Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Senate Standing Committee on States and Frontier Regions Chairman Senator Hilalur Rehman has expressed resentment regarding noncompliance of the federal cabinet decision that quota of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) students in education and health institutes in other provinces should be doubled and retained for 10 years after integration with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

Hilalur Rehman, in a letter addressed to Higher Education Commission (HEC) chairman stated, “It was brought to my notice that most of the colleges and universities including Government College Faisalabad, University of Gujrat, University of Sargodha, National College of Arts Lahore… are not complying with the decision of the federal cabinet.”

However, according to the 2017 Prospectus of Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan, “As per decision of the federal cabinet made in its meeting, the reserved quota for FATA candidates was enhanced as double from the academic year 2017-2018.”

Earlier on April 5 this year, the HEC conveyed the decision of the federal cabinet to all private/public sector universities, medical/ engineering colleges and degree awarding institutions for implementation.

Accordingly, Ministry of States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) nominated students to various educational institutions as per decision of the cabinet.

Rehman in his letter stated a huge number of students belonging to FATA were approaching him, requesting for their admissions against FATA reserved seats.

“I’m contacting the quarter concerned but due to limited seats a large number of applications are being rejected,” the letter referring to students who were seeking admission to country’s leading universities stated.

The letter further stated that point 12 of the National Action Plan (NAP) was administrative and development reforms in FATA with immediate focus on repatriation of internally displaced persons (IDPs); and in these circumstances, the federal cabinet decided to double the quota for students of FATA in the educational institutes throughout the country.

It stated that now that the IDPs’ return to their homes was nearing completion, the senator feared a drift to illiteracy and dropouts from educational institutes of the students going back to FATA, owing to largely destroyed educational infrastructure.

Rehman stated that if students from FATA were not provided educational facilities in other parts of the country according to the decision of the federal cabinet as an emergency measure, the young and promising students may fall prey to extremism, illiteracy and subsequent unemployment.

“The decision of the federal cabinet regarding increase of FATA reserved seats in the educational institutions shall be implemented in letter and spirit so that maximum number of students from FATA can get admission,” it stated.

Earlier in April this year, the HEC, in its letter addressed to all vice chancellors following a reference letter from SAFRON decided that “quota of FATA students in education and health institutions in other provinces should be double and retained for 10-year after integration with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.”

Published in Daily Times, November 22^nd 2017.