We established various initiatives for public and private sector colleges and universities and for students who want to pursue more skills based and market-oriented education," said Chairperson, PHEC, Dr Mohammad Nizamuddin (SI), while chairing a meeting of senior officers at PHEC Secretariat in Lahore.
According to PHEC, in 2017 the Commission established foreign and indigenous training and scholarship programs for the staff and faculty of over 700 public colleges and universities of Punjab. A rigorous accreditation system to ensure quality standards for private sector colleges and universities was also established by PHEC.
Addressing the demand from students for career counselling and skills-based education, PHEC launched Career Counselling Centers in four public sector colleges; and the Community Colleges model in four colleges, providing two-year Associate degrees (equivalent to a Bachelor degree) in textile designing, information technology; media studies, and accounting and finance.
He called for enhancing the effectiveness level of teaching and learning in Pakistan, PHEC established the Faculty Development Academy, the first of its kind in Punjab, where more than 400 faculty members from public sector colleges and universities have already been trained in academics, administration, and finance related areas.
In addition, PHEC organized training for newly inducted college teachers in each division of Punjab and tailored training for Vice Chancellors and Directors of Student Affairs. PHEC also initiated several international and national scholarship programs in 2017, including post-doctoral fellowships and split PhD scholarships.
"We are sending our faculty to the best destinations in the world to provide them exposure and experience and equip them with the best learning opportunities in their field," said Dr Nizamuddin. In relation to research, Dr Nizamuddin said, "A rich research culture has been an important contributing factor in the development of knowledge-based economies of advanced countries.
"In 2017, PHEC introduced thematic research grants for post-doctoral fellowships, awarding 150 travel grants to scholars of provincially chartered universities to present their research work at international conferences. "These initiatives are intended to not only build the capacity of academic staff to conduct research but to promote a much-needed culture of research amongst faculty and students," he added.
"In 2017 alone, PHEC funded 30 national and international conferences, sent 22 students abroad on fully-funded scholarships, and signed 2 MoUs with local universities for Split PhD scholarships." According to Dr Nizamuddin, less than 10 percent of the population has access to higher education in Pakistan comparing with India, Iran, China and Turkey, he said, "There is an urgent need to increase equitable access to skill-based education across the country.