Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has failed to call the meeting of Vice Chancellors’ (VC) committee after May 2015 as was the routine earlier for the heads of public and private institutions of higher education to meet twice in a year.

The VCs’ Committee was formulated in the 2nd Meeting of the Commission held on January 08, 2003. All the Vice-Chancellors or equivalent Rectors of universities and degree awarding institutes of public and private Sector are the members of this committee.

The committee is an important forum as it provides a platform to discuss the issues and problems and also helpful to take decision about the needs and priorities of the Higher Education Sector. The meeting of VCs committee is arranged and facilitated by the Administration and Coordination division of HEC, whereas the VCs themselves bear the expenditure of their travelling and lodging.

The HEC website says that the committee meetings are usually held twice in a year, but unfortunately, the forum becomes ineffective and could not meet since 23rd May, 2015 when the 17th VCs’ Committee meeting was held in Islamabad, where over 65 vice chancellors of public sector universities attended the session and deliberated over governance issues and autonomy of the universities.

Pakistan has more than 177 public and private recognized higher education institutions and their heads have only on forum, the VCs’ committee to become on board. Currently, the forum is being headed by Prof. Dr. Rasul Jan, the Vice Chancellor University of Peshawar, who replaced Engr. Imtiaz Gilani, Former Vice Chancellor KPK Engineering University Peshawar.

In the past, it was one of the effective platform for the leaders of higher education to deliberate and discuss various important issues and challenges being faced by the higher education sector and even the HEC board used to refer the various policy issues to the VCs Committee for their input and to take further advice on the aforementioned issues.

The former Chairman of the committee Engineer Imtiaz Gilani while highlighting the significance of the committee said; “The main purpose of the committee is to conceive a common agenda to promote higher education in the country, whereas it is an effective forum to share the best practices being executed by some universities with others to follow.”

He said further; “the committee is not a union or a pressure group, but it is Pakistan’s advocacy group on higher education.” He added that the meetings of the committee on regular bases were quite necessary to resolve problems being faced by the higher education institutions in the present days and it can also pressurize the government to enhance the education budget from two per cent to four per cent.”

An insider of the HEC said; “In the last few months, many issues emerged in the higher education sector as two former vice chancellors and one sitting vice chancellor were arrested but in spite of the desire of some of the Vice Chancellors the committee could not meet.”

The Chairman of the committee, Dr. Rasul Jan has responded on the alleged delay in meeting of the committee and said; “the committee meets whenever it feels that a sitting of the committee members is required with regards to any issue related to the Higher Education sector.” He further said; “I did not receive any formal request to hold a meeting of the committee with regards to the arrests of VCs in Punjab.” The provincial chapters of VCs are also inactive except KPK, where the VCs regularly meet and raise their voices over various policy matters related to the universities. Few months ago, the VCs from KPK met with PTI Chairman Imran Khan at KPK House in Islamabad, where Imran Khan held a detailed meeting with the VCs and assured to address the problems raised by them.