HEC spending just Rs50,000 per student a year: Dr Banuri.

Byline: Kashif Abbasi

ISLAMABAD -- The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has appealed to the government to take into account the statistic which says that Pakistan is spending a meagre amount of Rs50,000 per student per annum.

Addressing a pressing briefing on Tuesday, HEC Chairman Dr Tariq Banuri said the regulatory body, which provides funds to universities, had been facing a shortfall of Rs50 billion, and requested Prime Minister Imran Khan to restore the funds.

The chairman was holding the briefing following the proceedings of the 25th Vice Chancellors Committee meeting held on Monday.

Dr Banuri said at present the universities were facing two crisis - shortage of funds and quality issue.

'We are working on the quality aspect,' he said, adding that the government should provide us the required funds.

Seeks supplementary grant of Rs10 billion

He said the commission had been asking the universities to balance their budget and explore options of increasing their finances. 'I can do fund raising and collect Rs1-2 billion, but there is a shortfall of Rs50 billion,' the HEC chairman said, adding that currently Rs50,000 or $300 was being spent on a student annually.

Private universities, on the other hand, are spending Rs150,000 per student per year.

Public-sector universities have been criticising the cut in the higher education budget for 2019-20, with the government earmarking around Rs59 billion against the HEC's demand of Rs103 billion for non-development expenditure. The government allocated Rs28 billion for development scheme, which too was termed 'less'.

Heads of public-sector universities have been demanding supplementary grant of at least Rs10 billion.

While talking about the problems being faced by students, the HEC chief said the higher education regulatory body and vice chancellors agreed that students were the primary focus of universities.

'Universities need to ensure that their students get the skills that will enable them to succeed in future. Likewise, universities must protect the safety and privacy rights of their students,' he said.

Dr Banuri also expressed his concerns over the recent incidents in a few universities, stating that every student was the responsibility of the...

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