We Need to Accelerate Efforts to Adopt New Technologies - HEC.gov.pk
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Higher Education Commission - Pakistan
March-April 2019
We Need to Accelerate Efforts
to Adopt New Technologies
President Arif Alvi
P- 5
HEC Starts New Cycle of
Progress Review Meetings
and Trainings of QECs
P -11
Job Portal for PhD Scholars
Launched
P -16
HEC Initiates Process of
Revamping the
Undergraduate Curriculum NUST Team Wins Imagine Cup 2019
P -18 P- 9
content News & Views (March-April 2019)
HEC Reviews Reduction in Funding
4 for FY 2019-20
Huawei ICT Competition Pakistan
5 2018-19
7 6th NBEAC Conference
University Heads Seek Government’s
2 Support to Avoid Financial Crisis
9 NUST Team Wins Imagine Cup 2019
News & Views is published after every
two months. No part of this publication HEC Starts New Cycle of Progress
11 Review Meetings and Trainings
may be reproduced in any form without
prior written permission of the publisher.
262 Students Awarded HEC-USAID
The views expressed by authors in the 13 Merit & Needs-based Scholarships
articles are their sole responsibility and
not of HEC. The Commission would like
to thank all the institutions and OBITUARIES:
individuals who contributed information 14 Dr. Tariq Siddiqui - Dr. Tahir Amin -
Dr. Abbas Chaudhry
and photographs for this Magazine.
HEC Launches Job Portal for PhD
16 Scholars
Aayesha Ikram Editor
Raja Ahmad Nadeem Graphic Designer
HEC Initiates Process of Revamping
18 the Undergraduate Curriculum
Syed Muhammad Ittifaq Reporter
Higher Education Commission, Pakistan
March-April 2019
23rd VCs Committee Meeting
University Heads Seek Government’s
Support to Avoid Financial Crisis
Despite an overall 10 per cent (R) Muhammad Asghar, means and ensure ini a ves
cut in the budgets of Execu ve Director HEC. aimed at efficient use of
Government organisa ons, resources.
Vice Chancellors and Rectors The mee ng discussed that
of universi es have expressed HEC undertook an extensive The mee ng discussed in
trust in the Government to budgetary assessment exercise detail various agenda items
protect the higher educa on jointly with the Ministry of including higher educa on
sector’s budget. Finance, according to which sector’s funding and emerging
the es mated requirement of challenges, four-year
In the 23rd Vice Chancellors’ the higher educa on sector integrated undergraduate
Commi ee Mee ng chaired for FY 2019-20 is Rs. 103.550 programme, staying relevant
by Dr. Masoom Yasinzai and billion. However, the higher in digital age, and HEC policies
a ended by 137 Vice educa on sector, as per and regula ons.
Chancellors and Rectors held Indica ve Budgetary Ceilings
recently in Islamabad, the (IBCs), has been allocated a Addressing the Vice
university heads appreciated recurring grant of only Rs. Chancellors, Dr. Tariq Banuri
the Government’s 58.50 billion for FY 2019-20. highlighted the issues and
commitment to higher challenges pertaining to
educa on, while seeking Acknowledging the financial crisis facing the
Government’s further support Government’s support for higher educa on sector.
to meet the rising financial higher educa on and
requirements of the research, the Vice Chancellors He informed the mee ng that
universi es. hoped that it will translate into President of Pakistan Arif Alvi,
significant release of funds. Prime Minister Imran Khan,
The mee ng was also Federal Minister for Educa on
a ended by Dr. Tariq Banuri, They also resolved to mobilise and Professional Training
Chairman Higher Educa on various non-government and Shafqat Mehmood have
Commission (HEC) and Lt. Gen. non-tui on fee fundraising assured him of their support
2
to the higher educa on sector. “The universi es must play Mr. Asif Shahid Khan,
“The sector has a strong and their role in fundraising and Consultant IT, HEC highlighted
unambiguous support from look for new avenues to HEC’s efforts to assist
the current Government,” he generate funds, he stressed. universi es in staying relevant
asserted. in the digital age.
March-April 2019
He appreciated Dr. Tariq
While Government funding is Banuri for bringing much- Shedding light on HEC’s
the integral component, the needed reforms into the regulatory reform project, Dr.
