NAVTTC leader pushes for broad skills training to launch skills program. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
The Senate Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training on Wednesday ordered investigations into alleged financial irregularities in the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) and announced strict measures to address the issue of fake degrees, while declaring void a controversial meeting held at the Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design (PIFD).
The committee met under the chairmanship of Senator Bushra Anjum Butt, who led the establishment of a permanent help desk at the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to verify academic degrees.
She said accurate data would be collected on unverified institutions and fake degrees, stressing that students should not suffer due to institutional negligence. The HEC secretary assured the committee that the help desk would be set up immediately.
The committee then took up an agenda moved by Senator Rana Mahmood-ul-Hassan regarding the functioning, transparency and financial management of the NAVTTC for the last five years.
NAVTTC officials informed the committee that 71,000 students were being trained by 2025, including 6,200 from Balochistan and 43,000 from Punjab and no fixed quota existed for southern Punjab.
Officials stated that NAVTTC’s annual budget stands at Rs7 billion, with expenditure per students ranging from Rs80,000 to Rs140,000 and that funds are disbursed directly to institutions through joint accounts. However, a student representative from south Punjab contradicted this claim, claiming that only Rs1,500 per student was provided. student for training.
After hearing both sides, the committee constituted a sub-committee headed by Senator Kamran Murtaza to investigate alleged embezzlement under NAVTTC programs, identify institutions involved and fix responsibilities.
