ISLAMABAD: The federal government has allocated Rs29 billion for the development projects of Higher Education Commission (HEC) in the fiscal year 2019-20.

According to the budget documents, the Rs29.046bn have been earmarked for 120 ongoing and 17 new schemes of the HEC.

An official in the HEC termed the allocation satisfactory for the higher education sector. However, he said the allocated amount should be released without any reduction. It has been a common practice of successive governments to impose cuts on the allocated amount, he said.

According to budget documents, amount will be spent on 120 ongoing and 17 new schemes in higher education sector

Out of the total Rs30.9bn development budget of the outgoing financial year, so far the HEC has received only Rs18bn.

“We are making every effort to get the remaining budget before the end of the current financial year,” said the official.

According to the budget documents, Rs80 million have been earmarked for construction of a hostel and sports facilities at Karakoram International University. The total worth of the project is Rs316.39m.

A sum of Rs50m has been allocated for the construction of the University of Mines and Mineral in Naukandi (total cost Rs500m) and Rs300m for development and extension of Bolan University of Health Sciences, Quetta. The total cost of the project is Rs1.6bn.

Besides, Rs500m have been allocated for the establishment of Federal Institute at Hyderabad (total cost Rs1.9bn), Rs100m for establishment of National Centre for GIS and Space Application (total cost Rs1.03bn) and Rs140m for the setting up of National Centre for Nano-Science and Nano-Technology (total cost Rs1.46bn).

Moreover, Rs300 million have been set aside for establishment of a new campus of National University of Technology (total cost Rs2.9bn) and Rs400m for establishment of Pak-China National Research Centre on Earth Sciences at Quaid-i-Azam University (total cost Rs3.5bn with a Chinese share of 150m Yuan) and Rs50 million for establishment of a women campus of Kohat University of Science and Technology (total cost Rs986.98m).

The government also allocated Rs150m for establishment of a women sub-campus at Batkhala University of Malakand (total cost Rs1.55bn).

An amount of Rs950m has also been allocated for Higher Education Development Programme (total cost Rs11.56bn) and Rs300m for a project of the University of Veterinary and Animals Sciences for livestock sector development through capacity building, applied research and technology transfer (total worth of the project being Rs1.6bn).

Similarly, Rs100m will be spent on Pak-UK knowledge gateway project of the HEC (total cost Rs832m) and Rs200m on provision of academic and research facilities and setting up of a girls’ hostel at the QAU (total cost Rs2.07bn).

Besides, Rs200m have been earmarked for strengthening and development of physical and technological infrastructure at University of Haripur. The project will cost Rs1.54bn).

Meanwhile, Rs50m have been allocated for upgradation and capacity building of Pakistan Academy of Sciences (total cost Rs519m) and Rs289m for uplifting academic and infrastructure facilities at Hazara University, Mansehra, (total cost Rs1.7bn).

Published in Dawn, June 12th, 2019