HYDERABAD: The vice chancellors of 22 public sector universities in Sindh have sent a representation to Prime Mini-ster Shehbaz Sharif to seek his intervention regarding recurring budget 2023-24 for Higher Education Com-mission (HEC), and called for convening of meeting of the Council of Com-mon Interests (CCI) to resolve the matter.

In their jointly-signed representation, they said that they appreciated substantial increase in salaries and pensions for government employees from BS-1 to 22, and simultaneously expr-essed their concern and sought the PM’s attention.

They strongly called for an increase in the budget allocated to universities in order to enable them to meet enhanced salary and pension obligations. They believed that without corresponding increase in budget to account for these adjustments as well as inflation, many varsities would struggle to fulfil salary and pension commitments.

Some universities, they feared, might default and said such a situation would not only have a detrimental impact on higher education in the country, but also undermine the government’s objective of providing relief to the salaried class and pensioners.

VCs seek PM’s intervention, CCI meeting

They urged PM and chief ministers to convene a meeting of the CCI to discuss and resolve this matter of utmost national interest.

According to the current National Finance Commission (NFC) and CCI frameworks, federal government was obligated to provide recurring grants to universities. Regrettably, they said, the government had unjustly frozen the budget of Rs65bn since 2018. According to them, this action not only goes against the spirit of decisions of CCI and NFC, but also fails to uphold fair distribution of funds as per the NFC Award criteria.

Notably, they contended, universities were receiving significantly less than their rightful share. They demanded an increase in the budget from the federal government and extended appreciation to the Sindh government, chief minister and provincial HEC for their unwavering support and substantial budgetary allocations to universities and higher education institutions in Sindh.

They said this has been instrumental in ensuring survival of universities in Sindh, particularly in light of frozen budgets from federal government and difficulties faced due to high prevalence of poverty and inflation and aftermath of last year’s devastating floods where increase in student fees and other revenue sources were nearly impossible.

Thus, they said, without an increase in budget by the federal government, Sindh’s universities would not be able to pay salaries and pensions, and added they firmly believed that higher education played a pivotal role in the progress of nation and, therefore, it was imperative that political leadership acknowledged this vital national interest.

“We urge that the matter to be addressed at the highest levels including political leadership, cabinet and CCI,” said the signatories of the communication.

They called for a meeting of the HEC to discuss pressing issue and demanded that the commission’s recommendations should be submitted for consideration of the PM and his cabinet.

“Likewise, we call upon Chair of Vice Chancellors’ Committee to deliberate on these issues in a VC Committee meeting and arrange a meeting with federal ministers of finance and education seeking their personal support and intervention,” they said.

They added that HEC members from Sindh should promptly submit requisition to convene a meeting of the commission to address concerns and raise them at that level.

Published in Dawn, June 18th, 2023