Rationalizing priorities for federal and provincial budgets
For a country to be among the top ten countries in the world in terms of population, and with more than 60 percent of its population below 30 years of…
public sector insurers
Takaful, an Islamic insurance model rooted in the principles of mutual help, offers a compelling global alternative. However, its potential remains largely untapped in Pakistan, a nation with a robust…
HEC disbursed over Rs301bn as federal grant to 156 public varsities in 5 years
The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training told the National Assembly (NA) that during the last five years, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) has disbursed an amount of Rs301.431…
Federal funding for universities
UNIVERSITIES in Pakistan are again in the news — once again for the wrong reasons. The issue this time is that the federal government has decided to stop giving annual…
Future of public examination boards
AT present, the country has more than 30 public examination boards, of which two are private. In the past, these were given a wide mandate that included consolidation, regulation, development…
Elections and public scepticism
LESS than a month remains for the five-year term of the present National Assembly and two provincial assemblies to end, after which elections have to be held within 60 or…
Provincial surplus and the federal budget
To formulate federal and provincial budgets necessitates engagement between the federal government and its federating units on two critical items: projected share of each province from the divisible pool and…
Defunding of public higher education
When one is looking for higher-ed statistics in Pakistan, they must be pieced together from multiple sources and cross-checked to ensure they make sense. However, occasionally, you come across longitudinal…
HEC to approach CMs for early appointment of VCs in public varsities
The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has decided to approach all newly-appointed chief ministers to ensure that the process of appointing vice chancellors (VCs) in public-sector universities is completed well on…
The corrosion of a republic
The corrosion of a republic isn’t an event. It is a process. It isn’t a partisan affair. It is wholesale. It is never limited or contained. It is large scale…
