ISLAMABAD: Public sector universities are facing a funding shortage and some are in dire need of financial support, Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairman Dr Tariq Banuri told a Senate committee on Thursday.

While briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Education and Professional Training, Dr Banuri said that a public sector university spends Rs150,000 per student, while the government provides on average just Rs50,000 per student.

A few days ago, public sector universities’ vice chancellors also criticised the cuts to the higher education budget in the budgetary allocation for 2019-20. They said some universities are on the verge of closing, and demanded a supplementary grant of Rs10 billion.

He also told senators that while more attention used to be given to issuing degrees, now focus is being paid on quality as well.

A university spends Rs150,000 per student, while the government provides on average just Rs50,000, Senate body informed

He admitted that social sciences were neglected in the past due to curriculum issues, but now that the curriculum is being revised special attention is being given to social sciences.

While discussing Pakistani PhDs in local and foreign universities in the last 10 years, Dr Banuri said 11,991 students completed PhDs from local universities of which 7,997 were men and 3,994 were women.

He said that in the same period, 2,160 students completed PhDs abroad, of which 1,767 were men and 393 were women.

He said 54 students from Balochistan completed PhDs locally and 91 did so abroad. To this, Senator Usman Kakar said that Balochistan has a very small share in higher education despite playing an important role in the country’s development.

Senator Kakar said public sector universities in Balochistan have been facing a shortage of PhD scholars, and demanded special measures to encourage Balochistan’s students to enrol in such programmes. He added the number of scholarships for students in Balochistan should be increased.

In response to the senator, Dr Banuri said the HEC has been taking, and will take, special measures to provide the maximum facilities to students in Balochsitan.

Senators Nauman Wazir Khattak and Mohammad Ali Khan Saif said PhD scholars should conduct research on matters that are relevant to the country’s needs. Senator Khattak said research work produced by PhD scholars provides almost no benefit to the country’s progress.

The committee also took up the matter of the pending National Technology Council and was informed that the HEC is preparing a draft bill after input from stakeholders that will soon be forwarded to the Ministry of Federal Education.

The committee decided to take up the issue again at its next meeting.

The council, which will accredit BTech and diploma engineers, was formed in 2015 but its act was not passed by parliament, causing unrest among diploma holders and technician engineers.

The committee also recommended the merit-based regularisation of services of teachers associated with the National Commission for Human Development and Basic Education Community Schools.

Ministry officials told the committee that the issues of teachers’ pending salaries have been resolved and the matter of their regularisation will also be taken up.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2019