By Kehkashan Tabbasum
ISLAMABAD: In spite of the fact that the Finance Division has revised upward the Indicative Budget Ceilings (IBC) for the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to Rs. 65 billion from an initial allocation of Rs25 billion for fiscal year 2024-25 yet a majority of the universities, centres and institutes under its control have not been allocated and released sufficient budgets and funds for the fiscal 2024-25.
With the passage of time, annual budget allocations and grants are getting decreased for the universities in general and its recognised centres and institutes in particular. Over the years, particularly since 2018, Centres of Excellence have become beggars demanding bail out packages, grant in aid and supplementary grants to overcome their financial pendency but in vain.
No doubt, the public sector universities, centres and institutes have been facing a financial emergency because of budget cuts for the past six years. Since then, the HEC decreased funding has failed to keep up with exacerbated house rent ceiling, pay and pension increases and other allowances. Nowadays universities, centres and institutes are facing financial crisis; some of them do not have funds to pay house rent ceilings, salaries and pensions to their staff and pensioners.
One such academic research institution is the National Institute of Historical and Cultural Research, Centre of Excellence, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, which has been facing financial crunch since fiscal 2019-20 due to which the staff and pensioners have not been paid House Rent Ceiling since July 2021 at the pretext that the Higher Education Commission had not released funds to the NIHCR.
Hard hit are the NIHCR pensioners who have not so far been paid their house rent ceilings since July 2021, gratuity and leave encashment in toto. The NIHCR authorities hold HEC responsible for not releasing required funds to clear the pensioners once for all. According to my well-placed sources in the NIHCR, at least five pensioners are waiting for payment of their pending pensionary dues and house rent ceilings.
Ironically, the NIHCR has not granted 15 percent Adhoc Relief announced in the Budget 2024-25 to its pensioners for non-release of funds by the HEC.
The NIHCR failed to implement the Special Dispensation for the Civil Servants in the Federal Government for the Employees in BPS-01 to BPS-16 effective 01-01-2023 for want of funds from the HEC.
The Institute has not paid 35 percent and 25 percent Adhoc Relief announced in the Budget 2023-24 to its staff and officers, respectively.
Likewise, the Institute failed to pay 25 percent and 15 percent Adhoc Relief announced in the Budget 2024-25 to its staff and officers, respectively, besides payment of medical allowance and medical reimbursement to its staff for lack of funds.
In spite of huge financial pendency, rumours are rife in the NIHCR that some high ups have been granted house building, motor car and motor cycle advances instead of clearing the pending house rent ceilings of lower staff or making payments to the retired staff.
It is need of the hour for HEC to look into the NIHCR financial matters properly and fill its begging bowl to the brim by allocating required funds to clear the backlog once for all.