Chairman pointed out that the higher educa on sector. He Daud Munir, Legal Consultant
financial crunch can be assured that universi es stand HEC said the ini a ve is aimed
addressed through three by HEC in its pursuit for at making HEC’s regula ons
complementary components excellence in the higher and guidelines structured in a
which are government educa on sector. way that they could create a
support, non-government highly enabling regulatory
fundraising, and efficient use “We all are a family and have environment for new and
of resources. “We are also to work together for the upli exis ng higher educa on
commi ed to undertaking of this sector,” he stated. ins tu ons.
complementary ac vi es,
namely fundraising and On the occasion, Dr. Zulfiqar The mee ng elected Dr.
service efficiency.” Gilani, Consultant Academics Muhammad Ali, Vice
HEC briefed the Vice Chancellor, Quaid-i-Azam
Proposing measures regarding Chancellors on HEC’s plan with University as the new
fundraising, he said the sector regard to four-year integrated Chairman of the Vice
needs to mobilise alumni to undergraduate programme. Chancellors’ Commi ee.
generate funds, seek
philanthropists’ support, urge
bilateral dona ons, non-
tui on fee means like
execu ve trainings, encourage
and formalise consultancies,
a ract fee-paying foreign
students, strengthen public-
private partnership,
streamline patents and
royal es, and promote sports.
In his opening remarks, Dr.
Masoom Yasinzai said the
higher educa on sector is
passing through a tough me
as far as its financial
requirements are concerned.
He acknowledged that the
Government is facing
economic hardships which has
created this situa on,
however the sector will come
out of these constraints with
the government’s support.
3
March-April 2019
HEC Reviews Reduction in sensi vity analysis of
alterna ve budgetary
Funding for FY 2019-20 scenarios, with a view to
ensuring that essen al
programmes are not slashed,
especially those that sustain
the quality of undergraduate
educa on in the country. It
also requested Vice
Chancellors to invest in greater
efficiency and transparency,
and iden fy possible austerity
measures which ensure that
resources are used most
effec vely.
The Commission decided to
accelerate the deployment of
The projected recurring budget demand of the the Higher Educa on
Management Informa on
higher education institutions for 2019-20 System (HEMIS) in order to
was Rs.103.550 billion, while development enhance transparency and
demand was Rs. 55 billion. enable increased efficiency.
A special mee ng of the budget demand of the higher It directed the Chairman to
Higher Educa on Commission educa on ins tu ons for establish a fund raising
was recently held under the 2019-20 was Rs.103.550 programme for Higher
Chairmanship of Dr. Tariq billion, while development Educa on including
Banuri, Chairman, HEC to demand was Rs. 55 billion; mobiliza on of resources from
review the implica ons of however the sector could face alumni, philanthropists,
ongoing fiscal crisis for the unprecedented budget cuts of industry and by a rac ng a
higher educa on sector, and in up to 50 per cent. If this turns broader array of students
par cular the budgetary out to be true, it would bring including students from
projec ons for FY 2019-20. about a massive disrup on in foreign countries.
the provision of higher
It was a ended by Mr. Shamsh educa on and conduct of The Commission requested
Kassim-Lakha, Dr. Faisal Bari, research. the Chairman to arrange
Prof. Nisar Siddiqui, Dr. Naveed mee ngs of Commission
Malik, Engr. Ahmed Farooq The Commission expressed Members with the Prime
Bazai, Dr. Javeid Iqbal, Dr. grave concerns about these Minister, Finance Minister and
Bhawani Shankar Chowdhry, indica ons, and called upon other senior members of the
Federal Secretary, Ministry of the Prime Minister, the government.
S&T, and representa ves of Finance Minister and the
the Ministry of Federal Educa on Minister to ensure Finally, the Commission
Educa on and Professional that adequate resources are directed the Chairman to
Training as well as Provincial provided to higher educa on request Provincial
Governments. ins tu ons. Governments to enhance their
support for higher educa on,
The Commission was informed The Commission directed the including supplementary
that the projected recurring Chairman to undertake a finances for universi es.
