A high profile panel discussion was held at the Islamabad Campus of Preston University to debate the status of higher education in the country and the role played by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) in bolstering the higher education sector of  Pakistan. The referenced event was organized by Preston University, Islamabad to mark the ‘15th Anniversary’ of the Higher Education Commission (HEC).

Eminent educationists engaged in imparting higher education at various public and private institutions of higher learning situated in the capital gave their candid views on the subject on the occasion. The panel comprised of educationists of renown Meritorious Prof. Dr. Mohammad Daud Awan, Dean faculty of Computer Science, Preston University, Islamabad; Prof. Dr. Anis Ul Haq, Head of Department of Psychology, NUML University Islamabad; Prof. Dr. Mushtaq Ahmed, Head of Department of Management Sciences, Behria University Islamabad; Prof. Dr. Hafiz Ishaq, Head of Department of Management Sciences, Federal Urdu University Islamabad; Prof. Dr. Sahar Fazal, Head of Department of Bioinformatics and Biosciences, Capital University of Science and Technology Islamabad and Prof. Dr. Samina Wahab, Head of Department of Management Sciences, COMSATS Wah. Mr. Shahid Naseem, Anchor/Newscaster Roze News Islamabad acted as a moderator of the event.       

Highlighting the achievements of HEC, since its establishment in 2002, the panelists said HEC has made significant contribution towards the cause of higher education in Pakistan. Due to HEC’s consistent efforts thousands of students have been able to pursue their higher education in institutions of higher learning within the country and abroad.

Eulogizing HEC’s role in the promotion of higher education in the country Prof. Dr. Daud Awan, Dean Computer Science Preston University said HEC has rendered unparalleled services in bolstering the higher education sector of Pakistan. He said, before HEC was established the regulatory body responsible for managing the affairs of the higher education sector was the University Grants Commission (UGC). During UGC’s tenure there were only 59 institutions of higher learning in the country. Today, he said, there are 188 public and private universities and degree awarding institutes engaged in imparting higher education. Talking about the resources available to UGC, he said UGC had very limited resources. The funding situation is far, far strong so far as HEC is concerned, he maintained. Over one million students have availed scholarships from HEC since its inception.

In his remarks on the occasion, Prof. Dr. Mushtaq Ahmed, Head of Department of Management Sciences, Behria University Islamabad said due to planned and sustained efforts of HEC research component in the universities of the country got a tremendous boost. Due to stringent rules and regulations framed by HEC vis-à-vis research the standard of research in the higher education institutions have significantly improved, and quality research papers are being produced by the researchers today.

Prof. Dr. Sahar Fazal, Head of Department of Bioinformatics and Biosciences, Capital University of Science and Technology Islamabad said during HEC’s tenure large number of female students have been able to get scholarships which, in fact, have provided easy access to them to higher education. This also led to the increase in number of female teachers in the higher education institutions.

Shedding light on HEC’s contribution towards promoting the cause of higher education in the country Prof. Dr. Samina Wahab, Head of Department of Management Sciences, COMSATS Wah said HEC has done a remarkable job by providing the poor students of the country an opportunity to higher education.

Prof. Dr. Anis Ul Haq, Head of Department of Psychology, NUML University, Islamabad said HEC has laid equal emphasis on teaching and research. This, he said, has given boost to both these vital areas of education, and significantly raised the standards of higher education in Pakistan.     

Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Dr. Hafiz Ishaq, Head of Department of Management Sciences, Federal Urdu University, Islamabad highlighted the contribution of private sector institutions of higher learning in the country, and praised HEC’s endeavors to carry the private sector institutions along in its efforts to promote the cause of higher education in Pakistan.   

Dr. Abdul Basit, Chancellor Preston University expressed his sincere gratitude to the respected panelists of the panel discussion for taking time out of their heavy preoccupations and participate in the discussion program. He profoundly praised them for their enlightening and thought provoking views on the subject of the panel discussion organized by Preston University to mark the 15th Anniversary of the Higher Education Commission (HEC).