher education and universities in the development of a nation. He underlined that the country needs to bring the universities to the forefront to help tackle challenges by fully utilising the potential of youth. “States unable to provide education to their youth fail to survive,” he said adding that Pakistan has rich endowments and it will turn around the tide of economic hardships.

The minister said that the universities carry out mentoring of almost two million youth, who were the future of the country. He termed classrooms and laboratories national security frontiers while calling the vice-chancellors the corps commanders. He highlighted that it was up to the vice-chancellors as to how they prepare the youth for future challenges. “We have to provide a platform to our youth to bring Pakistan to the position it deserves and inculcate the principle of unity in diversity,” he said.

Education Minister Rana Tanveer said that he stood by the universities in their fair demand for the allocation of Rs104.983 billion. He stressed the need for quality education, innovation and research in universities to equip the youth with skills. He said that the government will take steps to improve the financial management of universities. He expressed his approval for a recommendation of the vice-chancellors regarding the budget allocation to higher education as compared to the growth in the gross domestic product (GDP).

HEC Executive Director Dr Shaista Sohail underlined that the public sector universities were already under financial straits with some universities facing a financial crunch to even pay salaries and pensions. She said that the HEC has presented a rationalised demand of Rs104.983 billion for the next financial year.

She said that the HEC funds 100 public sector universities, 50 research centres/institutes and 18 new universities. It will be impossible to run universities if any cut was enforced, she cautioned.

She said that the federal government provides around 34 per cent of the funds needed to run universities and provinces allocate up to eight per cent while the universities arrange the rest of the monetary requirements.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 4^th, 2022.