Concern over reports of PHEC abolition

LAHORE: Vice-chancellors of Punjab public sector universities have voiced their concern over news reports and propaganda regarding the abolishment of Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC), saying that these reports are causing deep resentment among the academia in the province.

In a statement issued here Sunday, the vice-chancellors committee of Punjab public sector universities said that the commission needs to be further empowered and strengthened to improve the quality of education and research in the province.

The committee chairman, Prof Dr Hassan Amir Shah, said that the provincial universities cherished the existence of PHEC and the additional funding they were getting from the commission for foreign post-doctoral fellowships, faculty development training, split PhD programme, international travel grants, career counselling centres and indigenous post-doctoral programmes.

Prof Shah said that the VCs committee welcomed the statement of Punjab Higher Education Minister Raja Yasir Humayun Sarfraz that the government had no plans to abolish PHEC and hoped that this clarification by the minister would bury this propaganda against the commission once and for all.

The committee chairman said that they had high expectations from the new government for promotion of higher education in Pakistan, and support for the smooth and efficient running of the universities accordingly. He added that quality of education and autonomy of universities were interrelated.