HEC Will Not Get Federal Funding For Universities Now

Due to a significant reduction in federal funding from 65 billion to 25 billion rupees, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) ceased providing funding for universities with provincial charters.

May 30 has been designated as a day of protest against this cutback in funding by the Karachi University Teachers Society (KUTS) and the Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (FAPUASA).

HEC had asked for 126 billion rupees for 160 universities across the country; however, the federal government drastically reduced the 65 billion rupees that had been previously allotted, leaving HEC with a budget of only 25 billion rupees.

As a result, HEC will no longer give money to the provinces; instead, the provinces will be responsible for funding their own universities.

The Higher Education Commission has received a letter from the Ministry of Finance.
FAPUASA and KUTS have declared their intention to launch a protest campaign in response to the decision to stop funding universities operating under provincial charters.

Shah Ali Al-Qadar, president of KUTS, expressed his disappointment with the government’s decision to discontinue federal funding for HEC.

The president stated that because funding for current expenses has been frozen for the past eight years, universities all over the nation are already experiencing financial difficulties and are finding it difficult to pay salaries. According to Shah Ali Al-Qadar, the federal HEC’s grant, which funds more than 160 universities, has remained at 65 billion.

HEC Chairman Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, meanwhile, affirmed the aforementioned SIFC decision and asserted that funding for provincial universities ought to come from local governments. According to him, funding for provincial universities had only been shared by the Sindh government.

He promised to hold meetings to discuss appropriate implementations. He stated that while the decision was ideally good, the federal government should keep giving universities matching grants or other forms of financial assistance in order to maintain high standards of instruction. However, he added, “I would also say that the time has come for provinces to assume responsibility for funding their universities.”