The Vice Chancellors (VCs) Committee has requested the federal government to continue extending support to the universities across the country as head of the federation, urging the provincial governments to make their contribution in their respective budgets for universities.
A spokesman of University of Agriculture Faisalabad said here on Tuesday that the Vice Chancellors’ Committee held an emergency online meeting in the wake of the reports about a major cut to the HEC funding in the Fiscal Year 2024-25 budget. Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmed Khan, Chairman VCs Committee and Vice Chancellor University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) chaired the meeting and Vice Chancellors and Rectors of all public sector universities attended it. The university heads emphasized that the government should pay due importance to higher education sector in its efforts through Education Emergency in the country.
They said that a cut in the HEC’s recurring budget to Rs.25 billion for the year 2024-25 against Rs.65 billion in the previous financial year will jeopardize future of the students, as the universities are already suffering a shortfall of Rs.60 billion. In his remarks, Dr. Iqrar Ahmed Khan said that the report about a cut in HEC funds for the Year 2024-25 has sent shock waves throughout the academic community. He expressed his apprehension that the already financially strapped universities will not be able to survive, and the future of Pakistani youth will be jeopardized if the government ceases to extend required funds. Expressing their views, the Vice Chancellors of different universities said that the provincial governments should make contribution to the universities’ finances. However the federal government should continue extending financial support to universities in the provinces for the cause of national development, integration, and unity.
They said that adequate budgetary allocation to higher education is a matter of national interest, expressing a fear that any cut in the HEC budget will jeopardize the students future. Appreciating HEC’s role in the development of higher education sector across the country, they said that any cut to HEC budget is tantamount to making it dysfunctional. They said that it is impossible to administer and operate universities without finances, adding that the universities survival in fact lies in the government’s support to HEC.
