Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC) Dr Tariq Banuri on Wednesday termed the budgetary allocation for higher education sector a peanut, as a meager sum of Rs 59 billion was earmarked against a demand of Rs 103.5 billion for 2019-20.
Speaking at a presser here, he said that HEC received around half of the amount it demanded from the government for the fiscal year 2019-20. "The HEC had demanded Rs 103.5 billion for the fiscal year 2019-20 but government approved on Rs 59 billion, including around Rs 28 billion for the development sector against the demand of Rs 55 billion, it's too little than what we asked for," he regretted.
He added that the HEC presented its case for the allocation of budget on every forum including the Ministry of Finance and cabinet, but the government said to cooperate as budget cuts were made on every department. In continuation of its efforts to enable the country's higher education sector to become more effective in academic excellence, management and problem-oriented research, HEC launched conference of the National Academy of Higher Education (NAHE).
Dr Tariq Banuri said HEC is committed to mainstreaming quality and relevance into the higher education system, adding that the NAHE is one of the instruments to ensure greater efficiency and transparency in the education system. He added that the initial approach towards quality was quantitative; asserting that establishment of the NAHE is a testimony to HEC's focus on quality. He elaborated that the NAHE will set norms for building of communities of excellence to determine quality standards. It will, he continued, build capacity of faculty, university leadership, and university staff, analyse areas and identify gaps required to be addressed, and set up a monitoring and evaluation system for higher education institutions. The chairman said that the HEC facilitates the higher education sector to analyse data and identify solutions to future academic challenges.
According to the HEC statement, President Dr Arif Alvi graced the occasion as chief guest, while Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood was the guest of honor. The event was attended by Chairman HEC Dr Tariq Banuri and Punjab Minister for Higher Education Raja Yasir Humayun Sarfaraz, Country Director, South Asian Region, World Bank Patchamuthu Illangovan and a large number of vice chancellors and notable figures from academia.
Dr Alvi emphasised the need for evolving an education system that caters to the requirements of current and future challenges. He remarked that the dream of a golden tomorrow will not come true without development in the education sector. He observed that the future challenges are tremendous, so the NAHE will have to be very smart in playing its part and providing dynamic means to meet academic challenges. "The HEC will have to look at the needs of tomorrow and plan accordingly." He was of the view that human factor plays a key role in development of the country, as nations are built by the people. He maintained that the quality of teaching and learning must be given due importance, as teaching embodies all the skills required to dissemination of knowledge and effective communication.
Shafqat Mahmood pointed out that lack of proper training for academic leadership is one of the major shortcomings of the country's education system. The NAHE will prove to be of great weight and substance in coping up with this shortcoming as it will build capacity in the field of university management, he hoped. He emphasised that the education system must be in consonance with the job market needs. He affirmed that Pakistan's future hinges upon the quality human resource.
Addressing the preliminary session of the launch ceremony, Illangovan underlined that the World Bank is looking forward to achievement of goals through the NAHE. He observed that the government of Pakistan accords great importance to human capital. The youth bulge will turn into demographic dividend, he hoped.
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