The federal government will allocate Rs 120 billion for the Higher Education Commission in the budget of FY 2018-19 to be announced on April 28, said Chairman HEC Dr Mukhtar Ahmed while briefing reporters here the other day.
He said in the FY 2017-18 the government allocated Rs 107 billion for the HEC but this year the government will increase the budget of the commission by Rs 13 billion which will be used for initiating new projects like National Skill University, University of Central Asia and Pakistan, US-Pak Knowledge Corridor and UK-Pak Knowledge Gateway.
He said the successive governments paid attention to the requirements for advancement of higher education, however, the boost to the sectors budget during the last four years has been exemplary as annual figures touch Rs 100 billion for recurring and development expenditure of the higher education sector. He also said that four new sub campuses of FATA University are going to be inaugurated in North and South Waziristan, Wana and Khyber Agency, in the next week. He said during his tenure as chairman HEC he tried to make commission a strong institute. He claimed that the UK is also establishing an institute on the pattern of HEC.
Mukhtar said he tried to restore the image of degrees of Pakistan at international level. He said during his tenure the commission had closed 480 M.Phil and PhD programmes of public and private universities which do not meet the criteria.
He further said that today institutions of national and international repute are interested in working with the commission. He said 1518 scholars proceeded abroad for pursuing overseas PhD scholarship programmes in all major disciplines in the reputed universities of the world out of which 1246 returned after completion of studies while 2515 scholars were awarded indigenous PhD scholarship in all major disciplines out of which 1857 completed their studies. The commission has awarded 1000 scholarships to the students of FATA and Balochistan for under graduate studies and 200 scholarships were awarded for the post graduate studies during 2013-17.
He said the HEC plans to take higher education opportunities at district level throughout the country by setting up 150 community colleges affiliated with skill universities will be established in each province to prepare technical, vocational and support staff to meet the urgent need of skilled man power.
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