Over 70 VCs cry out for HEC funds
Islamabad, May 20: More than 70 vice-chancellors of the public sector universities and degree awarding institutions on Wednesday sent a collective SOS to the Higher Education Commission (HEC) over their dwindling development funds, it was learned.
In a video conference, the HEC top brass helplessly listened to their (VCs') concerns and brainstormed to work out a joint strategy for handling the fast emerging gloomy scenario in the coming days.
Every vice-chancellor has the same problem, that is paucity of funds, and the HEC is finding it difficult to address their grievances.
At the end of the conference, the disturbed vice-chancellors said the HEC should seek an emergency meeting, both with the president and the prime minister, to convey to them the gravity of the issue.
They also suggested to look for alternative sources to generate revenue for the development of universities. Due to shortage of money, contractors are running away, and it is always difficult task to bring them back to work, vice-chancellors informed the HEC officials.
Sources at the HEC said the commission's top management was in complete disarray over the government's refusal to release over Rs7 billion committed for developing the higher education sector of the country in the current year.
Under this year's Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), the government initially committed Rs22.5 billion under the development head, which later on due to financial crunch revised to Rs18.5 billion. But so far, the government has only released Rs10 billion and, at the maximum, the HEC is expecting release of Rs1 billion more, hence, facing a shortage of over Rs7 billion.
They said as a result of this massive cut in the development funds, over 200 development projects would be seriously affected. Invoices worth Rs4 billion of scholarships are currently lying on the table, and the HEC has no money to disburse.
The HEC is running an ambitious human resource development programme, whereby over 9,000 students are being provided scholarships. Around 4,000 students are in foreign universities on various scholarships – PhD, MS, MSc, post doctorate, short courses, whereas rest of them are availing indigenous financial assistance.
Besides stoppage of development funds for the ongoing financial year, which is already into its last quarter, the government is not coming with any commitment for next year, the sources said. So far, the government has only committed eight per cent increase in recurring budget, but no increase in development funds.
About recurring expenditures, they said, this year public sector universities had witnessed 15 per cent increase in their enrolment that automatically warranted 15 per cent increase in their regular expenditures.
However, the finance ministry is not only ignoring this fact but also ongoing double digit inflation and has only committed eight per cent increase in the HEC's recurring grant, the sources said.
Practically speaking, there would be no new development scheme during next financial year and it will be great achievement if the HEC would be able to get funds for its ongoing projects.
Under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) 2009-10, the HEC is working on 358 development schemes which included both ongoing and new ones.
