ISLAMABAD, Dec 3: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has closed down a number of programmes due to a Rs4 billion cut in its budget by the Ministry of Finance.

These programmes had been initiated to improve the quality of education and research and equip the laboratories and libraries.

Documents available with the agency show that Chairman Higher Education Commission Dr Attaur Rehman during a presentation to the Senate Standing Committee on Education, Science and Technology expressed his anger at the Rs4 billion cut slapped by the Ministry of Finance and said that Section 10(g) of the HEC Ordinance enshrined that the Higher Education Commission will submit its development budgets to the federal government and allocate funds to the public sector institutions out of the financial provision received from the government and other resources on performance and need basis.

He told the committee that the commission should have been provided Rs15.740 billion as recurring grant for the year 2006-07 but the allocation reflected in the budget book was shown as Rs11.280 billion that was insufficient for the commission.

Dr Rehman further demanded an additional Rs7.320 billion for implementation of the four-year degree programme, tenure-track system, PERN, digital library and research but the ministry agreed to provide Rs6.2 billion.

He made it clear to the committee that the cut in budget would render the commission unable to continue the four-year degree programme.

He further told the committee that the programmes initiated under these projects would have to be closed down and the universities would not be able to pay the 15 per cent increase in salary to the teachers and other staff announced by the government in current year budget.

Dr Atta was of the view that the universities own source of income was tuition fee only and an increase in fee would cause protests by the students. —Online