CM assures HEC of resolving public varsities’ faculty, finance issues

Acknowledging persistent issues of faculty and finance at various public sector universities, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, on Monday, assured a delegation of the federal Higher Education Commission (HEC) of getting the issues resolved at the earliest.

Shah after informing the delegation of already having imposed an ‘education emergency’ in the province further claimed that the process of appointing a new vice chancellor in a varsity would also begin at least six months before the retirement of the outgoing VC.

The delegation comprised HEC chairman Prof Dr Mukhtar Ahmed, and officials Dr Raza Bhatti and Syed Naveed Hussain Shah. Secretary Education Fazal Pechuho, secretary universities and boards Naveed Shaikh and principal secretary to CM Naveed Kamran Baloch also attended the meeting.

On Dr Mukhtar’s query regarding overlapping of the federal and provincial HEC’s functions, the chief minister said he would convene a meeting of the provincial HEC to discuss the laws. The chairman also informed Shah about the grants being paid by the federal HEC to public sector universities in Sindh. The CM was also made aware of the federal HEC’s decision to establish campuses of universities in Tando Muhammad Khan, Ghotki, Qambar Shahdadkot, Kashmore and Shikarpur.

“I have declared emergency in education sector so that education right from primary to university level could be improved,” Shah said, adding, that not only the universities’ faculties needed to be improved but their administration as well as financial issues were also to be sorted out. “I would not allow any kind of politics in educational institutions.”

Shah informed the chairman that the federal HEC had allocated grants worth Rs91 billion for provincial universities but they complained of not being given the funds in accordance with their student, faculty strength and ratio.

Prof Mukhtar told Shah that the provincial universities were already being looked after properly but he would still address their grievances.

The need to raise the current number of PhDs from 11,000 to at least 41,000 for the entire country was also realised at the meeting.

The chief minister said he had given special incentives in order for more and more students to avail PhD scholarships and also decided upon issuing special allowances to those who possessed a PhD degree.

The HEC chairman observed that he would give a detailed briefing to Shah regarding the working of the educational commission soon.