The parliamentary panel’s meeting, held at Quaid-i-Azam University, was largely focused on previous committee agenda regarding funding for some of the varsities in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the HEC’s distribution formula.
Chairing the meeting, Senator Abdul Nabi Bangash accused the HEC of failing to follow up on an assurance to release funds for Bacha Khan University, Mardan. “The HEC was requested to include Rs400 million for the varsity in the Public Sector Development Programme 2014-15, which has gone in vain since not a single penny was allocated for the university,” Bangash said.
He argued that the HEC had later promised to release Rs100 million in May, but till date, only Rs60 million have been released. “Why does the HEC think it can do whatever it wants,” he remarked.
Funding formula
In response to Bangash’s allegations, HEC Executive Director (ED) Mansoor Kundi replied that there is a certain criterion and funding formula for allocations that the HEC has to follow allocations. “Varsities, especially new ones, are not encouraged in its increase, while a formula based on the institution’s performance, number of students and other factor also considered,” Kundi commented.
The reply failed to impress Bangash, who said the HEC should not unilaterally decide who should get what amount.
Bahauddin Zakaria University Vice Chancellor Khwaja Alqama also disagreed with the formula and added the number of varsities is increasing, but the HEC has stuck to the same formula.
Commission meeting
The chairperson of the committee asked who reviewed such policy issues, to which the ED replied that job was tasked to a 17-member commission.
“But there hasn’t been a single commission meeting for the last one-and-a-half year,” he admitted. Bangash asked what was stopping them from holding a meeting.
The ED said, “The availability of members is the issue and next time we will ensure that a meeting is held.”
Senator Najma Hameed and Senator Ilyas Bilour suggested that inactive members should be removed from the commission. The chairperson directed the HEC to hold a meeting by October and send the minutes to the subcommittee.
The body also urged capital varsities and QAU to increase quotas for students from Balochistan and Fata. It added that Fata and G-B should not have to share a quota.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 19th, 2014.
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