HEC urges CM to abort bid to amend varsities law

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan has strongly opposed the Sindh government's decision of appointing bureaucrats as vice chancellors of public sector universities in the province.

In a letter addressed to Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, HEC Chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmed termed such a move detrimental to academic integrity. He urged the provincial administration to abandon plans for amending the Sindh Universities and Institutes Laws Act, 2018, to facilitate such changes.

Dr Ahmed expressed grave concern over reports of proposed legislative amendments that would change the criteria for appointing VCs and rectors in public universities across Sindh. The proposed changes, if enacted, would allow non-PhD holders to be eligible for these key academic positions, a move that the HEC warns will harm the academic standards of higher education institutions.

Appointing non-academic administrators to positions traditionally reserved for academicians could undermine academic freedom, stifle critical thinking, and set a harmful precedent for other provinces, reads the letter. "Such decisions will have far-reaching consequences for the quality and autonomy of higher education."

Citing the Council of Common Interests (CCI) decision of April 7, 2021, the letter reminds the Sindh government that the HEC is recognised as the sole national standard-setting body for higher education in Pakistan. The CCI resolution reinforced the need for the HEC to oversee and maintain uniformity in higher education policies nationwide.