Political rallies at campuses draw ire

Education minister says universities operating without NOC from HEC will not be granted funds

ISLAMABAD:

The National Assembly Standing Committee on Education and Vocational Training has taken notice of the political rallies held at universities and sought a report from the Higher Education Commission (HEC) about reasons for organising these gatherings.

The NA panel met under the chairmanship of Makhdoom Syed Samiul Hassan Gillani on Tuesday.

During the meeting, Federal Education Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain announced the government will not fund varsities that had come into existence without obtaining a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the HEC.

Hussain expressed his concern over the political rallies held at the universities, saying they were not good for the academic atmosphere and called for their discontinuation.               

Committee member Chaudhry Hamid sought a report on universities where political speeches were delivered after which Hussain directed the HEC officials to present details asking on what ground the political gatherings were held.

Another committee member Shazia Sobia said that the HEC started issuing NOCs to the varsities after some of the country’s varsities were ranked among the best universities. The education minister said that they would consider quality and not rankings.

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Member National Assembly Aliya Kamran raised the issue of 300 female teachers who were working on deputation for the Federal Directorate of Education.

Hussain said that he wanted to resolve the issue, adding that they were looking at each and every case separately, after which the committee handed over the matter to the education minister.

Later, while talking to media, Hussain noted that a few universities operated in Punjab without obtaining NOC from the HEC.

He said varsities that operated without obtaining NOC from the HEC would not be granted funds by the government, adding that they will also not have the authority to award degrees.

He censured PTI Chairman Imran Khan for delivering political speeches at the universities, saying they affected the academic atmosphere.

The PTI chief had been visiting different universities recently and delivering speeches targeting his political opponents.