ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: As many as 1.581 million (1.272 million in Public and 0.309 million in Private) students are studying in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) of the Country as per enrollment record for the year 2017-18, the Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood told the National Assembly.
In a written reply, the minister told the Lower House that Universities are being regulated by their respective charters and functions through their statuary bodies.
The minister told that the Higher Education Commission (HEC) is a regulatory body for higher education sector, which facilitates and performs its functions as per section (10) of Ordinance L-III of 2002. He told that the Universities being corporate bodies may acquire and hold property, both moveable and immoveable.
Shafqat Mahmood told that the HEC recognizes only those Universities that fulfill the minimum criteria as prescribed by the Federal Universities Ordinance (FUO) of 2002 captioned “Ordinance No. CXX of 2002”.
The minister further told the House that the Universities provide hostel facilities to its students as per resources available to the Universities. He said that the HEC provides financial support to these Universities for their infrastructure development including Hostels.
 students are studying in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) of the Country as per enrollment record for the year 2017-18){kind=link}