NAVTTC chief is pushing for broad job training and launching a 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 tackle the issue of fake degrees, while declaring null and 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 spearheaded the creation of a permanent help desk at the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to verify academic qualifications.
She said accurate data would be compiled on unverified institutions and fake degrees, stressing that students should not suffer from institutional neglect. The HEC secretary assured the committee that the help desk would be set up immediately.
The committee then took up an agenda presented by Senator Rana Mahmood-ul-Hassan regarding the functioning, transparency and financial management of NAVTTC over the last five years.
NAVTTC officials informed the committee that 71,000 students were trained in 2025, including 6,200 from Balochistan and 43,000 from Punjab, and there was no fixed quota for south Punjab.
Officials said NAVTTC’s annual budget is Rs 7 billion, with expenditure per student ranging from Rs 80,000 to Rs 140,000, and funds are disbursed directly to institutions through joint accounts. However, a student representative from south Punjab contradicted this claim, saying that only Rs 1,500 per student was paid for training.
After hearing both sides, the committee constituted a subcommittee headed by Senator Kamran Murtaza to investigate the allegations of misappropriation of funds under the NAVTTC programs, identify the institutions involved and determine responsibilities.
