Universities demand more funding for social sciences

The Express Tribune 22 July 2012

A group of leading universities has demanded that Pakistan’s government increase funding for the social sciences, writes Muhammad Sadaqat for The Express Tribune. An inter-universities consortium of nine public and private universities made the joint declaration during a meeting held at COMSATS University Abbottabad.

The speakers called for the establishment of social science councils across the country, provision of equal funding and scholarships for this discipline as for other disciplines, and the setting up of laboratories for social science research in all universities. They added that while the social science had been accorded importance globally, they has been neglected in Pakistan.

The speakers also expressed concern over the meagre funds allocated for education, and higher education in particular. “Because education has never been a priority of the government, it has never achieved its development targets,” said one speaker. He said that while, worldwide, at least 5% of gross domestic product is spent on education, Pakistan only spends 1.7% of GDP on the sector, of which only 0.7% is allocated to higher education.
Full report on The Express Tribune site

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