HEC Made No Progress on University Funding Since March 2021

There has been no progress on the new funding formula for universities proposed by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) as it has no chairperson to constitute a new committee after the former’s resignation.

In a meeting, the education commission had formulated a plan for the distribution of funds on the demand of vice-chancellors of universities two years ago. The meeting had formed a committee to work on the distribution of funds among universities.

Led by Vice-Chancellor of Balochistan University of Information Technology Engineer Ahmed Farooq Bazai, the committee included VC of IBA University (Sukkur) Prof. Nisar Ahmed Siddiqui (late), former surgeon general Asif Mumtaz Sukhera, the executive director of HEC, and a nominee of the finance division.

The committee had recommended that HEC should consider devising a uniform policy to regulate fees in universities.

HEC may consider categorizing universities according to their enrollment, age, and type to develop allocation of the recurring grant. In addition to recommended determinants of need-based grants, HEC may also consider such additional factors as pension problems in older universities, and startup challenges in newly-established universities.

However, the committee chairman stepped down before the completion of the task, while another committee member passed away in June 2020. The committee has since been without a chairman.

The former HEC chairman Dr. Tariq Banuri was removed from his post in March 2021 when the incumbent government reduced his four-year tenure by half. Dr. Banuri has moved to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against the decision, and the matter is still in court.

In the absence of a permanent chairman Dr. Shaista Sohail, who retired in August this year, has been running the affairs of the commission after getting an extension.

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