Financial resources main issue of higher education: Experts

ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has prepared plan for every sector of education with implementation of strategy, which would definitely help meet modern challenges.

Under the five years plan, HEC is focusing on the development of faculty, labs and libraries, and IT facilities.

In an exclusive talks with VoA, Executive Director, HEC, Dr Sohail Naqvi said there are three main challenges to higher education which are access to higher education for eligible students, improving the quality of education and impart job-based and industry based education.

He said financial resources are the main issue of higher education and added the higher education is also being affected by the weak national economy. That is why, we are focusing mainly on private sector.

Replying to a question about foreign financial assistance, Naqvi said Pakistan was getting some help for education sector but it is less than our needs.

Regarding less enrolment in higher education institutions, especially in industries-based education, he said the government was taking various steps to check this trend. There is a US programme i.e. Small Business Investigative Research Programme, which is the best model for industrial education.

Educationist Syed Jaffer Ahmad, Director of Pak Study Centre, Karachi while giving his comments for the promotion of higher education and meeting its challenges said the education sector faced difficulties in sustaining the expansion made from 2001 to 2008 owing to economic crisis.

He asked the government to continue very important things and curtail less important things in higher education. There is also need to focus on primary education as primary education provides base for higher education.