KARACHI: Sindh Governor Imran Ismail while expressing his serious concern over the illegal operation of educational campuses in the province, called upon Higher Education Commission (HEC) to initiate proper legal action against such institutions.
He was presiding over a meeting regarding the functioning and responsibilities of HEC at the Governor House on Thursday when he was informed that some private sector universities are operating illegal campuses without NOCs of HEC. The meeting was attended by Islamabad HEC Operations Member Dr Raza Bhatti, Sindh HEC Regional Director Javed Ali Memon and Islamabad HEC Director Monitoring Naveed Shah.
“Establishment of illegal campuses, charter without prior NOC, non-standard curricula and deficient infrastructure are the root cause of producing low-quality professionals having incompatible skills and poor employability”, he observed.
The governor was also briefed about the powers and functions of the commission with special reference to policy-making and grants to universities in both the public and private sectors.
He was further informed that HEC supports the development of linkages between institutions and the industry as well as national and international organisations that fund research and development.
He asked the HEC to ensure the enhancement of academic and research quality in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) of the province and vowed to strengthen HEIs in Sindh with optimum grants and scholarships for students in order to maintain the standards of education, faculty and research.
“Comprehensive policies, monitoring of the development grants and priorities are key to the promotion of socio-economic development of the country”, he emphasised.