Realignment of higher education system underscored

Islamabad:Federal education minister Rana Tanveer Hussain on Friday underscored the importance of realigning the country’s higher education system with emerging needs and trends in an ever-changing socio-economic landscape.

He was addressing the closing ceremony of the three-day international summit on higher education organised by the USAID-funded 'Higher Education System Strengthening Activity' project.

The initiative is meant to provide technical assistance to several Pakistani Universities through the University of Utah, USA, in three broad areas, including leadership development and institutional governance, faculty development, research, curriculum modernisation, entrepreneurship, and student support services.

The summit included the HEC leadership, a Utah State Senator, government officials, and representatives from different public and private sector universities. The summit brought together around 40 national and international experts from various fields to speak to around 160 participants. The summit served as a means for establishing a community of practice among higher education institutions and to launch subsequent policy dialogues to enrich the higher education policy-making process.

The sessions focused on improving the market value of degree programs, including dialogues on challenges and opportunities, how practices differ amongst Pakistani universities, and how they align with international best practices.

A key topic was the effects of the recent floods on the higher education sector and how to advance climate education at different levels. The final session of the summit chaired by climate change minister Sherry Rehman also explored linkages between higher education and climate change resilience.

She said Pakistan was among the most climate-affected countries in the world and has been affected by massive floods many times in the recent past. The experts emphasized the need for more interdisciplinary research and knowledge both on the prediction side and on the adaptation front.

HEC Executive Director Dr. Shaista Sohail said the summit had generated useful recommendations for elevating the impact of higher education towards improving workforce development. He said the HEC would examine aligning these recommendations with ongoing and planned initiatives.

Taking stock of the summit proceedings, US Senator Keith Grover congratulated academia and the private sector for their active participation. He said through these coordinated efforts across all sectors, the role of universities could be enhanced to address the socioeconomic development challenges including the adverse impacts of climate change.

USAID Mission Director Reed Aeschliman said, “We will continue to work together for sustainable solutions to strengthen Pakistan’s higher education ecosystem, particularly in the areas of research and policy reforms.”