LAHORE:
The Higher Education Commission is undergoing a “systematic destruction” via a “heinous conspiracy”, former HEC Chairman Dr Attaur Rahman said on Saturday, condemning the replacement of the commission’s executive director.
Speaking to reporters after the 8th Convocation of the University of Management and Technology, Dr Rahman said that an Establishment Division notification replacing Dr Sohail H Naqvi with Major (retired) Qamar Zaman, a former education secretary, was an attack on the institution’s autonomous status. “All administrative powers including over appointments lie with the commission,” he said, adding that the Supreme Court had ruled that the government must not interfere with the HEC.
“While HEC continues to be appreciated internationally for its integrity as a higher education institution, it faces much different treatment at home. We are our own worst enemies,” he said.
“Education and science and technology are largely being neglected by this government,” he said, noting that it had closed commissions on biotechnology and nanotechnology and halved the HEC budget.
He demanded that the prime minister reverse the appointment.
Earlier, nine hundred and ninety-nine students were conferred their degrees at the UMT convocation ceremony. Forty-three graduates were awarded medals for achieving distinction.
Addressing the convocation as the keynote speaker, Dr Rahman said the number of universities in Pakistan had increased from almost 50 universities in the early 2000s to 137. He said enrollment figures had increased 270, 000 in 2003 to 970,000 now. UMT Rector Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad awarded Dr Rahman the UMT Lifetime Achievement Award, which was introduced last year.
Four-hundred and ninety three of the graduates were from School of Business and Economics, 223 from the School of Science and Technology, 131 from the School of Social Sciences and Humanities, 79 from the Institute of Audit and Accountancy and 73 from the School of Professional Advancement.
A convocation was also held at the Forman Christian College. FCC Rector Dr James A Tebbe bid farewell to 158 students who received their degrees at the convocation at the Sinclair Hall here on Saturday.
Addressing the convocation, Dr Tebbe said FC College (FCC) would celebrate 150 years of service to education two years from now. He said the college had 192 active faculty members, of whom 99 were PhDs. There were almost 3,000 students enrolled in their Baccalaureate programmes, 200 in MPhil programmes and more than 6,000 in their intermediate programmes. He said the varsity put importance to the promotion of women’s education with 34 per cent and 60 per cent of those enrolled in the baccalaureate and MPhil programmes, respectively, were women.
A total of 130 students graduated from the institute’s baccalaureate programme and 28 from its postgraduate programmes. Fifty-seven of these graduated with honours in the Bachelor of Science program and 48 obtained their honours degree in Bachelor of Arts programme. Seven students in the Intermediate programme received medals for distinctions in the programme, while another 15 in the Intermediate program received Certificates of Distinction for securing top three positions in specific disciplines in the Lahore BISE examinations.
FCC intermediate programme teacher Daniel Yousaf received the Outstanding Teacher Award 2012 from Dr Tebbe.
Governor Sardar Latif Khan Khosa was scheduled to deliver the convocation address, but was unable to due to political engagements.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 2nd, 2012.
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Its a move which politicians have been palannig for the last many years. If they suceed in doing so we will see the scholarship being distributed by politicians the way they in benazir income support program. its a move to save the scholar ships from the talented youth for the incompetent sons and daughters of politicians and beurocrates. May allah save HEC from the cluthes of politicians and beurocrates.
Its a move which politicians have been palannig for the last many years. If they suceed in doing so we will see the scholarship being distributed by politicians the way they in benazir income support program. its a move to save the scholar ships from the talented youth for the incompetent sons and daughters of politicians and beurocrates. May allah save HEC from the cluthes of politicians and beurocrates.
Lets Get rid of This Govt and vote some one who understand better the role of education. Sharif and Zardari family are just business minded person. They not build any good university in last five years in Punjab or Pakistan. Even Sharif family fail in last five years to give one syllabus to schools in Punjab. education is not there priority at all. HEC did great job under Dr Rahman. We all condemn the dismal of Dr Sohail Noqvi by PPP govt.
Dear Dr. ATTA UR Rahman, thank you for writing in tribune. You are a good scientist.But you are not a good Administrative.You are much aware that the Appointment of Dr. Naqvi in HEC was illegal and he hostage the HEC. Meda also flashed his illegal appointment. Now, thanks to the Prime Minister who took action against illegal apportionment. We have listened that You are again want to go court to protect Dr. Naqvi.I want to tell you it would be a very wrong decision on your part.
We must understand what is the real way to make progress in world, We may have to walk on the foot steps of the Asian giant. What defines a global "superpower"? In the past, it was the size of national armies or possession of nuclear weapons. But now there is a more important benchmark: the size and prestige of university systems. And, while the US is still the global higher education "superpower", China will soon be knocking it off top spot if current trends continue. IN 1996, China produced just 5,000 PhD students a year. That was only about half the number in the UK, Japan. Since then, China has overtaken every other country in the world except the US in terms of the numbers of doctoral degrees awarded. The numbers have risen to 34,000 in 2006 and, based on current enrolments, this will surge past 50,000 a year in just three or four years, at which point it will overtake the current world leader, the US. We have to learn lesson from China in higher education. But I feel Zardari and Nawaz Sharif have to such vision to understand the vision to make progressive land. What they did in Last five years even they slash the HEC funding in Pakistan.