KARACHI – The students of Karachi must not allow themselves to be misguided on issue of Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) devolution, PPP Sindh General Secretary Taj Haider said on Tuesday. He pointed out that all political parties in the Parliamentary Committee for reforming the Constitution had jointly brought about the landmark 18th Amendment, as a result of which education is now a provincial subject and the HEC is being devolved to the provinces.
“Dictators and their sycophants always go for centralisation under the vague, false and arrogant arguments that provinces do not have the ability to manage their affairs,” he said, adding, “Democrats on the other hand struggle for provincial autonomy and devolution of powers. The provinces are much better equipped to manage their affairs than those sitting in Islamabad.”
He said that the provincial government is forming its own Higher Education Commission that will ensure that the universities in Sindh, which have been denied for so long of their rightful share in national resources, receive the funds that they need for running these institutions. Similarly, the discrimination against students from Sindh in the matter of awarding foreign scholarships can also now be rectified.
“Everyone from a poor student to a vice chancellor have to run to Islamabad to get small matters addressed. The biggest of the problems will be tackled locally after the devolution,” he added. The 18th Amendment allows the provinces to deal directly with other governments and loaning institutions to get the assistance they need for mobilising foreign resources. Haider appealed to students to be aware of the conspiracy to usurp the rights of the province that have been regained after a long and arduous struggle against elements which have made it a routine matter to violate the constitution with the barrel of the gun.
