Sindh rejected the Higher Education Commission’s 4 years graduation policy and termed this act attack on provincial autonomy and announced to continue the 2-year graduation degree program. This was announced by Advisor Universities and boards Nisar Ahmed Khuhro during a press conference here at Sindh assembly committee room on Wednesday.
He said the process of abolishing the two-year degree program by the federal HEC to four years is an attack on provincial sovereignty that’s why Sindh rejected these federal HEC policies and Universities in Sindh will continue all the two-year programs by using provincial autonomy under the University Act of the province to ensure provincial autonomy. He said the historic 18th Amendment in the Constitution is a biting thorn in the eyes of has the centralist mindset since day one. He added.
Khuhro said that The education sector in Pakistan now comes under provincial jurisdiction after the 18th Amendment, on the basis of which the Sindh Higher Education Commission was established. He said that The Sindh Assembly passed the Sindh Universities Act in 2018. Which gave autonomy to the universities so that the universities could function according to their statutes.
He further said, On the one hand, the provincial autonomy is being violated and on the other hand, the autonomy of the universities is being violated due to the continuous implementation of poor policies and interference by the Federal HEC in the provincial education and in the matters of universities.
He said the recent initiatives of the Federal HEC, including HEC’s Associate Degree, Program, and Ph.D. policy, will deprive the middle and lower-middle-class of higher education on a large scale.
He said according to HEC’s policy, the doors of BA, B.Com, and two-year Masters’ programs and private graduation will be closed to students. He said that We reject all these policies of the Federal HEC and all the universities of Sindh will continue all the programs under the autonomy given in the Universities Act.
He further said The Sindh government will not allow the Federal HEC to verify the certificates and degrees issued by Sindh educational institutions only the same Sindh,s institutions can verify the degrees and certificates. He said that The Sindh government will also take up this issue in the Council of Common Interests (CCI).
“We want to make it clear that the Sindh government will not compromise on the 18th Amendment. After the 18th Amendment violators of the constitution have been classified as traitors. He said after the abolition of the concurrent list federal government should have only four departments others should be transferred to provinces but the federal government is not ready to accept provincial autonomy full autonomy.
He said If the provinces are strong then the country will be strong. Khuhro said the establishment of a federal HEC is also against provincial autonomy. A conspiracy is being hatched to control the universities of the provinces by setting up a federal HEC. We will not allow the federation to control the sovereignty of the province, Khuhro Said.”
