ISLAMABAD, Dec 06 (DNA): Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reform Asad Umar and Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mehmood co-chaired a meeting to review the status of funding of higher education commission (HEC) projects.

Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Muhammad Jahanzeb Khan, Chairman HEC Tariq Banuri and other senior officials were in attendance.

The meeting was informed that an amount of Rs11.4 billion has so far been authorised by the Planning Division for release to HEC, out of the total allocation of Rs 29 billion for the current year.

Asad Umar directed the relevant officials to make sure that the funds allocated to HEC are released in a timely manner so that the educational institutions can utilise them for their projects. He also asked Chairman HEC to make sure that the released funds are spent prudently and effectively.

He assured that the government would provide more funds to HEC during the current year than the expenditure it incurred during the recent years. He asked the Chairman HEC to gear up the efforts to increase the fund utilisation capabilities to achieve higher expenditure levels.

The meeting also discussed proposals of Ministry of Education relating to improving student enrollment and improving the quality of education. It was decided that the Ministry of Education would formulate formal project proposals to implement these projects. The Planning Commission would facilitate the design and approval process of the proposals.

Both minister also decided to carry out a review of the Knowledge Economy projects along with the Ministries of Science and Technology and Information Technology and Telecom. DNA

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