KARACHI, April 30: The chairman of the Higher Education Commission, Dr Attaur Rahman has admitted he was being pressurised by “politicians” for taking action against substandard and illegal private varsities but said that the HEC was being backed by the federal cabinet and provincial governments.

“There is some pressure on us from certain politicians who don't want us to take any action against substandard and illegal varsities in the country. But it's a federal cabinet's decision, endorsed by all the provincial governments and they are bound to implement it by February 2007” he told PPI after inaugurating a wing of the Centre for Molecular Genetics (CMG), University of Karachi, here on Saturday.

On the occasion, he assured CMG Director Dr Nuzhat Ahmed of funds for the construction of the new building, scientific equipment and vehicles for the CMG KU.

Dr Atta said that the HEC was only a supervisory body and it was the responsibility of the provincial governments to implement cabinet's decision, under which the varsities that had not improved their standards would be reverted to affiliated college while all illegal varsities would be closed down by Feb 2007.

“We have categorised all public and private varsities in Pakistan and are publicising it through dailies for the awareness of parents and students” the HEC chairman informed.

Commenting on the appointment of the vice-chancellors at the public-sector varsities in the country, he said that the HEC had no intention to take the control of the public sector varsities from the provinces and intervene into their administrative affairs but it was striving for appointment of the VCs through search committees instead of political basis and pressure.

“Appointment of VCs through search committees comprising scholars is being made in the federal varsities and soon all the public-sector universities will adopt this system” he hoped.

Reiterating the pledge to increase the overall budget for higher education by 50 per cent during the next fiscal, he said it would be swelled three times within the next three years.

“The overall budget of education in Pakistan is Rs160 billion, of which only Rs22 billion is being spent on higher education while the rest is for basic education. The current ratio is 7:1 but the practice in the developed countries is to spend the budget at the ratio of 2:1 for basic and higher education” he informed.

He said that the University of Engineering, Science and Technology Pakistan inaugurated by the premier in Karachi was being established in collaboration with France at an estimated cost of Rs20 billion on 127 acres of land.

CMG KU Director Dr Nuzhat Ahmed thanked the HEC chairman for his visit.--PPI