ISLAMABAD: The budget for the higher education sector should be increased to at least 1pc of the GDP, Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairman Dr Tariq Banuri said on Thursday.

Sharing the commission’s achievements, challenges and prospects with Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood during a briefing at HEC, Dr Banuri said the higher education sector received only 0.1pc of the GDP in 2001-2, which was increased to 0.33pc in 2006-7.

However, he said, the budget declined to 0.19pc in 2011-12 and has only been increased to 0.26pc since.

He emphasised the need for increasing the budget for the sector to at least 1pc of the GDP.

Published in Dawn, August 31st, 2018