Public sector universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan are staring at closure after the government of Pakistan has shown no seriousness to release grants to them, Pakistan Today learnt.
HEC sources confirmed employee protests in the two provinces were genuine because the government has not issued a 50 percent additional grant for the last two years. HEC sources said this year grant was not released while only one instalment from last years’ promised grant was released. He said faculty and employees at KPK and Balochistan universities have begun protests due to the shortage of funds.
Meanwhile, vice chancellors from the 72 public sector universities unanimously demanded the government release the promised grant. On Tuesday, the Vice Chancellors’ Committee held a heated and energized debate on the shortage of funds, which is severe enough to threaten the ability of some universities to pay employee salaries. Over 70 vice chancellors/rectors attended the meeting.
University employees in KPK have begun to agitate for the 50 percent adhoc grant and a 15 percent increase in their salaries. VCs from Balochistan, KPK expressed their contempt at the situation and scoffed at the HEC’s demand to improve quality, introduce entrepreneurship and focus on relevant research under dire financial constraints.
The VCs elected UET Peshawar VC Engr. Imtiaz Hussain Gilani, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro VC D. Noshad Shaikh, and Punjab University VC Dr Mujahid Kamran as members of the VCs Committee. They resolved unanimously that singling out university employees and denying them last years 50% salary increase and 15% this year was discriminatory.
They asked the Government to provide additional grants to cover this shortfall before the simmering employees’ agitation got out of hand. A public sector university VC seeking the anonymity said the situation at universities was alarming, especially at KPK and Balochistan, with the research set up negatively impacted in each of the last three years. He said the government seems bent upon destroying the universities, rather than providing them support.
He said the government’s ignorance had concerned other countries since Pakistani research scholars and students enrolled in foreign universities were facing fee issues due to the lack of funding.
