ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Standing Committee on Education on Thursday approved the ‘National Skills University Bill 2017’, to pave the way for the establishment of Skill University in Islamabad.
The committee meeting was held at National Institute of Science and Technical Education (NISTE) under the chairmanship of Member of National Assembly (MNA) Dr Amirullah Marwat.
The meeting was also attended by MNA Shahab-ud-Din Khan, Waheed Alam Khan, Shaistan Pervaiz, Asiya Naz Tanoli, Rida Khan, Amra Khan, Phyllis Azeem, Hamid Hameed, Surriya Asghar, Surriya Jatoi, Dr Shazia Sobia, Shahida Rehmani, Dr Imran Khattak, Dr Nikhat Shakeel Khan, Shahida Akhtar Ali, Sardar Kamal Khan Bangulzai, Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, MNA Zulifqar Ahmad Bhatti, chairman of National Commission for Human Development, vice chancellors (VC) of Bacha Khan University and Sargodha University, along with other officials.
The body was informed that NISTE, an institution imparting technical and vocational training, would be gradually upgraded to Skill University and its employees would also have the option to either join civil service or work for the university.
The chairman of the body also informed the meeting that similar universities would also be established in other provinces in order to equip the youth with different skill sets.
The body also decided that the selection of vice chancellors of Skill University would be finalised by a federal search committee working under the chairmanship of Minister for Education Muhammad Baligh-ur- Rehman. Therefore, the search committees in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab would be solely responsible for identifying prospective candidates for the posts of VC.
Earlier, the committee took strict action against the illegal induction of employees in Bacha Khan University and directed its VC Dr Saqlain to take action in this regard. Dr Saqlain later told the members that the university management had already removed the illegal employees from their posts.
The chairman of the body said that Bacha Khan University had projected a very negative image by allowing the Mashaal Khan incident to take place on its premises, while adding that the irony is that the employees involved in the killing of the dynamic student were not terminated from service yet.
Meanwhile, MNA Zulifqar Bhatti said that most VCs running the affairs of universities were powerful due to which they did not follow the orders of the standing committee. He said that it was necessary to change the rules of Higher Education Commission (HEC) and to take strict action against the mismanagement happening with the support of VCs in different universities.
Later, Baligh-ur-Rehman said that government was establishing universities at district level and remote areas were being given preference in this regard. He said that the HEC has closed down many universities that failed to meet the higher education body’s criteria, adding that the HEC would not compromise on the quality of education.