Islamabad: Following the growing concerns among the VCs of various universities regarding the alleged HEC budget cut, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has stated that the Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) budget will not be slashed in 2022-23 and that the Higher Education Commission will be fully operational, as it was during the previous PML-N administration.
Read: Budget to be announced on June 10
The Prime Minister, in issuing orders to the Ministries of Planning and Finance about the Higher Education Commission, expressed sorrow that budget cuts over the last four years had a negative influence on higher education and said that this trend should be reversed.
He instructed the concerned authorities to concentrate on reviving education initiatives in universities around the country and expanding the number of programmes in order to bring the education sector up to world standards.
Shehbaz Sharif stated that the Higher Education Commission’s finances should be greatly raised and that all available facilities should be offered to instructors and students.
Drastic HEC budget cuts surprise VCs
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellors of public sector universities had shown serious concerns and strong dismay over the alleged drastic cuts in the HEC budget for the fiscal year 2022-23, expressing apprehension that the cuts would make it impossible for universities to pay salaries and pensions let alone meet the overall expenses needed to run a university.
Read: Drastic HEC budget cuts surprise VCs
Over 120 heads of public sector universities, who attended a virtual meeting from across the country today, were unanimous in lamenting the Government’s decision for the unprecedented cut in the universities’ budget and urged the Prime Minister, Finance Minister and the Minister for Education to urgently look into the matter and enhance the budget as per rationalized demand, to avoid the subversion of long-term socio-economic goals of the country, and save the higher education sector from chaos and collapse.
