Time to activate provincial HECs Opinion February 8, 2021 In view of some recent decisions and policies of the HEC, and keeping in mind the post-18th Amendment educational scene in the country, perhaps it is the right time to start devolving higher education management to provinces and activate provincial HECs. This suggestion may shock some well-wishers of higher education in Pakistan. If you look at the broader picture, it will make perfect sense. Twenty years ago, when the government of General Musharraf formed a committee to transform the erstwhile University Grants Commission (UGC) into the Higher Education Commission, technocrats such as Shams Lakha and Dr Atta-ur-Rahman sprang into action. They were amply supported by international donors including the World Bank. Throughout the nine years of Gen Musharraf’s dictatorship, the HEC was projected as a success story. Hardly anyone can dispute that the HEC has done some good work over two decades but that is not the whole story.