Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairperson Dr Javaid R Laghari, in his letter to the vice chancellors of public sector universities, has appreciated the proposed enhancement of budget for higher education sector and new initiatives for university students in Budget 2013-14.
He was of the view that sizeable increase of HEC budget from Rs 48 to 59 billion would be greatly helpful to overcome the problems being faced by Pakistani universities within last few years.
The increase in number of foreign scholarships from 4,249 to 6,249 is another good step which would lead towards overcoming the shortage of trained human resource in the country. He has mentioned, “HEC is pleased with the support provided by the new democratic government to higher education as per its commitment in the PML-N Manifesto 2013. It is a like a breath of fresh air after the turmoil that HEC and the higher education institutions have undergone in the last five years. We thank the government and look forward to their continued support of higher education and research in the country.”
Laghari lauded Prime Minister’s Youth Training Program, Prime Minister’s Scheme for Provision of Laptop, expanding fee reimbursement scheme for less developed areas to Southern Punjab and Interior Sindh, Prime Minister’s Youth Skills Development Program and Prime Minister’s Micro Finance Scheme. He remarked that the proposed steps will not only increase the access to higher education especially in remote and far-flung areas but also equip the youth with skills and communication technology.
He assured the utmost cooperation of HEC in implementing these schemes through transparent and merit based mechanism.
