The Provincial Government has made amendments in the official rules of businesses, after which Sindh Higher Education Commission (HEC) has been separated from the Universities and Boards Department.

According to the details, the Sindh Higher Education Commission will now function under the Chief Minister.

Dr. Asim Hussain is the Chairman of Sindh Higher Education Commission, who will now work under Chief Minister’s Secretariat.

It is pertinent to mention here that, earlier this month, Sindh government addressed concerns of the new policy by abolishing two year degree program by federal HEC.

Adviser Universities and Boards Nisar Ahmed Khuhro at a presser in the Sindh Assembly committee room announced that the province would continue with the two-year graduation degree programmes, describing the four-year graduation policy of the federal HEC as an “attack” on provincial autonomy.

“The process of abolishing the two-year degree programmes is an attack on provincial sovereignty. Sindh rejects these federal HEC policies and universities in Sindh will continue with the two-year programme under the Universities Act,” he said.

Nisar Khuhro noted that the historic 18th Amendment to the Constitution was never accepted by the people opposing provincial autonomy from day one.

The education sector in Pakistan, he said, now came under the provincial jurisdiction after the 18th Amendment on the basis of which the Sindh Higher Education Commission had been established.

“The Sindh Assembly had passed the Sindh Universities Amendment Act in 2018 which accorded autonomy to universities so they could function according to their statues.”

Criticizing the federal HEC, Nisar Khuhro said the commission was not only violating provincial autonomy, but also the autonomy of universities by interfering in their matters.