ISLAMABAD: Announcement of the estimated budget for the financial year 2014-15 has shown that the federal government gives more importance to railways and Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) compared to the education sector.

Secretary General, Federation of All-Pakistan Universities’ Academic Staff Association (FAPUASA), Dr Kaleemullah Berach said this while talking to Dawn.

It is pertinent to mention that Rs97.15 billion have been allocated for BISP, while Rs77 billion have been allocated for the railways. However, even though education is a huge sector with over 70 public sector universities, it has only received a budget of Rs86.4 billion.

Dr Berach said that last year educationists believed that the government did not get sufficient time to prepare the budget so this year the education sector will get funds as per its requirements.

“In the current year, five universities were functional in Balochistan. Two more universities have been made functional and another two will be functional within the next few months. However, these nine universities have received the same budget as the five universities did in 2013-14, worth Rs8.55 billion,” he said, adding that the number of faculty members has also increased in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK).

Earlier this year, a delegation of FAPUASA met with the HEC chairman and asked him to ensure an increase in recurring and development budget, said Dr Berach, lamenting that the budget was, however, not increased.

“Now the public sector universities have no option but to increase the fee, which will affect the middle and lower class that will not be able to afford high fees,” he said.

“Faculty members of the universities have been allowed to pay 45 per cent income tax, but the deans and the heads of departments do not have that facility. This will discourage the faculty members from taking administrative posts, such as that of the dean,” he further said.

An official statement issued by FAPUASA claims that provincial universities have been neglected in the federal budget 2014-15. “Fifty-four new projects, worth Rs3.28 billion, have been proposed. Sindh will get 6.5 per cent, Baclochistan 9.9, Punjab 28.9, KPK 9.9, AJK/Gilgit/Fata 2.4 while the federal universities and HEC will get 42 per cent of these.

Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2014