Assistance: HEC to release Rs430m to four varsities

ISLAMABAD:

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) will soon release Rs430 million for four universities.

Of the sum, the Quaid-i-Azam University will get Rs80 million, the International Islamic University Rs64 million, the Punjab University Rs110 million and the Balochistan University Rs256 million.

The information was shared by HEC Chairperson Dr Mukhtar Ahmad while talking to President Federation of All-Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (FAPUASA) Dr Waheed Chaudhry along with representatives of various universities.

On the issue of appointments in the higher education sector, Dr Ahmad told the delegation that the government has reconstituted the search committee, however, the process of appointments of vice-chancellors will be completed in two to four weeks.

On the issue of tenure track system (TTS) of university teachers, he said that a fresh summary for increasing TTS pays was being prepared.

On the issue of ban on recruitment, the HEC chairman told the delegation that requests by the HEC for relaxation of the ban were turned down by the prime minister’s office. “Instead, the PM’s office was demanding case-by-case elaboration of why a specific position was needed to be filled,” he said.

Dr Ahmed said that the HEC was earmarking Rs50 million for faculty development of social sciences with a focus on hiring PhD scholars.

The HEC chairman suggested that all universities should launch special coaching programs and research proposal writings in English for students of social sciences so that they could easily get admissions in foreign universities and get the necessary funding.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 14^th, 2014.