Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Wednesday insisted for an extension in the service tenure of incumbent Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairperson Dr Mukhtar Ahmed suggesting that he had taken several laudable measures for development in the higher education sector.

The committee met under the chairmanship of Col (r) Amirullah Marwat attended by lawmakers and officials from the federal education ministry and HEC.

Most of the lawmakers in the meeting favoured for further extension in the service tenure of Dr Mukhtar Ahmed.

They suggested that he had introduced many revolutionary policies to boost the higher education sector especially in maintaining education quality.

“Dr Ahmed focused on the quality of education,” they maintained and also cited recent action of the HEC wherein it had banned enrollments in MPhil and PhD programmes in 13 universities, which offer distance learning programmes for failing to meet the basic quality standards set by the commission.

Besides, the members said, Dr Ahmed devised some certain sort of policies regarding increase in number of scholarships and universities in the country.

Dr Ahmed was the third chairperson since the inception of HEC and his tenure is going to expire on April 15 this year while Prime Minster Shahid Khaqan Abassi who is controlling authority of the commission had also constituted a search committee to seek the candidate for the post on open merit.

Currently, the HEC has the responsibility to devise policies for over 180 universities across the country. In this perspective, the post of chairmanship is considered very integral.

Although the committee did not make any kind of definite decision in this regard, however, the lawmaker assured that they are ready to give these recommendations in writing as well.

While discussing another agenda item, the committee rejected the bill known as Minorities Access to Higher Education Bill, 2018 moved by Member of National Assembly Asiya Nasir with the request that an allocation of 5 percent quota should be made for the minorities’ students in all public sector universities and as degree awarding institutes.

As per the said act, the HEC claimed, the minorities have already been getting admission on merit in all the higher education institutions.

Published in Daily Times, March 22^nd 2018.