Education Budget: Pakistan to Increase by 50%
By Aziz Malik ‘Pakistan Times’ Federal Bureau Chief

RAWALPINDI: A top-level meeting, chaired by President General Pervez Musharraf, Thursday adopted a roadmap to synergize knowledge in fields of science and technology with the country's requirements for fast-paced industrial development.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, Governors and Chief Ministers of four provinces, AJK president, Chairman Higher Education Commission and senior officials attended the meeting.

The meeting decided to speed up the establishment of nine engineering universities with the help of Austria, Germany, Japan, Italy, France, China, South Korea and Sweden at a cost of Rs 160 to 180 billion over a period of ten years.

"The President and the Prime Minister today committed to maintaining meaningful allocations for the cause of higher education-and we expect a further 50 percent increase in allocations in the next financial year", Dr Atta ur Rehman told newsmen.

Classes at these nine universities would commence by 2008 and mark a new era for Pakistan's advancement in the fields of science and technology.

To ensure high standards of education, the meeting directed the provinces to shut down universities illegally operating in the country within three months,

Atta ur Rehman said. The universities, not imparting education up to the mark, have been directed to conform their standards to HEC-set criterion.

In case of failure to raise standards, such universities would be downgraded to colleges, he stated. The meeting also agreed on a mechanism to award finances to private universities.

Opening the meeting, the President observed that government would not only encourage the universities to align their standards with the best institutions of higher learning in the world but also make available necessary means to achieve that end.

"We have already increased the budget for higher education to Rs 22 billion (including development expenditures) this year from a mere Rs 500 million in the year 1999-2000- we have provided a strong base for equipping our human resource with the best tools of progress," he said.

The meeting decided that from now on the appointment of vice chancellors of universities would be made on the basis of recommendations of a scholars' search committee.

Musharraf assures VCs

President Musharraf Thursday said Pakistan is committed to improving the quality of higher education and equip institutions of higher learning with state-of-the-art facilities.

He was speaking to Vice Chancellors of Quaid-e-Azam University, Allama Iqbal open University, International Islamic University, Islamabad and Karakoram International University, Gilgit.

Chairman Higher Education Commission Dr. Atta ur Rehman was also present.

The Vice Chancellors apprised the President of efforts underway to improve research and academic standards at their respective institutions. They also discussed financial requirements in this regard.

The VCs included Dr. Muhammad Qasim Jan, QAU, Dr. Mahmood Hussain Butt, AIOU, Dr. Manzoor Ahmed, Rector IIU, and Dr. Aziz Ali Najam of KIU, Gilgit.●