A Senate sub-committee met today to address the dire state of education in Balochistan and evaluate a proposal for a new university amidst concerns over a severe shortage of educators in the province.

Senator Dr. Afnan Ullah Khan led the session of the Senate Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training sub-committee at Parliament House in Islamabad. The meeting included Senator Abdul Shakoor Khan, the bill’s sponsor, and representatives from the Ministry of Federal Education, Ministry of Law, and other agencies.

The committee deliberated on “The University of Business, Sciences and Technology Bill 2025,” introduced by Senator Shakoor. He explained his long-standing commitment to Balochistan”s educational development since 2012, emphasizing how the scarcity of educational prospects has hampered the region”s progress. He expressed alarm over the exodus of lecturers, estimating an 80% attrition rate.

To tackle this issue, Senator Shakoor proposed establishing a university in Islamabad, with eventual expansion to Balochistan, aiming to provide quality education for the province’s youth.

Higher Education Commission (HEC) officials clarified that establishing a university requires adherence to cabinet-mandated criteria and confirmed they had not received any official documentation for this project. While recognizing the initiative”s merit, they stressed the necessity of prerequisites like a feasibility study.

Senator Shakoor insisted on equal treatment and requested data from the past three years on universities granted conditional approvals for comparison. Consequently, the convener directed the HEC to furnish records of universities founded in the last three years at the subsequent meeting. He cautioned that Balochistan”s situation would remain stagnant if the current educational deficiencies persisted.