close
Thursday March 28, 2024

Federal govt okays ordinance ending HEC autonomy

HEC established in 2002 as an autonomous institution to ensure promotion of quality education without any political interference

By Web Desk
April 08, 2021

The federal government has decided to formally end Higher Education Commission's (HEC) autonomy by making it a subordinate to the Ministry of Education.

All future decisions of the HEC will now approved by the Ministry of Education. The federal cabinet has approved an ordinance on HEC.

According to the ordinance, the appointment of the HEC chairperson will be for two years and the members of HEC will be appointed for four years.

It has been renamed as the HEC Amendment Ordinance, 2021. President Arif Alvi has approved the ordinance.

Read more: Govt bid to end HEC autonomy shocks higher education sector

The HEC was established in 2002 as an autonomous institution to ensure the promotion of quality education without any political interference.

Even though the HEC is based in Islamabad, four of the 18 members of the HEC Commission represent the provinces while two represent the federation. Therefore, curtailing the autonomy of the HEC may harm the growing cooperation between the HEC and provincial higher education set-ups.