Role of Higher Education Commission in supporting students with lower economic conditions in attaining Higher Education in Pakistan

In Pakistan Majority of the population belongs to the lower or lower middle class, and it is a big hurdle for them fulfil the requirement of their children for attaining the higher education; especially for those families who are falling in lower class. Therefore most the parents prefer to involve their children after completion of secondary education for earning purposes. In such situations students who are interested in getting higher education look for support from different institutes especially from High Education Commission. In Pakistan HEC is most important actor for supporting students in Higher education. With the support of HEC thousands of Pakistani students are on the scholarships for the doctorate, masters and graduate programs in the different fields of education in Pakistan and outside Pakistan. Many other initiatives have also been initiated by HEC to support students in attaining Higher Education. There are certain challenges that HEC is facing i.e. Insufficient education budget in the Annual budget of Pakistan, which has significantly limited the strength of HEC, the changing and instable political situation, every new political management attempt to change the policies of HEC and lack of resources to work on innovative technological researches.