Higher education governance in Pakistan: the role and influence of HEC in the post-18th Amendment

In the 18th Amendment in the 1973 Constitution of Pakistan, the role of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan was limited to the quality standards of higher education and federal institutions and research centres only, as explained in Federal Legislative List I and II. Despite this constitutional constraint, the HEC maintains significant power over the universities and higher education, including policy formation, budgetary administration, and governance. The HEC was established as an advisory body under the HEC Ordinance, 2002. However, its powers have since then expanded its role to that of a quasi-governing organisation. The 2011 Supreme Court decision reaffirmed the HEC's authority under the law, emphasising the necessity of maintaining high educational standards and effective control. This article critically explores the degree of HEC's impact after the 18th Amendment, investigating the conflicts between provincial autonomy and federal monitoring and assessing the ramifications of HEC regulation on Pakistan's higher education environment. The study's findings show that despite the passage of the 18th Amendment, higher education is a more centralised subject controlled by Pakistan's federal government. The provinces, especially Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, possess limited autonomy concerning higher education governance and rely on HEC for higher education governance.