Chief Secretary Sindh Syed Asif Hyder Shah chaired a meeting with Vice Chancellors of all public sector universities in Sindh to review the overall performance of universities and discuss the financial, administrative, academic and infrastructure-related challenges being faced by higher education institutions across the province.
The meeting was attended by Vice Chancellors of 32 public sector universities, Chairman Sindh Higher Education Commission (SHEC), Secretary Universities and Boards, and other senior officials. The meeting reviewed a wide range of issues, including financial constraints, faculty and human resource matters, campus infrastructure and development schemes, governance and administrative affairs, student welfare, scholarships, transport and accommodation, digitalisation, electricity costs, pension and salary liabilities, and university campuses.
The Vice Chancellors briefed the Chief Secretary on the challenges confronting their respective institutions and highlighted their requirements for improving academic standards, research, infrastructure and student services.
Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah said the Sindh government was fully aware of the issues faced by public sector universities and wanted to work with Vice Chancellors to develop practical solutions. “I have been wanting to hold a meeting with the Vice Chancellors for quite some time. I have recently visited Mehran University and LUMS and was pleased to see that meaningful work is being carried out in the universities,” he said.
He appreciated the efforts being made by Vice Chancellors and said the government was aware of the problems being faced by universities. He noted that universities were being provided a grant of Rs44,460 million. The Chief Secretary said pension liabilities were among the major challenges confronting universities. He stressed the need to discourage unnecessary recruitment, particularly in non-faculty positions, in order to contain the growing financial burden.
He said the government would consider the recommendations regarding university syndicates and place them before the provincial Cabinet. He also said that people with an educational background should be included in university syndicates. The Chief Secretary called for greater engagement of university alumni in institutional development and said universities should develop stronger linkages with their alumni networks. He said universities were increasingly focusing on research and called for their research output to be properly accredited and linked with industry.
He encouraged Vice Chancellors to bring research proposals to the government so that appropriate support could be considered.
He said the provincial government would also approach the federal government regarding issues faced by universities that fell within the jurisdiction of the federal authorities. Discussing the expansion of university campuses, the Chief Secretary said universities should conduct proper research and feasibility assessments before establishing new campuses. A comprehensive policy and clear benchmarks should be developed to determine whether a proposed new campus would have sufficient student enrolment and academic viability.
Vice Chancellors raised a number of issues during the meeting, including financial constraints, pension liabilities, high electricity bills, faculty retention, regulatory approvals, right-to-information requests, security, drug prevention, and difficulties in attracting and retaining qualified faculty. The Vice Chancellors said pension and electricity bills constituted a major share of university expenditure. They said universities were facing difficulties in retaining qualified teachers as private universities were offering higher salaries to experienced faculty members.
The meeting was also informed about delays in obtaining approvals from regulatory bodies, including the Pakistan Nursing Council and Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, for relevant academic programmes. The Vice Chancellors also highlighted challenges relating to teachers who travel abroad and do not return to Pakistan, or return for a limited period before seeking opportunities to go abroad again. The Vice Chancellors said universities were taking measures to maintain law and order on campuses and prevent drug use among students. They also called for support to attract international students and said assistance from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant federal institutions would be required to promote Pakistani universities internationally.
The Chief Secretary Sindh also directed universities to work towards reducing their electricity expenditure and said a solarisation programme would be developed for universities. Universities were also directed to eliminate illegal electricity connections. The Chief Secretary stressed the need for Sindh’s universities to establish linkages with leading international universities and strengthen collaboration between academic research and industry. He also said the provincial government would consider increasing the retirement age of university professors from 60 to 65 years, and a summary in this regard would be sent to the Cabinet.
The Chairman Sindh Higher Education Commission briefed the meeting on the role and initiatives of the Commission, stating that the Sindh Higher Education Commission was established in 2013. He said Sindh provides more grant-in-aid to universities than other provinces. He said Rs50 million would be provided this year for international conferences at universities.
He also briefed the meeting about leadership and professional development programmes initiated for Pro-Vice Chancellors, Deans, Registrars, faculty members, Chairpersons and Directors. The meeting was informed that various professional development and strategic leadership programmes had been launched to strengthen institutional leadership and capacity within universities. The Chief Secretary said Rs60 million was being provided to universities for MPhil and PhD programmes. He also said funds had been allocated for research during the current year.
The meeting discussed the potential use of public-private partnerships for university development projects. It was also proposed that universities should focus more strongly on skills development and ensure greater transparency through the digitisation of financial and administrative systems.
The Chief Secretary said the challenges facing universities required coordinated efforts by the provincial government, university administrations and relevant federal institutions. He said the government would continue consultations with Vice Chancellors to address issues affecting the performance, financial sustainability and academic development of public sector universities in Sindh.