FAPUASA urges govt to increase universities’ budget

Says higher education institutions face severe fund constraints to pay salaries

ISLAMABAD:

The Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (FAPUASA) on Friday expressed grave concern over the severe financial crises faced by universities in Pakistan.

The financial crisis confronting universities in Pakistan has had a devastating impact on their ability to operate effectively. As a result, many of these institutions are currently grappling with severe budgetary constraints that are preventing them from paying the monthly salaries of their faculty and staff members.

This has caused the University of Balochistan and the University of Peshawar to remain closed, with several other universities expected to follow suit in the coming days.

In this regard, Central President Dr Kalim Ullah Bareach, Vice President Dr Farukh Arsalan Siddiqui, and General Secretary Dr Ikhtuar Ali Ghomro strongly called upon the federal government to enhance the annual recurring and development budget to at least Rs500 billion for universities in the federal government budget (2023-2024) and all provincial governments to also increase their Grants to their respective universities, said the FAPUASA spokesperson.

According to FAPUASA, the current budgetary allocation for universities in Pakistan is inadequate, and this has resulted in universities struggling to cover their expenses, including paying their faculty and staff members' monthly salaries. Consequently, many of these employees are experiencing financial difficulties and are finding it difficult to make ends meet.

FAPUASA pointed out that inadequate funding has also led to a decline in the quality of education provided by universities.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 8^th, 2023.