Here we go again. The government has upped the ante and decided to do away with one of the best, if not the ideal, institutes in the country. Devolving the Higher Education Commission (HEC) under the guise of 18th Amendment is exactly the sort of an action that will put us way behind the curve on academic graph. What needs to be done must be done, but leaving no viable alternative at the federal level to deal with a plethora of issues regarding higher education cannot be termed a wise decision.
HECs given mandate makes it a body best suited at the centre, not in the provinces albeit with shredding of some of its present powers. International grants, collaboration, curriculum revision, quality control and degree equivalence surely can benefit from a central body. Indeed, the cancellation of funds to HEC from the US and World Bank raise the same points, putting research work of scores of postgraduate students at stake. Interestingly, Dr Javaid Leghari, Chairman HEC is contesting that HEC does not come under any ministry, so it is beyond the purview of the 18th Amendment. Political motivations for this devolution aside fake degrees verification issue and Rs 40 billion annual funds among many others expediency shown in the matter without first consulting the stakeholders alone makes the whole exercise doubtful.
Agreed that it is not an ideal institute to write home about, its achievements in standardising higher education, number of PhDs, scientific research and innovation, quality assurance and higher education infrastructure are noteworthy.
Of course, the governments argument that education is a provincial subject cannot be written off entirely. But for thousands of students, politics may not mean much. Financial help does. With already lagging behind in achieving our MDGs, such steps are not going to benefit us at all. A careful review of the whole process, keeping in mind all the contours of countrys specific needs regarding higher education, will be a welcome step.
