PHEC non-operational for want of funds

LAHORE
The Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC), established earlier this year, has yet to receive funding from the government despite passage of several months leaving the provincial level body to be literally non-operational.
According to sources privy to the developments, the allocation for PHEC was not reflected in the provincial budget for the ongoing fiscal year 2015-16 presented on June 12, 2015 as the Commission was late to submit its budgetary proposals of Rs2.5 billion.
Later on, there was confusion vis-à-vis mode of funding to the PHEC and an option to provide funds through grant-in-aid and that too only Rs1.25 billion was also discussed. However, the funds have yet to be released making it hard for the provincial HEC to be properly operational. The sources also said ever since its establishment the Commission had received Rs37 million for its office rent, furniture fixture, salaries and vehicles for the staff etc.
It is pertinent to mention here that in a meeting, held on August 26, regarding PHEC progress when Secretary Higher Education Department (HED) Punjab talked about delay in release of funds to the PHEC, a representative of the Finance Department Punjab said the matter required clarification on the legal status of the PHEC vis-à-vis the Council of Common Interests (CCI). The representative of finance department was however informed that PHEC was established under the Act of Punjab Assembly. The participants had also raised queries regarding budget codes and quarterly cash flow of the PHEC.
About the budget codes and cash flow, the PHEC Chairperson Dr Nizamuddin informed the meeting that the funds requested were grant-in-aid and therefore budget codes were not required. He, however, explained that all expenditures would be incurred according to financial canons of the Punjab government and approval of the Commission and it would submit annual statement of accounts to the government.
According to minutes of the meeting, a copy available with The News, the meeting presided over by Punjab Education Minister Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan decided that “The Higher Education Department will initiate continuation summary responding to queries of the Finance Department.”
It is also important to mention here that the PHEC has ambitious plan of promoting research culture in higher education institutes (HEIs) of Punjab by offering local and foreign PhD scholarships to the faculty of public sector colleges and universities, establishing academies for teachers training and organising seminars and workshops for the capacity building of the teachers, establishing community colleges and internet connectivity at the colleges etc.
When contacted, the education minister said the delay in funding to PHEC was primarily because of mode of funding adding the same however had been decided now. He said a summary had been moved to the Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif seeking approval for the release of grant-in-aid to the PHEC and hoped that the issue would be resolved soon.