The Senate Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training on Tuesday rejected the “Establishment of the Pak University of Engineering & Technology University Bill 2022” for setting up a university in the Prime Minister House making remarks that improving the prevailing education system was an apter utilization of the budget instead of the establishment of a new university.
The Senate panel held its meeting at the Parliament House with Senator Irfan-ul-Haq Siddiqui in the chair.
The panel, rejecting the bill as passed by the National Assembly, was of the view that the new disciplines/subjects could be incorporated into the existing universities and the financial resources could be utilized to enrich the extant institutions.
The Chair said that the committee did not have any ill-will in rejecting the bill, however, it was only in the larger interest of the education sector.
The committee also discussed the concerns of security lapses by the establishment of a university on the premises of the Prime Minister’s House. It observed that establishing a university at a place with a high-security zone seemed infeasible. The bill was rejected by majority members, however, Senator Fawzia Arshad abstained from voting against the bill.
Senator Fawzia Arshad floated a bill titled, “The Right to free and compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, 2022″ and the committee unanimously passed it. The bill sought to provide maximum flexibility in acquiring education to disadvantaged children so that their constitutionally guaranteed right was protected.
Senator Fawzia Arshad said there were unfortunately many disadvantaged children in the Islamabad Capital Territory who could acquire education in a formal way due to their weak socio-economic conditions. Through this bill, along with the existing mechanism, an informal way to educate the disadvantaged children could be adopted, wherein the government could collaborate with non-governmental organizations, corporate bodies, international organizations, and individuals to provide education to such children.
The committee approved all the PSDP education-related projects in addition to the projects related to the promotion and facilitation of women’s education. It was apprised that there were a total of 33 projects out of which 17 were ongoing and 16 others were new projects. The proposed budget makes a total of Rs. 12489.305 million out of which Rs. 3,396.059 million are to be met by foreign aid and Rs. 9,044.691 to be locally met. The committee observed that 90 percent of teachers in Pakistan were untrained, so it emphasized the need for teacher training programs. It also recommended establishing a school to promote transgender social inclusion and equality.
The committee also approved the PSDP budgetary proposal of the National Heritage and Culture Division. The Chair emphasized on establishment of multi-purpose buildings to fully utilize the government resources for performing arts and literature. He stressed that steps should be taken for the promotion of Pakistan’s cultural and historical heritage.
The panel also discussed the issues faced by the teaching and non-teaching staff of the University of Peshawar. It regretted the absence of the Vice-Chancellor in the meeting. The Chair decided to plan a visit to the university in the next meeting and address the problems of the administration and teachers. He also directed the authorities concerned to hold joint meetings between the Vice-Chancellor, teaching staff, and administration to discuss the issues for their resolution.
The meeting was attended by Senator Prof. Dr. Mehr Taj Roghani, Fawzia Arshad, Jam Mahtab Hussain Dahar, Engr. Rukhsana Zuberi, Rana Maqbool Ahmad, Falak Naz and Senator Molvi Faiz Muhammad. Senior officials from the Ministry, Higher Education Commission, and other attached departments were also in attendance.
