ISLAMABAD: After concerns expressed by vice chancellors of public sector universities, the governing body of Higher Education Commission (HEC) on Friday deplored the unprecedented and massive cut on budget of the higher education sector.

Participants of an online meeting of the commission, presided over by HEC Chairman Dr Tariq Banuri, criticised the government’s move of imposing a cut on HEC’s recurring budget. They said that the proposed cut will destroy the efforts made in the last two decades [for bringing improvement in education sector].

For the upcoming fiscal year, the government has decided to allocate Rs30 billion to HEC as recurring grant (for salaries and pension) for public sector universities against HEC’s demand of Rs104 billion. The Rs30 billion budget is also 45pc less than the current fiscal year’s Rs66 billion budget.

The other day, VCs of public sector universities had urged the government to provide funds in accordance with the demand put forth by HEC. If this was not done, they said, the higher education sector would not survive.

Following concerns of vice chancellors, the commission on Friday unanimously demanded reversal of the government’s decision and provision of due share to the higher education sector in the upcoming budget. Officials have warned that this cut will lead to dire consequences including closing of institutions, winding up of university programmes, firing of faculty members, termination of research projects and halting of international higher education agreements.

According to HEC, the finance ministry has communicated indicative budget ceilings (IBC) of only Rs30 billion for higher education’s recurring grant against the rationalised demand of Rs104.9 billion.

It was pointed out in the meeting that academics have been demanding provision of at least 1pc of the gross domestic product (GDP) for higher education, but the proposed allocation of merely 0.04pc of the GDP will be disastrous for the already struggling higher education sector, where universities are finding it hard to manage even basic expenses like payment of salaries, pensions and services.

The commission members said that they were conscious of the country’s current financial situation, but the higher education sector has already been ignored and has never gotten its minimum required share in the budget.

New institutions have been chartered unabatedly without realisation of the budgetary impact of this expansion, they said, adding while increasing access and quality of higher education in the country is a common agenda of every government, it is impracticable without enough financial support on a sustainable basis.

Public universities would be left with no other option but to increase the fees, enhance student intake beyond capacity, they said.

The members were also briefed about the meeting of vice chancellors that was held on Thursday, in which they made it clear, saying that the budget cut was taken to completely ignor the higher education sector.

Published in Dawn, May 28th, 2022