NA body okays bill for special seats in universities

Bill mandates that private universities and institutions allocate 15% of their seats to deserving students

By Asim Yasin

February 27, 2025

A representational image showing the outside view of the the parliament building in Islamabad. — APP/File

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Federal Education, Professional Training, National Heritage, and Culture has approved “The Reservation of Special Seats for Deserving Persons in Universities Bill, 2024.”

The bill mandates that private universities and institutions allocate 15% of their seats to deserving students, providing them with free education.

This initiative, to be fully funded by private universities and institutions, aims to support students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds and marginalised communities. A meeting of the committee, chaired by Dr. Azim Uddin Zahid Lakhvi, was held at the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) in Islamabad to review the budgetary proposals of the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training for the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) 2025-26.

The ministry unveiled its proposed PSDP budget of Rs42,585.29 million for the fiscal year 2025-26, including Rs36,410 million for 13 ongoing projects and Rs6,175.29 million for nine new initiatives.

The proposed allocations reflect the government’s commitment to advancing education, professional training, and digital transformation across the country.

The committee urged the ministry to expedite the regularisation process for daily wage teachers serving in Islamabad colleges, particularly those who have been teaching for over a decade on meager wages. It also called for the immediate issuance of posting orders for teachers who have already been regularised but have been waiting for over a year.

The meeting was attended by MNAs Dr. Azim Uddin Zahid Lakhvi, Anjum Aqeel Khan, Raja Khurram Shahzad Nawaz, Zeb Jaffar, Farah Naz Akbar, Abdul Hakeem Baloch, Dr. Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro, Mussarat Rafique Mahesar, Abdul Aleem Khan, Sabheen Ghoury, Asif Khan, Usama Hamza, Muhammad Aslam Ghumman, Syed Rafiullah, and Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui. Senior officials, including the secretary of the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training and the chairman of the Higher Education Commission (HEC), were also present.