ISLAMABAD: The federal government has decided to end autonomy of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan.

The ordinance regarding making the institution a subordinate of the education minister has been approved by President Arif Alvi.

Earlier the federal cabinet had given the green light for implementation of the ordinance, according to which all the decisions of the HEC will be conditional to the approval of the education ministry. All the previous heads of the institutions had opposed such a move of the government.

According to the HEC Amendment Ordinance, 2021, appointment of the HEC head will be for two years and appointment of the HEC members will be for four years. They could be reappointed for one more term, but not more than one in any circumstances.

The HEC was established in 2002 as an autonomous institution to avoid political interference, so that quality education could be ensured.

On Mar 26, the HEC chairman Dr Tariq Banuri had been removed from his post about one year earlier than his scheduled tenure. A notification had been issued regarding his removal.

Dr Tariq Banuri’s four-year term as the HEC chief was scheduled to be completed in May next year. However, complaints against him were allegedly common on wide scale. He had allegedly been running the HEC on ad hoc basis for the last three years.