ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training expressed serious concern over a severe governance crisis at the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Sciences & Technology (FUUAST), Islamabad.
The 18th Meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training was held on Tuesday under the Convenorship of Dr Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro at Quaid-i-Azam University.
During the meeting the Committee noted that the university has failed to adequately address officially reported grievances. Compounding this lack of accountability, the Committee discovered that the Vice Chancellor undertook foreign travel without obtaining the mandatory No Objection Certificate (NOC), a breach of established protocols.
Regarding the inquiry into FUUAST’s affairs, the Committee asked the Ministry of Education to formally submit the findings of the inquiry committee and provide a detailed report within two weeks.
The Committee critically examined the performance of the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC), criticizing its failure to provide essential data to evaluate program effectiveness. The Committee demanded NAVTTC immediately furnish clear, verifiable figures on the total number of persons trained, scholarships awarded, and most importantly the number of trained individuals who have secured employment.
Furthermore, the Committee pressed NAVTTC on the strategic relevance of its programs, demanding a justification of how it identifies skill demands in international markets that are directly integrated into its training curriculum.
In a separate briefing, the Committee was informed about the services provided by the National Institute of Psychology (NIP) at Quaid-i-Azam University. Acknowledged as Pakistan’s premier institution in the field, the Committee commended NIP for its specialized clinical psychology training and its practice center, where students under qualified faculty supervision provide vital psychological assessment, diagnosis, and therapeutic interventions to the community.
The meeting was attended by MNA’s including Syeda Amnah Batool, Zeb Jaffar, Farah Naz Akbar (Parliamentary Secretary), Musarrat Asif Khawaja, Abdul Hakeem Baloch, Dr Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro, Mehtab Akbar Rashdi, Mussarat Rafique Mahesar, Abdul Aleem Khan, Sabheen Ghoury. The meeting was also attended by Additional Secretary and officials of the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, officials of Higher Education Commission HEC and other officers concerned.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025