Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Tuesday demanded of the government to review the decision of devolution of Higher Education Commission (HEC) to the provinces.
"Future of thousands of researchers, scientists and young students will be affected if the HEC is devolved to the provinces. The PML-N demands of the government to withdraw its decision of devolving HEC to the provinces. I proposed to constitute a Parliamentary Committee to bring reforms for making HEC effective. There is no provision under 18th Amendment in the constitution to dissolve the HEC as an independent body," PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal said while addressing a news conference here on Tuesday.
He said that a total of $550 million aid, $300 million from Asian Development Bank (ADB) and $250 form USAID was available for HEC, but the government could not decide about the funds yet.
Ahsan Iqbal proposed the government to place the HEC under Council of Common Interests (CCI). He also proposed to constitute National Education Commission (NEC) under CCI to maintain standard and to have uniform curriculum of education in the country. The national standard of education will not improve if the provinces have different curriculum and standard of education, he added. Ahsan Iqbal said that PML-N would raise the issue in the forthcoming session of the National Assembly.
"If the academic syllabus is not uniform, the provinces will not accept each others degrees or certificates of matriculation and F.Sc," he said. "It will be tantamount to playing with the future of the country and students if the HEC is dissolved to the provinces. With this move we are depriving brilliant students of all provinces from getting higher education in foreign countries."
"Today is the age of knowledge, revolution and research and we cannot move forward without learning modern skills," he added. He said that if the HEC was devolved to the provinces then we would start once again from sure one. So the government should review its decision, he said. The PML-N leader said that it is difficult task to form an organisation, but it can be destroyed with a single stroke of pen.
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