KARACHI: Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, the chairman of the Higher Education Commission (HEC), announced on Tuesday that the body would resume the Prime Minister Laptop Scheme soon.
Speaking to journalists in Karachi, the chairman of the HEC said that, with assistance from Microsoft and other international organisations, the HEC will also launch a programme for online courses for students in Pakistan’s universities.
He added that the commission would move the entire process of certifying degrees and receiving certificates of equivalence entirely online.
In response to concerns over the commission’s diminishing funds, Dr. Mukhtar stated that the HEC had opted to divide the federal government’s money for universities among them in accordance with how well they performed.
Following its financial troubles, which the HEC has been experiencing as a result of an increase in the number of educational institutions and workers, the commission will shortly put the condition of performance upon public universities, he said.
In order to address the nation’s financial problems, he added, “We would ask the federal and provincial governments to refrain from establishing more public colleges.”
According to Dr. Mukhtar, the commission is facing financial difficulties because its budget is steadily running out while the number of educational institutions and their workforce has been rising.
The committee has received complaints about the quality of the nearly 5,000 affiliated institutions that various universities have created throughout numerous locations, according to the chairman.
The HEC has notified these universities that they either raise the standard of their education or face closure.
The HEC chairman stated that the commission will provide students from flood-affected areas a two-month deadline to pay their fees.
Dr. Mukhtar stated that he asked Sindh’s minister for universities, Ismail Rahoo, to put an end to ad hoc in the province’s institutions and make sure that vice chancellors and administrative staff were appointed on time.
