Islamabad, May 29, 2017: The Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan organised on Monday the National Consultative Conference on HEC Vision 2025 to deliberate future plans for higher education sector and discuss further improvement in the reform process in line with the Government of Pakistan’s Vision 2025.
Mr. Ahsan Iqbal, Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reform was chief guest on the occasion. Mr. Muhammad Ibrahim Sanai, Minister for Education, Gilgit-Baltistan, Prof. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman HEC, Engr. Jawed Salim Qureshi, Chairman, Pakistan Engineering Council,
Dr. Syed Ismail Shah, Chairman, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, Dr. Arshad Ali, Executive Director HEC, Mr. Shoaib Mir, Federal Secretary, Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, Vice Chancellors, deans and senior faculty, research scholars as well as representatives of different federal and provincial departments, industry and other stakeholders participated in the conference.
HEC Vision 2025 is a comprehensive document, which has been prepared after extensive deliberation and consultation with eminent academicians, policy makers, business and industry leaders, and aims to consolidate HEC’s achievements during the last 15 years and carry on the reform process in a more ambitious and strategic manner while focusing on intellectual capital which is the way forward to build a knowledge economy.
The Vision document has gone through a critical in-house evaluation of achievements and reform business for the last decade through analysis of available data. A team of eminently qualified national consultants was engaged to develop key thematic areas. Outcome of various consultative sessions with the stakeholders assisted in identifying priorities and direction for the higher education sector. Draft of HEC Vision 2025 was also placed on HEC website for wider and critical feedback. Response from a number of academicians, scholars, government functionaries, students and general public facilitated in improving the draft.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Ahsan Iqbal revealed how quality higher education can play a vital role in turning the country into a knowledge-based economy. He observed that the world has entered into the fourth industrial revolution wherein big data cloud computing, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, bio-technology, automation and robotics have evolved great significance. He maintained that competence in all these areas requires excellence in higher education. Terming the Vice Chancellors of Universities corps commanders of higher education sector, he urged them to concentrate on turning the universities into engines of innovation.
The Minister revealed that the outcome of HEC Vision 2025 hinges upon seven key guidelines including academic excellence, applied research in universities, academia-industry linkages, transforming universities to serve the community for socio-economic development, making universities technology-enabled, institutional excellence, and university products i.e., skilled human resource. He affirmed that excellence in education is a must to make Pakistan an Asian tiger. “Erecting buildings in the name of Universities is no achievement, the real task is to create thirst for knowledge and research,” he emphasised.
Referring to the budget 2017-18, he said the Government has earmarked Rs. 35.5 billion for the PSDP of higher education sector. He maintained that various new programmes are planned to be launched including Inter-University Olympics, Global Leadership Internship, training of ERP systems to 100000 students, certificate and diploma programmes for 10000 youth who have done Masters in subjects which have no relevance in the job market, and establishment of Technology Innovation Fund.
In his opening remarks earlier, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed shared the role of HEC in blending the human resource development with the country's socio-economic growth, promoting ICT-embedded education programmes, inspiring universities to share experience with other educational institutions, enhancing quality of higher education and research, increasing scholarships and global connectivity, facilitating innovation and entrepreneurship, and encouraging universities for community development.
He said the strategic priorities of the HEC Vision 2025 include sustainability and consolidation of HEC; increasing equitable access; excellence in leadership; governance and management; research, innovation and commercialization; increased faculty with highest academic qualification; enhanced quality with curricular content for all levels of qualification offered; promoting ICT for education; and financial management and enhanced investment.
The Chairman said that before the inception of HEC, students enrolment in universities was only 0.276 million, while the number has now been taken to 1.3 million. "It is a happy development that gender-wise enrolment has been balanced, as now the ratio of male and female student enrolment is respectively 52 per cent and 48 per cent," he revealed.
He informed that so far over 200,000 students have benefitted from HEC scholarships, adding that more than 130,000 students of 114 districts of the country have been reimbursed fee under the Prime Minister's Fee Reimbursement Programme. He said 41 per cent increase has been witnessed in research publications in the last five years, adding that the number of publications was 6401 in 2011, however 12000 research articles were published in 2016.
He said that HEC has set up 49 Offices of Research, Innovation and Commercialization in addition to 25 Business Incubation Centres in different universities. He informed that HEC was awarded 3G Excellence in Higher Education Award in 2016, while it has also grabbed the 3G Award of the Cambridge IF Analytica in 2017. Sharing the three-tier model of Tertiary Education, he said HEC aims at ensuring 40 per cent PhD faculty in universities by 2025 and reaching the less developed areas of Pakistan.
Dr. Masoom Yasinzai presented a resolution on behalf of Vice Chancellors and Rectors of Universities. “We are grateful for all the support received from the Government of Pakistan particularly Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and Mr. Ahsan Iqbal, Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reform. The HEC Vision 2025 has chartered an exemplary and ambitious roadmap for enhanced access, qualitative improvement of curricula and vibrant world-class research model for our institutions of higher learning. We affirmatively resolve that each and every leader of the higher education sector will play its vital role in achieving the aspirational goals and targets set in the HEC Vision 2025.”
The conference participants were provided an opportunity to take part in special breakout sessions on Human Resources Development in Areas of National Importance, Quality of Education at Undergraduate Level, Universities as Hubs for Innovative Research in National Priority Areas, Role of Universities’ Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialization (ORICS) in Discovery and Dissemination of Useful Knowledge, Information and Communication Technologies, Access to Digital Information and Advanced Programmes, Standards Compliant Teacher Education Programmes, National Institutions of Applied Technologies with specific reference to CPEC, Embedding Social Values and Ethics in Higher Education System, Community Colleges for Skill Development, and Good Governance in Higher Education Institutions. The recommendations of these sessions will be considered for making any change in HEC Vision 2025 document.
