The decision to cut down HEC’s budget taken back by PM

Shehbaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, conveyed that his government will not cut the budget of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) for the fiscal year 2022-23. Following a strong backlash from the HEC and university administrators, the government reversed this decision.

He has also asked the Ministry of Planning and Finance to prepare the next federal budget in accordance with the aforementioned directions.

The decision was made to avoid the shutdown of various university programmes and to guarantee that international higher education agreements are not disrupted.

The Prime Minister has called for a substantial increase in the HEC's resources as well as the provision of required facilities to teachers and students.

He has urged the HEC to reactivate, as it was during the previous rule of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government (PML-N). He claimed that the HEC's budget cuts during the previous government's four-year mandate had harmed higher education and that they needed to be rectified.

The premier also emphasised the importance of reviving educational projects in institutions around the country and increasing the number of higher education programmes that meet international standards.