Education ministry demand of the Education Ministry regarding relocation of Higher Education Commission

Education ministry's demand likely to be rejected
Islamabad: National Assembly Standing Committee on Education is likely to categorically reject the demand of the Education Ministry regarding relocation of Higher Education Commission (HEC) with it.

Higher Education Commission (HEC), which now enjoys the autonomous status, remained as a body of Education Ministry till 2002, as University Grants Commission (UGC). Ministry of Education in its recommendations sent to the NA Standing Committee on Education has demanded that HEC should be relocated with the Ministry of Education.

"The relocation of HEC with the Ministry of education would further destroy the education system in the country, it should enjoy the status of autonomous body for the larger interest of the country," said NA Standing Committee on Education Chairperson Abid Sher Ali while talking to this scribe.

He said: "We wholly support the role of federal government in Ministry of Education, however; HEC is performing better in its autonomous status. The recommendations from the education ministry would be discussed in the upcoming meeting of the standing committee to be held on January 17 after which we will formulate final recommendations to be sent to Implementation Commission Chairperson Raza Rabbani."

The recommendations that suggest the relocation of HEC says, "University Grants Commission (UGC) always remained, as a body of Ministry of Education till 2002, when it was re-designated as the Higher Education Commission (HEC). It needs to be relocated with the Ministry of Education," It has also been stated that Higher Education Commission (HEC), already kept at Federal level under Entry 12 in Part II of Federal Legislative List, needs to be relocated with the Ministry of Education.

It is for the third time that the attempt has been made to relocate HEC under Ministry of Education. First time when Begum Shahnaz Wazir Ali became the chairperson of HEC, second time when the HEC had started verification of degrees on the directives of Supreme Court and now for the third time after the 18th amendment according to which all powers should be transferred to provincial governments.

However, it is pertinent to mention that despite several attempts by the influential politicians including Federal Minister for Education Sardar Aseff Ahmed Ali Khan, the recommendation or demand to end the autonomous status of HEC have always been disapproved by the Federal Government.

Even the allegations against HEC regarding the high recurring budget in comparison with the minimal out put could not move the federal government to relocate it with the Education Ministry.

The other recommendations that have been sent to NA Standing Committee on Education include that the Ministry of Education must be kept intact, as per functions under Part I and Part II of Federal Legislative List, Core Curriculum up to Higher Secondary Level must be within Federal jurisdiction, Islamic Education needs to be with the federal level, Centres of Excellence (12), although included in Entry 38 of abolished Concurrent List are research entities and covered under Entry 16 of Part I of Federal Legislative List. They need to be retained at the Federal level.

Talking about other recommendations, Abid Sher Ali said that he supports all other recommendations of the Education Ministry and after a discussion with the other committee members in the upcoming meeting, they would send these recommendations to Chairman Implementation Commission Raza Rabbani. "The devolution of powers would further deteriorate the education system in the country where every province would formulate the curriculum of their own choice that would end the concept of nationalism in the country," he said. The news