Education association wants investigation into HEC bias

Fapuasa believes the smaller provinces are not being fairly represented.

HYDERABAD: University teachers have called for an inquiry against the Higher Education Commission (HEC) for its alleged discrimination with the smaller provinces.

In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (Fapuasa) demanded an investigation by a committee of senators and Fapuasa representatives.

"The senate committee on law and justice should constitute a committee comprising senators from smaller provinces and Fapuasa office bearers," wrote Dr Azhar Ali Shah, the association's vice-president, in the letter. "The committee will investigate violations of provincial job quotas by the HEC and its recognised federal public sector universities."

The demand comes in the backdrop of the July 2 meeting of vice-chancellors (VC) of government universities in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The meeting decried what they described as the discriminatory attitude of the HEC towards certain provinces, as most of the HEC's funding is provided to the 14 federal varsities based in Islamabad. The VCs asked the HEC to ensure representation of all the provinces in its governing body as per the law. Nine members of the body are selected by the prime minister.

The teachers from Sindh also complain that besides the job and admission quotas, the HEC also discriminates in its scholarships and travel grants, trainings, placement of foreign-returned PhD scholars in research and development projects. "In repeated meetings with HEC officials, we have cited these complaints," Dr Shah told The Express Tribune.

According to him, during Fapuasa's meeting in February with Dr Mukhtar Ahmed, before his elevation to the post of HEC chairman HEC, Ahmed acknowledged their grievances and assured them of an inquiry and promised to make its findings public. However, Dr Shah lamented, even after five months the promised investigation is yet to be initiated.

The Fapuasa also objects to what they feel is unfair induction from Sindh and Balochistan on higher positions of the HEC. According to Dr Shah, there are 20 directors in the HEC, but only one of them is from Sindh.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 7^th, 2014.