Pakistan’s higher education was facing the worst time this year due to lack of funding. The development budget for all universities has been cut down by 60 percent.
The stats show that HEC was to allocate Rs. 21.48 billion this year for the development of education system and implement different programs across universities but they only provide Rs. 8.42 billion the whole year instead of designated amount. This shows the HEC funds crisis.
The remaining amount was transferred to transportation schemes working in Pakistan. The government just wants to raise the transport system of Pakistan but lacking the education system funds.
HEC Funds Crisis:
- The history shows that this is the lowest fund ever allocated to HEC since 2004 and professor of HEC are working hard to protect the system from lacking funds.
- The lacking of funds affects different programs started by different universities including abroad plans. They have started a program for training of faculty and send them abroad to raise the name of a nation and further studies but funds become a barrier.
- HEC was sending 1000 students abroad for further studies and increased highly-trained staff and ratio of Ph.D. holders but only 250 students were sent last year due to shortness of funds.
University rankings:
- The fact is that Pakistani universities are not giving importance towards faculty. The new universities had been announced while hiring qualified faculty is not given priority.
- Between 2003 and 2008 several universities of Pakistan made their name in top 500 but this time only NUST remains able to ranks in top 500. This shows that education system requires a lot of work and funds to make their name in the world.
- This is not the only fact, HEC made a digital library with the addition of multiple international journalists and 65,000 text books but the new journalist never added due to shortness of money.
The government is only focusing towards laptop distribution, roads, and buses but never focus towards education, hospital, and water in the whole country. The HEC fund crisis is the reason that Pakistan education system is far behind as compared to globe.
