HRCP censures higher education budget cuts

Lahore, June 26. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) is concerned that the government’s bid to reduce budgetary expenditure on higher education through the Higher Education Commission (HEC) will affect both existing and prospective students, especially those from poorer vulnerable or marginalised groups.

The state has a duty to ensure that higher education is accessible to students from low-income backgrounds, especially those from under-resourced areas such as Balochistan, interior Sindh and western KP. Equally, it is critical that bodies such as the HEC and provincial education commissions ensure that such funds are spent effectively and directed towards deserving students who would otherwise have no opportunity to pursue higher education. This means bolstering the resources available to older as well as newer universities.

The planned budget cuts risk translating into lower rates of admission and fewer scholarships, especially for women, as well as lower-quality research. Not only does this impinge on young people’s right to affordable higher education, it also compromises the quality of education they will receive.

HRCP urges the government to avoid straining the resources available to the higher education sector and to give those who are protesting against these budget cuts – students, academics and university administrations alike – a fair hearing before the budget is passed. Universities must be given the room they need to breathe and grow.

Dr Mehdi Hasan

Chairperson