MARDAN: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training has recommended giving sufficient funds to the universities so that they could construct their own buildings.

The recommendation was made at the 16th meeting of the NA standing committee held here the other day at the Garden Campus of Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan. Chairman of the standing committee Amirullah Marwat presided over the meeting, which was attended by 16 MNAs, vice-chancellors of different universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and officials and representatives of the Higher Education Commission and other related departments.

On this occasion, the participants gave their suggestions and recommendations for strengthening the higher education sector.

Mr Marwat told the meeting that higher education and research on different subjects was the only way to achieve progress and development. “Education is the only solution to our problems and more and more investment should be made in this sector,” he said.

MNA Zulfiqar Ali Bhatti criticised officials of the universities for their poor research work. In response, Haripour University vice-chancellor Prof Nasir Ali Khan said that universities had not been provided sufficient funds over the years and that was why these institutions could not produce any invention or other creative work.

He asked the chairman of the standing committee to recommend to the federal government to enhance funds for the universities so that they could give the desired results.

Some of the lawmakers said that they would recommend to the government to establish a video link between the Higher Education Commission and universities so as to resolve problems of the educational institutions.

Published in Dawn, May 28th, 2016