Mr. Ahsan Iqbal, Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reform was chief guest on the occasion. Mr. Muhammad Ibrahim Sanai, Minister for Education, Gilgit-Baltistan, Prof. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman HEC, Engr. Jawed Salim Qureshi, Chairman, Pakistan Engineering Council,
Dr. Syed Ismail Shah, Chairman, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, Dr. Arshad Ali, Executive Director HEC, Mr. Shoaib Mir, Federal Secretary, Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, Vice Chancellors, deans and senior faculty, research scholars as well as representatives of different federal and provincial departments, industry and other stakeholders participated in the conference.
HEC Vision 2025 is a comprehensive document, which has been prepared after extensive deliberation and consultation with eminent academicians, policy makers, business and industry leaders, and aims to consolidate HEC’s achievements during the last 15 years and carry on the reform process in a more ambitious and strategic manner while focusing on intellectual capital which is the way forward to build a knowledge economy.
The Vision document has gone through a critical in-house evaluation of achievements and reform business for the last decade through analysis of available data. A team of eminently qualified national consultants was engaged to develop key thematic areas. Outcome of various consultative sessions with the stakeholders assisted in identifying priorities and direction for the higher education sector. Draft of HEC Vision 2025 was also placed on HEC website for wider and critical feedback. Response from a number of academicians, scholars, government functionaries, students and general public facilitated in improving the draft.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Ahsan Iqbal revealed how quality higher education can play a vital role in turning the country into a knowledge-based economy. He observed that the world has entered into the fourth industrial revolution wherein big data cloud computing, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, bio-technology, automation and robotics have evolved great significance. He maintained that competence in all these areas requires excellence in higher education. Terming the Vice Chancellors of Universities corps commanders of higher education sector, he urged them to concentrate on turning the universities into engines of innovation.
The Minister revealed that the outcome of HEC Vision 2025 hinges upon seven key guidelines including academic excellence, applied research in universities, academia-industry linkages, transforming universities to serve the community for socio-economic development, making universities technology-enabled, institutional excellence, and university products i.e., skilled human resource. He affirmed that excellence in education is a must to make Pakistan an Asian tiger. “Erecting buildings in the name of Universities is no achievement, the real task is to create thirst for knowledge and research,” he emphasised.
Referring to the budget 2017-18, he said the Government has earmarked Rs. 35.5 billion for the PSDP of higher education sector. He maintained that various new programmes are planned to be launched including Inter-University Olympics, Global Leadership Internship, training of ERP systems to 100000 students, certificate and diploma programmes for 10000 youth who have done Masters in subjects which have no relevance in the job market, and establishment of Technology Innovation Fund.
In his opening remarks earlier, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed shared the role of HEC in blending the human resource development with the country's socio-economic growth, promoting ICT-embedded education programmes, inspiring universities to share experience with other educational institutions, enhancing quality of higher education and research, increasing scholarships and global connectivity, facilitating innovation and entrepreneurship, and encouraging universities for community development.
He said the strategic priorities of the HEC Vision 2025 include sustainability and consolidation of HEC; increasing equitable access; excellence in leadership; governance and management; research, innovation and commercialization; increased faculty with highest academic qualification; enhanced quality with curricular content for all levels of qualification offered; promoting ICT for education; and financial management and enhanced investment.
The Chairman said that before the inception of HEC, students enrolment in universities was only 0.276 million, while the number has now been taken to 1.3 million. "It is a happy development that gender-wise enrolment has been balanced, as now the ratio of male and female student enrolment is respectively 52 per cent and 48 per cent," he revealed.
He informed that so far over 200,000 students have benefitted from HEC scholarships, adding that more than 130,000 students of 114 districts of the country have been reimbursed fee under the Prime Minister's Fee Reimbursement Programme. He said 41 per cent increase has been witnessed in research publications in the last five years, adding that the number of publications was 6401 in 2011, however 12000 research articles were published in 2016.
He said that HEC has set up 49 Offices of Research, Innovation and Commercialization in addition to 25 Business Incubation Centres in different universities. He informed that HEC was awarded 3G Excellence in Higher Education Award in 2016, while it has also grabbed the 3G Award of the Cambridge IF Analytica in 2017. Sharing the three-tier model of Tertiary Education, he said HEC aims at ensuring 40 per cent PhD faculty in universities by 2025 and reaching the less developed areas of Pakistan.
Dr. Masoom Yasinzai presented a resolution on behalf of Vice Chancellors and Rectors of Universities. “We are grateful for all the support received from the Government of Pakistan particularly Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and Mr. Ahsan Iqbal, Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reform. The HEC Vision 2025 has chartered an exemplary and ambitious roadmap for enhanced access, qualitative improvement of curricula and vibrant world-class research model for our institutions of higher learning. We affirmatively resolve that each and every leader of the higher education sector will play its vital role in achieving the aspirational goals and targets set in the HEC Vision 2025.”
The conference participants were provided an opportunity to take part in special breakout sessions on Human Resources Development in Areas of National Importance, Quality of Education at Undergraduate Level, Universities as Hubs for Innovative Research in National Priority Areas, Role of Universities’ Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialization (ORICS) in Discovery and Dissemination of Useful Knowledge, Information and Communication Technologies, Access to Digital Information and Advanced Programmes, Standards Compliant Teacher Education Programmes, National Institutions of Applied Technologies with specific reference to CPEC, Embedding Social Values and Ethics in Higher Education System, Community Colleges for Skill Development, and Good Governance in Higher Education Institutions. The recommendations of these sessions will be considered for making any change in HEC Vision 2025 document.
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