Dr Mukhtar said the assembly has not followed standard legislative protocol and the bill was passed in a hasty manner. PHOTO: FILE
The Senate Standing Committee on Education and Training on Wednesday unanimously passed a draft bill to establish three new private universities in the federal capital. However, there is a cloud hovering over the hasty manner in which the bill was moved through both houses of parliament.
The bill — calling for establishment of My University, the Dar-ul-Madina International University and the South Asian Strategic Institute University — was moved in the National Assembly on January 29, and passed the same day, while the Senate passed it on February 18.
The meeting at the Senate Secretariat was chaired by Senator Abdul Nabi Bangash and included committee members Begum Najma Hameed and Heman Das, while Higher Education Commission (HEC) Executive Director Dr Mukhtar Ahmed and Education and Training Minister Sheikh Waqas Akram were also present.
Dr Mukhtar told the members that while the HEC is not against the establishment of new universities, despite being a major stakeholder, the commission was left out of the initial discussions. He said the assembly has not followed standard legislative protocol and the bill was passed in a hasty manner.
However, Bangash assured Ahmed that no steps would be taken until the due procedure for approval of the universities’ charters is received from the HEC. “No admissions or classes will be allowed until the HEC approves it, as it is the relevant authority for this procedure,” he said.
Akram also assured the HEC that no steps would be taken without the commission’s input.
On February 18, the bill was tabled in the Senate, but Senator Raja Zafarul Haq criticised the bill and pushed for it to be referred to the standing committee.
HEC Chairman Dr Javaid Laghari was also concerned by the hasty process. “People will now start opening universities at their whim, which will set a dangerous precedent,” he said.
An HEC official requesting anonymity told The Express Tribune that according to standard protocol, the HEC’s input is a must for quality enhancement of education institutions.
“The establishment of the HEC was to make sure that universities meet the set criteria,” he said.
Earlier, Senator Bangash said that since the bill has already been passed by the National Assembly, Cabinet and Senate, it is already in effect, but the new universities must still fulfil the criteria required by the HEC to begin functioning.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 21st, 2013.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