State varsities may meet fate of SOEs

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) chairman, while recently interacting with journalists, urged the federal and provincial governments not to establish further public-sector higher education institutions till the country comes out of the current financial crisis.
Instead, he wants focus on the quality of already established government institutions. Earlier this year, the federal education minister imposed a ban on the opening of new universities on the recommendation of the Standing Committee on Education and Training of the National Assembly. These statements indicate a chronic policy problem the country has been facing since its inception. The current realisation goes way beyond quality or the current financial crisis. It is an issue of the sustainability of public higher education system in Pakistan.
The news of the unsustainability of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in Pakistan is nothing new. According to Ministry of Finance, out of 202 SOEs, 197 suffered losses in 2018. Overall, the government has been sustaining a net loss since 2015 on account of the SOEs. I fear the disease may spread beyond commercial enterprises into the realm of higher education.
The bureaucratic red-tapism and temporary political gains that led to the current situation of the SOEs are now making their way to the higher education sector, too. Our blatant failure to timely redress and acknowledge the issues led us to the mess that we are in today.
Similarly, the higher education sector is rolling towards an unsustainable future and timely amends in its course is the only way to its survival. Otherwise, it will just become another white elephant with its costs exceeding its contribution to society and economy. It was vital to develop higher education infrastructure across the country given the fact that at the time of its inception, Pakistan had only a single university, the University of the Punjab in Lahore, and merely 40 colleges.
Since the establishment of the HEC on Sept 11, 2002, the higher education sector has been making strides in almost every avenue; from faculty development to the establishment of new institutions. But there is always an optimal limit to a problem expanding beyond which will result in a decline leading towards an unsustainable situation. There are currently over 200 public and private universities in Pakistan, and among these around 150 are public-sector universities. Out of these 150 universities, many hold multiple campuses across the country, and more than 50 per cent of the universities were established after 2002.
Currently, Pakistan is facing an economic crisis, but despite the current financial limitations, an exponential increase in the number of higher educational institutions itself imposed an additional financial burden on the state treasury.
DR MUHAMMAD HAROON RASHEED
SARGODHA