Present regime, through an Ordinance, had provided space for private sector representation in HEC; FPCCI President writes letters to the PM, Federal Minister
By Nasir Mahmood
Karachi
The role of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) has become a joke in this regime, as the people at the helm of affairs have turned it into a body of ‘dead wood’ acting in disregard to rules and regulations.
The present regime had promulgated Higher Education Ordinance 2021 providing space to the private sector/ FPCCI nominee. However, in accordance with this ordinance when private sector/ FPCCI forwarded its representation the authorities sitting in Islamabad not only rejected it but twisted the issue.
The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and industry (FPCCI) is the apex body of entire trade and industry of Pakistan.
Its President Mian Nasser Hyatt Maggo addressed letters to Dr. Shaista Sohail, Executive Director HEC dated 20 April 2021 and Ms. Farah Hamid Khan, Federal Secretary, Ministry of Federal Education & Professional Training dated 13th April, 2021. Then he wrote to Shafqat Mehmood, Federal Minster for Higher Education dated 3 August 2021 on this subject.
Maggo referred the name of Prof Dr. Abdul Jabbar Khan PhD as FPCCI’s Nominee on the Higher Education Commission. However, the FPCCI received a letter on 23 August 2021 from the office of Shafqat Mehmood, Federal Minister in which he informed that all of the seats at the commission had been filled and he will consider the nomination of FPCCI when the new board is constituted.
This reply was very much astonishing for the apex body of trade and industry that it was totally ignored. Therefore, on 4th October 2021 Mian Nasser Hyatt Maggo addressed a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan informing him that Industry Academia linkages plays an important role in the economic development of the country. He requested the PM to kindly look into this matter personally and issue necessary directives to the concerned officers to issue the notification for the FPCCI nominee Prof Dr. Abdul Jabbar Khan.
President FPCCI disclosed in his letter that there are members of HEC who were either placed in commission by the ousted chairman or even much earlier. The existing Commission does not truly reflect the eminent professionals rather could be said to be from political side or included on account of mere institutional representatives with ‘corporate’ interest. However, even after the lapse of more than twelve days there was no reply or acknowledgement received by the FPCCI from the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, the sources concluded.
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