News & Politics

There has been much debate on this topic and majority of people in not in favor of this action, even online causes has been made show response.

To stop dissolving of Higher Education Commission (HEC), please take the following actions.

Action-1: Please create awareness among your friends, colleagues, family members, public figures and community at large about HEC’s contribution for higher education in Pakistan and the immediate need to stop its dissolution for a prosperous Pakistan.

Action-2: Take the pledge and invite 75 members every day to join the cause so that more and more people would know about it.

http://www.causes.com/causes/597948?recruiter_id=173208771

Dawn REPORTS that the government plans to devolve higher education to the provinces have left many in the world of academia — as well as others concerned with the state of education in Pakistan — unsettled. In particular, the fact that parliament’s implementation commission on the 18th Amendment is considering splitting the Higher Education Commission into smaller units has raised eyebrows. The HEC, an autonomous body, is currently mandated with regulating the higher education sector in Pakistan. That may change if the parliamentary committee has its way. However, there seems to be a consensus in academic circles that devolving higher education is a bad idea. Experts feel that higher education should remain with the federal government to maintain uniformity and to ensure that students don’t suffer. Former HEC chairman Prof Atta-ur-Rahman says the commission already has representation from the provinces.
There are claims and counter-claims about how the HEC has performed over the last decade or so. The commission’s defenders say that ever since the University Grants Commission was restructured into the HEC, it has had a positive impact on Pakistan’s higher education sector. They cite an increase in the number of academic publications, the fact that some Pakistani universities have improved their global rankings, increased university enrolment and a greater number of PhDs as proof of success. Others, however, pose some very valid questions regarding the HEC’s performance. They say the commission has concentrated on quan tity as opposed to quality; a greater number of universities or PhDs has not exactly translated into better institutions or more capable scholars. Yet des pite its weaknesses, it is fair to say the HEC has indeed brought about a positive change in higher education.

Devolving higher education can perhaps be re visited at a later stage. However, we feel that right now, the timing for such a move is not right and the risks of experi menting with higher edu cation are far too high. Education in Pakistan is already in the doldrums; devolving higher educa tion may make a bad situa tion worse. Observers point out that the provin ces lack the capacity as well as infrastructure to manage higher education. They say the move may lead to greater politicisa tion of education. Some academics have said that a central body is essential to oversee the universities’ financial affairs, provide a road map for the future and maintain monitoring capability. It is said that other states in the region — India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka — all have central authorities that regulate higher education. Reform of the HEC should defi nitely be considered to plug the loopholes. But the government should not throw out the baby with the bathwater for the sake of expediency.

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