Eight-member committee formed to appoint HEC chairman

The federal government has decided to appoint the new chairman of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) on merit and not to extend the tenure of the current chairperson.

In this regard, a notification has been issued to set up a search committee. The one-year extension given to the current chairperson has already been challenged in the Islamabad High Court. The chairman’s tenure can be extended once as per the HEC Act.

According to the notification, the eight-member search committee will be headed by the federal minister for education and professional training. It will be responsible for shortlisting suitable candidates for the post of the HEC chairman and making recommendations, so as to ensure effective leadership and better governance in the higher education sector.

Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui will be the chairman of the committee, while the members include Minister of State for Federal Education and Professional Training Wajiha Qamar, Arif Saeed, Salman Akhtar, Secretary Apex Committee Jahanzeb Khan, Provost Aga Khan University Dr Anjum Hilai, Muhammad Naseem Qaisrani, and Secretary Federal Education and Professional Training Nadeem Mehboob as member/secretary.