- HEC chairman terms HED’s notification barring VCs from participating in the annual moot a misunderstanding.
LAHORE: Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC) Dr Mukhtar Ahmad has said that the 18th Constitutional Amendment is a reality, but different interpretations of this amendment are creating problems. The devolution of federal organisations would be settled by the Council of Common Interests (CCI), he added.
Dr Mukhtar further said that he believes the recent notification by the Punjab government that has barred the vice chancellors of public sector universities from attending the annual moot of HEC held in Lahore, was a misunderstanding
He was talking to the media on Friday at HEC’s Regional Centre in Lahore. Dr Mukhtar also said that he has been trying hard to maintain national integration in the commission since his appointment as the chairman. He added that the issues being faced after the 18th Amendment are being resolved by the CCI.
A CCI meeting that was participated by ministers and other higher officials was held under the supervision of Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. The provinces are setting up their own HECs and soon they will be setting up other accreditation councils like Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), Engineering Council and others, he added.
“I fear that in future, all these provincial HECs would also not accredit each other’s degrees, and so, we need to discuss a proper mechanism in this regard,” he said.
As reported earlier by Pakistan Today, the federal Higher Education Commission (HEC) and both the provincial Higher Education Commissions of Punjab and Sindh were at loggerheads with each other as the vice chancellors (VCs) of both the public and private sector universities from these two provinces avoided to participate in the 21st Vice Chancellors Committee Meeting held in Lahore on Thursday.
According to the details, a letter was issued by the Punjab Higher Education Department on Wednesday – one day before the All Pakistan VCs Conference, which barred the Vice Chancellors of Punjab from participating in the moot of VCs that was arranged by the federal HEC. All the officials of public universities from all across Punjab were barred not only from giving any statements over the issue, but also from attending any official proceedings on the matter without a formal approval from the government.
It has been learnt by Pakistan Today that the discussion on the roles of the federal HEC and the provincial HEC was also to be discussed during the moot, but it was dropped at the eleventh hour and there was no discussion at all.