KP public sector varsities issues discussed

F.P. Report

PESHAWAR: An important meeting regarding issues being faced by the public sector universities of the province was held here the other day with the caretaker Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Justice R Syed Arshad Hussain Shah in the chair. Concerned caretaker provincial ministers, administrative secretaries of the relevant provincial departments, Chairman Higher Education Commission and other high ups attended the meeting.

The participants discussed in details the financial issues and administrative matters of the public sector universities and reviewed the various proposals in order to steer the universities out of current financial crunches. Both the provincial government and Higher Education Commission expressed their commitment to work jointly for addressing the financial and administrative issues being faced by the public sector universities across the province. It was agreed in the meeting, that government’s grant to the universities would subject to their improved financial discipline.

The meeting also decided to complete the ongoing process for the appointment of vice chancellors in public sector universities as soon as possible. The participants agreed in principle with the proposal to merge the university campuses having lower enrollments. Similarly, it was agreed to introduce courses in line with the demand of modern market and to ensure implementation of improved educational process as an essential service in the higher educational institutions.

Talking to the participants, the caretaker Chief Minister urged the need to have a comprehensive and all time solution to address the financial issues of government universities in the province adding that his government is moving on to this effect in consultation with all the stakeholders. The Caretaker Chief Minister made it clear that we have to prepare and implement viable financial plans to make public sector universities financially stable and self-reliant.

Underlining the need to align higher education sector with the requirements of contemporary world, he said that it is imperative to introduce market-based courses instead of traditional education in the universities. The caretaker provincial government is very sincere and committed to take all possible steps for this purpose, he remarked.