At a press conference held on Wednesday in the Sindh Assembly committee room, Adviser Universities and Boards, Nisar Ahmed Khuhro announced that the province would continue the two-year graduation degree programmes, describing the four-year graduation policy of the Federal Higher Education Commission (HEC) as an ‘attack’ on provincial autonomy.
An attack on provincial autonomy is the process of abolishing the two-year degree programmes. Sindh opposes these federal HEC policies and universities in Sindh will continue the two-year programme under the Universities Act,” he said.
Mr Khuhro observed that from day one, the citizens who opposed provincial autonomy never acknowledged the historic 18th Amendment to the Constitution. He said that the education sector in Pakistan has now come under provincial jurisdiction following the 18th amendment that established the Sindh Higher Education Commission.
Referring to the policy of HEC, he said that it would close the two-year bachelor’s degree programme in the arts, commerce, two-year master’s degree programme and the opportunity to graduate privately.
He further claimed that the Sindh government would not allow the federal HEC to verify the certificates and degrees provided by the educational institutions of Sindh, and the degrees and certificates would only be verified by the institutions of Sindh.
The establishment of a federal HEC was also against provincial autonomy, Mr Khuhro added.
