Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training Rana Tanveer Hussain on Wednesday reaffirmed his resolve to overcome the current financial constraints which are being faced by the Higher Education Commission (HEC).
During his visit to HEC Secretariat, Chairman HEC Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed briefed the Minister on the performance of the commission during the last 20 years and also highlighted the different challenges faced by the country’s higher education sector. He apprised the minister of the steps which were being taken by HEC to improve the quality of higher education. The Minister acknowledged the efforts of the com mission and the way HEC faced fiscal pressure and also appreciated its performance despite all kinds of chal-lenges. “We are here to support you.
Education is one of our top priorities and I will make sure that the higher education sector does not suffer because of financial constraints,” he pledged.
The Minister said that the institutions of higher learning should be monitored regularly and if any institution did not meet the quality parameters, it should be advised strictly to fulfill all basic requirements.
Talking about the funding of universities, he said that future funding must be linked with the performance of uni-versities, and the universities should be advised to enhance the quality of their teaching and research.
“Our higher learning institutions must focus on enhancing the skills of students and special measures should be taken to impart technical education as per latest industry trends,” the minister emphasized.
Talking about the challenges faced by the higher education sector the Chairman said, “Though we understand the financial challenges that our country is facing, still we request the Government to keep the higher education sector among topmost priorities while disbursing the funds.” Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed also elaborated on scholarship projects HEC has been offering to make education accessible for students, particularly those from far-flung and less privileged areas.
“We have also taken a number of steps to promote innovation and entrepreneurship among faculty and students, and big funding is being provided to Pakistani start-ups so that our economy can prosper,” he added.
The Chairman informed the Minister that “since its inception, HEC has not only helped increase the number of higher education institutions to 249 but has also put in a serious effort to ensure the quality of education being imparted and increase volume and quality of research in Pakistan. Our universities are now technologically equipped as per the modern standards and Pakistan is emerging as a rising star in Asia”.
