Quality in higher education _Pakistan

Dr Javaid R Laghari
There has been a considerable growth in the number of universities in the country since the formation of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) six years ago. However, as a result of this growth the quality of education and research taking place in these institutions has been compromised. Under the Education Policy 2009, the growth will continue hence posing a big challenge to the HEC as to how to maintain growth as well as sustain, in fact, improve the quality of education at the same time.

A number of measures have already been taken in this regard. Quality Enhancement Cells have been established in 45 universities to-date, which are being expanded to all public and private universities, and quarterly progress reports are being mandated to be submitted to the HEC. We are also moving towards establishing independent Accreditation Councils and an independent Quality Assurance Board to ensure that the quality of our curriculum and instructions is as per international standards.

Faculty development programmes will continue as the mainstay of the HEC, which includes foreign and local PhD scholarship programmes. A minimum criterion has been established for awarding PhD degrees, which includes the GRE test, publication, plagiarism test, review of thesis by two foreign experts, and an open defence of dissertation. The Commission has decided that PhD degrees not meeting the HEC criteria would not be recognised by the HEC, and all the vice-chancellors have been informed accordingly. The goal is to gradually increase the number of quality PhD faculty. In-house faculty training and development programmes are being improved to prepare the faculty not only in teaching methodologies and communication skills but also in subject areas. Foreign faculty hiring programme is currently under assessment to improvise it further. Incentives through tenure track positions, equipment, research and travel grants, post-doc fellowships and tax-incentives are offered to retain good faculty and hopefully reverse the brain drain.

Need-based scholarships for students are being increased through USAID, JICA and other donor agencies, and scholarships have already been doubled for students from FATA and Balochistan

To ensure quality research, the HEC will continue to focus on infrastructure developments including laboratory equipment, library and internet access, such as through the National Digital Library, PERN broadband network and video-conferencing facilities. Over 1500 events have already taken place through video-conferencing. The HEC has adopted a 'zero tolerance' policy on plagiarism in research in which all cases reported to HEC are investigated in the light of plagiarism policy.

Better governance at the universities is being ensured through appointment of VCs through search committees. A minimum criterion for appointment has been developed which has been put into practice for new appointments in federal universities, and the Governors/Provincial Chancellors are being requested to apply it to provincial universities as well. The VCs have been asked in the annual VCs conference to ensure proper financial, administrative and external audits every year. They have been asked to hold regular meetings of all mandated bodies, including syndicate and senates as per their charters. Leadership training programmes for VCs have already been initiated, and the National Academy for Higher Education is being revamped to prepare the next generation of university leaders.

Two new aspects have been emphasised in the rules of business: universities building communities and fund raising. The HEC expects the universities to have a sense of ownership, to contribute to the local community, and be a regional hub for community services. Career placement office, alumni office and fund-raising/development offices are being developed at the universities under a USAID programme currently in place for 11 universities, which will be expanded to other universities once the pilot offices are established within the next three months.

Small business innovative research support through a request for proposal based process, and venture capital funding, will be made available to support spin-off industries originating from university research. Incubators, technology, business and agricultural parks, and entrepreneurship centers, to be established in large innovative-oriented universities, will bring research and innovation to the marketplace so that more jobs are created, benefiting the economy. Relevant career-oriented curricula, and workshops and training sessions on newer applied technologies will be offered at the rural-based two year community colleges, which are to be established with major universities as a pilot project. The technology parks and community colleges will focus on the regional clusters of industries and economies.

In conclusion, the HEC will focus on relevance and quality in teaching and research. It will ensure only quality graduates and researches are produced at our universities. It is a challenging task which can be accomplished if the universities own it too.