The crisis that ensued after government's decision to cap funds to the state-owned universities may have been a blessing in disguise. It has generated much discussion about performance of the VCs and their lack of innovation in generating their own funds and developing financial models to enhance sustainability of the institutions they head. There is no disputing the consensus of general view that university funds should not be stopped no matter what. One agrees wholeheartedly with it as with the demand that greater share of the GDP has to be allocated to education. It is high time for it and the parliament should review forthwith without further delay on what further percentage of funds should be allocated for it. But there are matters concerning development of educational infrastructure and of verifying the available existing capacity and having a plan for using the idle capacity that need discussion. Then there are issues of allocation, what percentage should be used for enhancing standards of teaching by offering better remunerations to teachers, by giving incentives to Pakistani intellectual capital held up abroad to be repatriated back home to serve their indigenous community? The universities, I stress, should plan to generate their own funds by taking various steps like mobilizing the alumni associations and developing linkages with industrial sector, as suggested by some noted intellectuals. Further, someone has to evaluate if resources being injected are indeed bringing the dividends commensurate with needs and requirements of the economy and our social fabric. Someone has to evaluate and grade the quality of professional manpower being produced also. Are the 4000 students that are affected as present due to capping of HEC funds be meeting these requirements, whenever they are ready to do so? These issues and so many other related issues need brain storming and a lot of out of the box thinking. These questions should, in fact, be addressed by Chancellors/Governors of provinces who have enough time at their disposal if they do not choose to waste it in destabilizing governments of their provinces. -S. M. JUNAID, Islamabad, September 25.