Dialogue held on how to improve quality of graduates

Islamabad :The Regional Rectors’ Round Table Dialogue on ‘Transforming Higher Education Institutes to Produce 21st Century Graduates,’ organised by Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) in collaboration with Superior University and Inter-University Consortium for Promotion of Social Sciences held here on Thursday.

The objective of the dialogue was to discuss the existing practices and propose strategies and recommendations regarding improving the quality of graduates.

The panelists deliberated on seven thematic areas including Institutional Governance, Skill Based Curriculum Development, Teaching Pedagogies, Instilling Leadership in Faculty, Monitoring, Reflection & Evaluation, Innovation Ecosystem and Internationalization of Higher Education & SDGs.

Addressing the participants Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ali, Vice-Chancellor Quaid-i-Azam University said that universities must play the role of technology and knowledge hubs for economic growth.

He said to produce employable graduates Higher Education Institutions have to understand the job market and national needs. Dr. Muhammad Ali also supports the idea to promote interdisciplinary research through the establishment of technology clusters.

Prof. Dr. Masoom Yasinzai, Rector International Islamic University (IIUI) said that the trust deficit between academia and industry must be bridged to achieve the objective of the socio-economic uplift of the country.

Dr. Syed Tahir Hijazi, Vice-Chancellor, Muslim Youth University emphasized the need for collaborative efforts by public and private sector higher education institutes to achieve the objective of producing quality graduates.

The experts stressed the need for continuous interaction with the industry to develop the curriculum that would meet the demands of the market. Establishment of Venture Capital Fund for startups and platforms for interdisciplinary research by HEC were also recommended.

Prof. Dr. Muhammad Mukhtar, Vice-Chancellor National Skills University, Prof. Dr. Tanveer Khaliq, Vice-Chancellor Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University, Prof. Dr. Mujaddad ur Rehman, Vice-Chancellor Abbottabad University, Dr. Zulfiqar Gilani, Consultant, Academics, HEC, Nadeem Akbar, Director , American Institute of Pakistan Studies, Prof. Dr. Abdul Hameed, Director, ORIC, IIUI, Dr. Ayesha Zahid, Executive Director ORIC, Superior University, Dr. Muhammad Tayyab, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS), Talat Khurshid, ex adviser, HEC, Dr. Ishtiaq Ali, Director Academics, QAU, Murtaza Noor, National Coordinator Consortium for Promotion of Social Sciences also addressed the audience.

The recommendations and findings of the roundtable would be presented in upcoming “2nd Rectors Conference” scheduled to be held on November 28, 2019 at Lahore.