Facing financial constraints in pursuing research and development projects, several big government universities in Lahore are considering a hike in their fees.
According to the budget documents, the Punjab government has allocated Rs18 billion for the 51 public sector universities in the province for the coming year. As compared to that, the Sindh government has allocated Rs42 billion for its 32 universities.
The government universities in Punjab, especially the large institutions, may face problems in promoting research and development because of shortage of funds.
Sources in the higher education sector said the big government universities in Punjab were already facing shortage of funds and are now thinking about increasing their tuition, examination, hostel and transport fees from the coming academic session.
On the other hand, university teachers say the government should increase the budget to avert a financial crisis for the institutions.
The administrations of the universities are also concerned about the impact of the low allocation of funds on their thousands of students. An increase of about 20 per cent in the fees would result in a large number of students finding higher education unaffordable.
Some government university student groups were already protesting against increase in fees. The Punjab University, University of Engineering and Technology, Bahauddin Zakaria University and Government University Faisalabad were already by increasing their fees ilarecent years.
The sources said the Punjab University had been allocated Rs70.8 million in the budget for the coming year, while Sindh government has allocated Rs3.5 billion for Karachi University. About 54,000 students are enrolled at Punjab University, while the number in Karachi University is 45,000.
"The universities in the world are only recognised due to research activities and contribution but what can we do when there is shortage of funds," said Dr Munawar Sabir, a Professor of Punjab University. He said the university had faced delay in salaries last year the situation might worsen now, making university education more difficult for the middle class.
He said most of the students of the government universities were from remote areas and poor families who could not afford expensive education, but it would be difficult to run the government universities without increasing the fees.
The Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association has also expressed concerns over the budget allocations and its members have also tried to persuade Punjab government to increase the funds for the public sector universities.
FAPAUSA President Dr Amjad Magsi said the teachers were disturbed over the low budget allocation for the universities. He said grants from the Punjab government were essential for the universities to meet their research, development and operational costs.
He said it was already difficult for the universities to function effectively with itching their financial allocations. Better funding is critical not only for sustainability but also for maintaining global standing. Punjab University has been ranked among the top 5.2% universities in the world, according to the independent Centre for World University Rankings (CWUR). Sustaining and improving this position requires strategic investment in faculty, research infrastructure and student support systems, he said.
The leader said the association had also voiced concern over the federal government's proposal to withdraw the existing 25% income tax exemption for teachers and researchers, warning that such a move would discourage research, innovation and knowledge production, which were pillars of progress.
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