Committee to be set up to fix deficiencies in higher education system

ISLAMABAD: Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairman Dr Tariq Banuri has announced to set up a high-level committee to probe and fix the deficiencies the in the higher education system of the country after a majority of candidates failed in the recently announced CSS 2017 results.

The chairman said that this decline needs to be treated as a national crisis. “As the chairman of HEC, I consider the CSS results announced to be a shocking indictment of my sphere of responsibility,” he added.

He highlighted that out of the 9,391 candidates who appeared for the exam, only 312 (3.32 per cent) qualified, while only 261 will be recommended for appointment to civil services.

He said, “When I sat in the same exam many decades ago, the number of candidates was about 2,000, of which about 400 qualified and about 200 were recommended for appointment.”

The chairman announced that he will set up a high-level committee to pinpoint the specific weaknesses in the system so that the HEC can help universities remedy some of the deficiencies immediately.  He added that it will require a sustained attention to the enhancement of the quality of education.

“Based on the report, we will submit detailed recommendations to the government, including the strengthening of institutional, financial, and capacity building aspects,” he added.

Dr Banuri said that this is one of the most important challenges the HEC will address during his tenure.

Meanwhile, the working group on higher education reforms showed serious concerns over the recent CSS results and demanded the chairman to evolve a strategy in collaboration with other stakeholders to fix the gaps and causes.