News Desk
ISLAMABAD: Vice-chancellors of 32 public sector universities of Punjab during an online meeting on Tuesday rejected the proposed amendments to the Punjab Higher Education Commission Act 2014. Total eight proposed amendments seek to limit the autonomy of the provincial commission.
View of Vice-Chancellors of Universities
The meeting was organized and presided over by the Punjab HEC Chairperson Dr. Shahid Munir. The meeting 32 vice-chancellors unanimously rejected the amendments proposed by the government in the Punjab (PHEC) Act, 2014.
It was discussed that with the proposed amendments, there will be no check and balance on the quality of higher education in private universities of Punjab. “The government should scrap the proposed amendments to the PHEC Act, 2014, which would remove the autonomy of the PHEC,” the meeting said.
Chairman of the Vice-Chancellors Committee Prof. Iqar Ahmed said that the PHEC will become a subsidiary of the Punjab Higher Education Department (HED) after these amendments.
A unanimous resolution was passed that said these amendments will compromise the quality of education and undermine PHEC autonomy. The resolution said that the government should terminate the plan of proposed amendments to the PHEC Act, 2014, and accept all stakeholders before anyone moves on it.
Amendments
One amendment transfer powers to ministers and chief minister and another aim to curtail the financial and academic authority of the PHEC chairman.
Furthermore, an amendment suggests shortening the members of the PHEC in the accreditation committee from 3 to 1 and permitting the provincial government to set up one or multiple committees.
Likewise, a proposed amendment recommends its performance audit, while another submits for penalizing over any misconduct and negligence in the organization.
Chairman PHEC Letter to CM
PHEC Chairman Prof Dr Shahid Munir had sent a letter to Chief Minister Punjab Parvez Elahi, where he highlighted serious concerns that the commission, being a key stakeholder, was not taken on board for the proposed amendments and some changes were even suggested without taking any input of the commission.
The letter also talks about how these suggested changes would deteriorate the standard of education in the province and would deteriorate the functioning of the institution.
