SUMMARY of the Article “Higher education up the creek,” by Faisal Bari, Dawn, June 21st, 2024

In this article, Faisal Bari discusses the numerous challenges facing Pakistan’s higher education sector, exacerbated by the government’s recent budgetary decisions. He begins with an anecdote about how a boss would preemptively defuse requests for raises by suggesting that staff might be fired, drawing a parallel to the government’s handling of the higher education budget. Although the government initially announced cuts to the budget, it later restored funding to the previous year’s level, an action Bari suggests was intended to appear generous. Despite an increasing number of universities and colleges being upgraded, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) has not received a budget increase for several years, leaving many universities, even well-established ones, in severe financial distress. The situation is further aggravated by a 20% increase in salaries and 15% inflation, pushing public-sector universities towards financial crises, including potential defaults on salaries and pensions. The budget includes other adverse measures, such as the removal of a long-standing 25% income tax rebate for teachers and researchers, which previously helped mitigate the financial strain on these professionals. This removal, » Read More…