The National Assembly Standing Committee on Federal Education, Professional Training, National Heritage and Culture has approved “The University of Engineering & Emerging Technology Bill, 2020” with amendments.
The committee held its 21st meeting with Mian Najeeb ud Din Awais in the chair at the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE), Islamabad on Monday.
Executive Director Higher Education Commission (HEC) Dr. Shaista Sohail apprised the committee of the background of the Bill.
In her briefing, the Executive Director HEC said the Bill was earlier referred to the Standing Committee on Science and Technology. The same has been referred to the Standing Committee on Federal Education, Professional Training, National Heritage and Culture, she added. She said the government had directed HEC to initiate the case for establishing a university of Engineering and Emerging Technology.
Accordingly, she maintained, a draft bill of the proposed university was prepared in line with the Federal Universities Ordinance, 2002. “Being a public sector initiative for the establishment of a university to impart quality education in the fields of engineering and emerging technologies, HEC recommends the instant case to an extent of processing of the Act.” She underlined that the proposed university, upon promulgation of the Act, would be required to obtain a No Objection Certification based on an affirmative assessment by HEC’s Accreditation Committee in the light of the federal cabinet’s criteria regarding fulfillment of physical, academic, and financial requirements in order to commence academic activities.
She also informed that the approval should not be used as a precedent in any other case, especially for the enactment of the charter of private sector universities/institutions. The HEC, she held, placed amendments before the committee and the committee recommended that the Bill might be passed by the National Assembly with amendments. However, she said, the opposition members opposed the Bill and submitted a Note of Dissent.
During the meeting, the committee also recommended approving “The Pakistan Global Institute Bill, 2021” (Government Bill). However, the committee deferred the other Government Bills and a private member’s Bill namely, “The Pakistan Institute of Education Bill, 2021”, “The Iqbal Academy Pakistan Bill, 2021” and “The NCS-Institute of Sciences Bill, 2021” (moved by James Iqbal, MNA) till its next meeting.
