Punjab forms panel to review university asset commercialisation proposals

LAHORE: The Punjab government has set up a 13-member committee to examine proposals from public sector universities on commercial use of assets and public-private partnership projects aimed at generating income, according to a notification issued by the Higher Education Department.

The committee is tasked with preparing a policy framework for implementing such initiatives in higher education institutions under the Punjab Public Private Partnership Act, 2025. The notification, circulated among registrars of all public sector universities in the province, says the body will assess the legal and financial requirements of commercialisation and PPP plans and review proposals submitted by universities before recommending a framework for execution.

The move signals that the provincial government is considering a wider role for the private sector in the management and use of university assets while trying to improve the financial position of higher education institutions. The committee will submit its recommendations to the provincial cabinet.

Committee composition and mandate

The panel will be headed by the provincial finance minister as convener, with the provincial ministers for law and parliamentary affairs and higher education serving as co-conveners. Its members include the chairman of the planning and development board, senior member of the board of revenue, the secretaries of higher education, finance, school education and law departments, the chief executive officer of the Punjab Public Private Partnership Authority, the managing director of the Punjab Procurement Regulatory Authority, and the chairperson and chief operating officer of the Punjab Higher Education Commission.

Under its terms of reference, the committee will carry out a comprehensive review of university proposals related to commercialisation of assets and PPP projects. It has also been asked to prepare a standardised policy for the commercial use of land and assets owned by public sector universities, review the existing 2016 policy framework in light of the Punjab Public Private Partnership Act, 2025, and develop guidelines to ensure that university-led PPP initiatives remain consistent with academic objectives and institutional priorities.

Reservations voiced by academics

A vice chancellor of a public sector university, speaking to Dawn on condition of anonymity, said university assets are vested in and controlled by syndicates under the respective university acts, making them the principal governing bodies of the institutions. He said that if the government wants to use university assets under a PPP model, those assets must first be advertised for commercial use and then approved and allotted by the syndicate under the procedure laid down in law.

He said the committee could examine or supervise such proposals, but argued that the legal mechanism already exists in university laws and should not be set aside.

“The committee may vet or oversee such proposals, but there is already a legal procedure provided in the university acts and it cannot be bypassed,” he said.

The vice chancellor also said no serving vice chancellor or faculty representative had been included in the committee despite universities being directly affected by its recommendations. He added that government representatives already have substantial influence in university governance through syndicates, which include officials such as the finance and higher education secretaries as well as elected lawmakers. According to him, the higher education minister serves as chancellor or chairman of universities created under different provincial laws, while senior officials and members of the Punjab Assembly are also represented on syndicates. He further said a series of policy decisions had already reduced the administrative autonomy of vice chancellors.

Former Higher Education Commission chairman Dr Tariq Banuri also raised concerns over the move, telling Dawn that the autonomy of universities and other autonomous public institutions should not be weakened and that any such process should remain advisory.

“Government should not undermine the autonomy of universities. Such committees can provide advice, but decisions regarding autonomous institutions should remain within the framework established by law,” he said.

Punjab University Academic Staff Association president Prof Dr Amjad Abbas Khan Magsi, in a statement issued on Sunday, described the notification as an attempt to encroach on university autonomy. He said the autonomy granted to universities through legislation was being gradually rolled back and noted that no faculty representative had been made part of the committee. Referring to the 18th Amendment, Prof Magsi said provincial governments were responsible for funding public sector universities and alleged that the notification suggested an effort to shift that responsibility by promoting greater private-sector involvement in higher education. He also expressed concern over provisions of the Punjab Public Private Partnership Act, 2025, saying they gave broad powers to the PPP authority over assets and properties connected to projects.