Senate Functional Committee on Devolution has recommended to the federal government to formulate a uniform education syllabus for all provinces and to devolve Workers Welfare Board and relating departments to the provinces under 18th Constitutional Amendment. The committee met with Senator Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo in the chair at Parliament House on Monday.
The committee discussed public petition received from Sajjad Ahmed Rana pertaining to decision of implementation commission in Higher Education sector and other issues relating to the provinces under 18th Constitutional Amendment. Senators Muhammad Usman Khan Kakar, Atta-ur-Rehman, Muhammad Ali Khan Saif and others attended the meeting.
Senator Maulana Atta-ur-Rehman said that federal government should prepare a uniform education syllabus for all provinces. He said that education is important for the nation and its uniform syllabus is necessary for all the provinces.
Senator Usman Kakar said that many departments have not been devolved to the provinces despite that five years has been passed since the passage of 18th Constitutional Amendment. He said that Workers Welfare Board should be devolved to the provinces as soon as possible.
While briefing the committee, Secretary Cabinet Division Raja Hasan Abbas said that a summary dated 12-02-2015 submitted by Government of Sindh regarding "Matters pertaining to Higher Education in Post 18th Amendment Scenario" was considered by the Council of Common Interest (CCI) in its meeting held on March 18, 2015 and the Council decided to set up a committee comprising Minister for Planning, Development and Reform, Minister for IPC, Chairman, HEC, Chief Ministers of all provinces or their representatives, Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training and Secretary, Finance Division, to look into the matters pertaining to Higher Education in post 18th amendment scenario and similar bodies in the provinces and provide a comprehensive report for the redressal of the grievances of the provinces in the next meeting of the CCI. He said that the committee will also consider various other issues being faced in the wake of 18th constitutional amendment particularly the matters relating to international commitments.
He said that second meeting of the committee was held on October 07, 2015. He said that the meeting discussed in detail the matters relating to higher education and after detailed deliberations agreed that HEC and provincial representatives of Sindh and Punjab will sit together to look into the functions of HEC as stated in its Ordinance, 2002 and work out redistribution of functions between federal and provincial HECs for consideration of the committee.