Govt slashes HEC’s growth bill by over 50%
ISLAMABAD: The supervision had slashed, by over 50%, a growth bill of a Higher Education Commission (HEC) for a mercantile year 2016-17 that finished on Jun 30 (Friday) to make space for rash stream expenditures, in a pierce that shows a misled priorities.
According to a accessible figures, a supervision did not recover a Rs11.73 billion tranche for a 3rd and 4th entertain of a HEC’s Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) funds.
The PSDP papers uncover that during a mercantile year 2016-17, a supervision had allocated Rs21.48 billion for 122 projects that enclosed 83 ongoing and 39 new schemes for growth of aloft education. However, during a initial half of a final mercantile year, a Ministry of Finance expelled usually about Rs8 billion that creates it about 40% of a allocated amount.
Data shows a HEC perceived Rs4.29 billion in a initial entertain and Rs3.68 billion in a second quarter. While a releases for third and fourth buliding could not be paid and it has already uneasy a ongoing and new projects instituted during several open zone universities.
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The non-release of supports has already started impacting several projects.
The HEC is now struggling to exercise a primary minister’s initiatives including Rs5 billion disbursements for a laptop scheme, investiture of underling campuses in 21 districts, US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor and training of 5,000 ubiquitous graduates.
The PM had announced investiture of universities and underling campuses in any district of Pakistan in 2014. The conceptualizing and formulation of a programme has been finalised in coordination with universities and a classes were to embark in a entrance September.
Due to non-release of funds, a plan is removing behind with universities display apprehensions over government’s ‘non-seriousness’, pronounced an HEC central arcane to a development. “Now a finish doing of this plan seems impossible,” he added.
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Another central commented that a whole cycle for a growth bill creates pursuit of a HEC tough as it has to face a madness of universities.
The HEC had instituted PhD programme to sight 10,000 students in a United States underneath US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor. The thought to settle a mezzanine was floated by Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal during a assembly of a Working Group on Education, Science and Technology in Jun 2015.
According to sources, a HEC had already comparison few scholars to place them in a tip US universities from this fall. “The check in appropriation will really check their depart inspiring altogether joining with a unfamiliar partners,” pronounced another source that was not certified to speak to a media.
Under these grant programmes, a students compensate no price to universities, rather a universities designate them as investigate associates or training assistants and a HEC pays a accommodation contribution and transport losses to a US.
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Another vital beginning of a benefaction supervision to sight 5,000 ubiquitous graduates has been stopped due to non-availability of funds. In this programme, a HEC designed to sight ubiquitous graduates carrying degrees in humanities and humanities for commercial skills to raise their employability.
Sources during a Ministry of Planning and Development pronounced they had given a final capitulation for a HEC and it was a Ministry of Finance that was sitting on a funds.
The HEC chairperson reliable a non-release of supports though attempted to downplay a earnest apparently to avert a madness of supervision and bureaucracy.
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“Yes, a emanate is there though we have finished some of a projects with a accessible appropriation and we will solve it,” he said, adding that a emanate would be taken adult with method officials in entrance days.
Article source: https://tribune.com.pk/story/1448279/govt-slashes-hecs-development-budget-50/