Islamabad: A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court against the government's plan to dissolve the Higher Education Commission (HEC) which is widely credited with playing a key role in the promotion of higher learning in Pakistan.
The University of Lahore and Rafa University moved the petition through their lawyer, citing the federal government and the ministry of law as respondents.
Vice chancellors of public sector universities, professors and teachers as well as political parties have vehemently criticised the move to undo the HEC which was established in 2002. They claim the move would deal a severe blow to higher education in the country and put at risk thousands of Pakistani PhD students currently studying abroad on scholarships.
Former federal minister for science and technology Dr Attaur Rehman has said HEC was being targeted over its role in verifying educational degrees of members of parliament and provincial assembly, a task assigned to it under the orders of the Supreme Court.
Fake degrees
Degrees of a number of lawmakers have been found to be fake while the verification exercise, which also involves the Election Commission, remains unfinished.
Lawmakers had presented graduation degrees to qualify for contesting 2002 elections under a law then in force, but the condition was later waived for future polls.
Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordinaton, Raza Rabbani told the Senate, the upper house of the parliament, that a new commission would be set up at the federal level to improve higher education standards.
He said the suggestions of current HEC chairman and vice chancellors of a dozen public universities would be incorporated in the rules and regulations of the new commission.
The minister dispelled doubts about the fate of those studying on HEC scholarships.
"Let me make I clear that they will continue their study," he asserted.
