Recommendations made for reforming higher education

PESHAWAR: The speakers at a consultative session put forward recommendations for reforming the higher education in the country.

The consultative session was titled “Qualitative Analysis of Higher Education in Pakistan: Challenges and Recommendations”. The Institute of Management Sciences (IMSciences), Peshawar, hosted the session. Senior academicians, vice-chancellors, Higher Education Commission (HEC) officials, faculty and civil society representatives attended the event.

Different challenges faced by the higher education in the country were discussed and recommendations proposed accordingly. A former HEC acting chairman and former vice-chancellor of the University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Peshawar, Engr Imtiaz Gilani, presided over.

National Coordinator Inter-University Consortium, Murtaza Noor, shared the objectives of the consultation.

Director General, Quality Assurance, HEC, Farmanullah Anjum, shed light on the challenges being faced by the higher education sector in Pakistan and the importance of collaborative efforts by the stakeholders.

The speakers called for a constitutional amendment whereby four per cent of the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) should be allocated to education out of which one per cent should be allotted to the higher education sector.

They hoped the step would ensure autonomy to the universities and an independent review of policies pertaining to the higher education sector.

The speakers underlined the need for improving Pakistani universities’ ranking internationally via the provision of supportive and facilitative role to these higher seats of learning and investment in the faculty and student-centric policies.

The participants called for active involvement of the stakeholders in policy formulation in higher education sector.

The speakers appreciated the appointment of the reputed academician, Dr Tariq Banuri, as chairperson, HEC. They hoped his appointment would help address the problems faced by the higher education sector of Pakistan. Dr Muhammad Mohsin Khan, Director IMSciences, Peshawar, thanked the participants for their concrete recommendations for reforming the higher education.