ISLAMABAD:
Students from the restive Kurram Agency continue to pay full tuition fees in universities across the country despite directions to the contrary.
The Ministry of Human Rights had written to HEC and universities some three months back on National Assembly Standing Committee on Human Rights’ recommendation in a May 2011 meeting to waive tuition fees for students from Kurram.
The recommendation was made by the committee in view of the disturbance created by sectarian violence and the years-long blockade of link roads in the agency, which has led to serious socioeconomic consequences for the community.
The letters were written by Advisor to the Prime Minister on Human Rights Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar to COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, National University of Modern Languages (Numl), Bahria University, Quaid-i-Azam University, Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamic International University Islamabad, National University of Science and Technology, Federal Urdu University of Arts and Science and Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences among others.
Most of the universities did not follow the instructions on the grounds that they are already facing a financial crunch and can not afford to offer any more fee waivers.
Students said that some universities referred their cases to the HEC to arrange for funding, since the universities are already faced with financial constraints.
“I have applied for a fee waiver in Comsats as I could not pay Rs77,000 in fees due to my weak financial position, but the university cancelled my admission when I failed to deposit the fee,” said Nayab Hussain Luqmani, a student from Kurram Agency.
In his reply to the human rights’ ministry, Numl Director General (DG) Brigadier Azam Jamal opined that in 2009, internally-displaced students from Swat and Malakand were provided with financial assistance by the HEC under government directives, and that the financial impact of the flood-affected students of K-P were waived under HEC’s instruction.
He added that the fee for students from these areas was required to be reimbursed by the HEC, which has amounted to over Rs20 million in unpaid fees. The HEC, he said, should be approached for solution to the issue.
HEC Executive Director Sohail Naqvi said that he has no knowledge of the particular case and would look into the matter.
Aijaz Hussain Shah, the director of Human Rights Seekers, a non-governmental organisation pursuing the cases of students from Kurram Agency, said that no university had responded positively to the NA standing committee’s instructions.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 9th, 2012.
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