KARACHI, July 11: In spite of the existence of a a high-level committee for the promotion of social sciences in the country, both the education ministry and Higher Education Commission (HEC) are showing reluctance in providing adequate funds for research and development activities in social sciences sector.
Social scientists complain that an extraordinary patronage is being accorded to natural sciences by the ministry and HEC which have been granting substantial financial assistance to natural sciences for years.
“The government pays Rs5,000 additional allowance to a professor with Ph.D degree in natural sciences and only Rs1,500 to a social scientist having the same degree,” a social scientist at Karachi University pointed out on Thursday.
Referring to a recent meeting between KU teachers and Dr Attaur Rehman, he claimed: “At first, he refused to listen to our arguments regarding an increase in funding for social sciences. Then he said that the matter did not come under his purview.”
The scientist said that he and his colleagues asked the HEC authorities, especially Dr Atta, on several occasions for adequate funds for social sciences. Dr Atta, he said, had been made chairman of the HEC and looking after the problems of public sector universities.
“Social sciences are as important as natural sciences, hence the government ought to consider their financial requirements,” the scientist insisted and warned that long-term effect of the current policy would be disastrous.
It is worth mentioning here that the HEC has formed a high-level committee for the development of social sciences but majority of academicians and teachers are not satisfied by the steps initiated by the Commission.
A former vice-chancellor of Karachi University, Dr Manzoor Ahmad, was nominated as the chairman of the committee which was asked to prepare an action plan for the systematic strengthening of social sciences. The committee is a follow-up of the HEC’s project of initiating a Ph.D scholarship scheme for human resource development in social sciences, arts and humanities.
The members of the committee are Dr Najma Najam (VC of Fatima Jinnah Women University), Dr Zulfiqar Gilani (VC of Peshawar University), Dr Aslam Sayyad, Dr Tariq Rahman, Dr Muhammad Wasim, Dr Ijaz Hussain, Tanvir Anjum, Dr Khalid Ghani, Dr Dushka Sayed, Dr Lutfullah Mangi, Dr Talat, Dr Iftikharun Nisa Hassan, Dr Muhammad Anwar, Dr Ghazala Irfan and Dr Asad Zaman.
Social scientists believe that all the matters concerning social sciences and humanities should be given priority and projects formalized to promote research and development in the fields of social sciences and humanities.—PPI
