Islamabad:
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament discovered on Wednesday several discrepancies and irregularities while reviewing the paragraphs of the Audit of the Higher Education Commission (HEC).
During the meeting, it was revealed that many students who received scholarships for higher education abroad did not return. In addition, the buildings were built at the Quaid-E-Azam University without obtaining the approval of the interested authorities.
The meeting was held with Pac Junaid Akbar Khan president in the chair. The meeting was reported that 89 of 92 Fulbright scholarships in the United States were canceled, while the executive director of HER said that 96 academics remained in their host countries instead of returning.
The president ordered the authorities to take measures against the students who traveled abroad with scholarships but could not return, stating that instead of studying, they took jobs. He said the cases must appear against these students and their canceled passports.
The president of PAC also raised concerns about students who were blackmailed for better grades, emphasizing the need for discipline in the qualification system. He suggested that the same teacher who prepared the exam document should not be responsible for qualifying it, since this practice allowed blackmail.
Audit officials told the meeting that three buildings, including a girls’ shelter, were built at the Quaid-E-Azam University without the approval of the construction plan by the capital development authority (CDA).
Regarding the audit objection with respect to the delay in the establishment of the engineering installation at the University of Karakoram, the general auditor told the committee that the cost of the project increased by RS2.10 billion due to the delay.
