NAVTTC director pushes for broad skills training to launch competency program. PHOTO: ARCHIVE
ISLAMABAD:
The Senate Standing Committee on Federal Education and Vocational Training on Wednesday ordered investigations into alleged financial irregularities at the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) and announced strict measures to address the issue of fake degrees, while declaring a controversial meeting held at the Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design (PIFD) null and void.
The committee met under the chairmanship of Senator Bushra Anjum Butt, who led the establishment of a permanent help desk at the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to verify academic degrees.
He said accurate data on unverified institutions and fake degrees would be compiled, and emphasized that students should not suffer due to institutional negligence. The HEC secretary assured the committee that the helpdesk would be established immediately.
The committee then took up an agenda sent by Senator Rana Mahmood-ul-Hassan on the functioning, transparency and financial management of NAVTTC for the last five years.
NAVTTC officials informed the committee that 71,000 students, including 6,200 from Balochistan and 43,000 from Punjab, were trained in 2025 and there was no fixed quota for south Punjab.
Officials stated that NAVTTC’s annual budget amounts to Rs 7 billion, with expenditure per student ranging between Rs 80,000 and Rs 140,000, and that funds are disbursed directly to the institutions through joint accounts. However, a student representative from southern Punjab contradicted this claim, alleging that only Rs 1,500 per student was provided for training.
After hearing both sides, the committee constituted a sub-committee headed by Senator Kamran Murtaza to investigate the alleged misappropriation of funds under NAVTTC programmes, identify the institutions involved and determine responsibilities.