4
Huawei ICT Competition Pakistan 2018-19
We Need to Accelerate Efforts to Adopt
New Technologies: President Arif Alvi
March-April 2019
President of Pakistan Dr. Arif poten al of exports and More than 5000 students
Alvi has emphasized the need employment genera on in a ended the examina on
to accelerate efforts to adopt Pakistan’s IT and Telecom conducted on Huawei’s
new technologies in every industry, adding that this learning pla orm. Top 300
field of life. actually holds the key for any students were invited to
country’s development. a end the second round, of
He made these remarks while which 171 students passed
addressing the closing “Such compe ons will HCNA Cer fica on.
ceremony of HEC-Huawei ICT prepare our younger
Skill Compe on 2018-19 genera on to effec vely The top 100 students took
recently held at HEC contribute for country’s socio- part in the Na onal Final and
Secretariat. The ceremony economic development”, he the most compe ve top six
marked the announcement of said. students were selected for the
winners who will compete in Middle East Interna onal Final
the Global Final to be held in Huawei ICT Compe on in China.
China. Congratula ng the Pakistan 2018-19 was
Higher Educa on Commission launched in September last In May 2019, the top three
and Huawei for successfully year. Roadshow and students Zohaib Anwar,
conduc ng the compe on workshops were held in 53 Jawaria Abbas and Asim
for students, the President universi es and academic Fareed shall par cipate in the
said that there is a huge ins tu ons across Pakistan. Huawei ICT Compe on
5
March-April 2019
Global Final in China with taking out me for the event, environment where our youth
other regional winners from and for his con nuous support is enabled to do so.”
all over the globe. to the cause of educa on.
Describing HEC-Huawei
Speaking to the audience, the Giving two examples from partnership, Dr. Banuri said
President stressed the need to news stories that appeared on this collabora on has helped
realize the swi ly increasing Friday morning, one about Pakistan in development of
scope of informa on age, and selec on of five Pakistanis in ICT setup. He said Huawei has
implementa on of right Forbes’ 30 under 30 and the taken different ICT ini a ves
strategies to bring in relevant second about a man’s a empt jointly with HEC.
technologies in different
fields. The Chinese
Ambassador Mr. Yao
He gave various Jing said the global
examples of educa on, economy depends upon
health and agriculture development of ICT,
sectors, and which is a pivotal
underscored the fact element for na on’s
that a proac ve progress.
approach is required to
iden fy and incorporate He admired the
IT solu ons in every students who have won
single field. the compe on and
wished them good luck
Mr. Shafqat Mehmood, in the final compe on
Federal Minister for in China. He said
Educa on and Pakistan and China
Professional Training enjoy cordial rela ons
congratulated the and the two countries
students who won at are commi ed to
na onal level and working together to
wished them luck for cope with future
par cipa on in the Global to build a small aircra in challenges.
Final. Pakpa an, Dr. Banuri
highlighted Pakistan’s Mr. Saif Chi, CEO Huawei
The Minister informed the poten al to grow and take the Pakistan that we will con nue
audience that the Government upcoming technological to see the digital and physical
is focusing the areas where challenges head-on. “The only world merge as emerging
technology can help us thing we need to step up is technologies become a
leapfrog. “Efforts are afoot to unleash this imagina on and greater part of our lives.
link the skill development of crea vity of our people,
our youth to the country’s par cularly youth.” “In order to welcome the
future requirements, and to arrival of the intelligent world,
ensure that an environment is The Chairman emphasized Huawei has always focused on
created where ideas can that “technology is an input in R&D. In Pakistan, Huawei
flourish”, he said. the development process, the established office in 1998.
real source is imagina on. And Since then it has been playing
Dr. Tariq Banuri, Chairman HEC I am pleased to say that HEC is vital role in making Pakistan
thanked the President for trying to create an go digital”, he said.
6
6th NBEAC Conference
“The Evolving Landscape of Business
Education across the Globe”
March-April 2019
The 6th Deans and Directors Conference themed accredited by NBEAC. He called upon Business
“The Evolving Landscape of Business Educa on Schools to observe the new regional and global
across the Globe” was organised by the Na onal changes related to the business environment
Business Educa on Accredita on Council and forge a way forward.
(NBEAC) of Higher Educa on Commission (HEC)
from April 8-9, 2019 in Lahore. While sharing NBEAC’s 10 years in the
dimensions of accredita on and development,
Designed to increase the effec veness of Dr. Sadia Nadeem, Dean, FAST-NU Islamabad
business educa on in Pakistan, the conference observed that Business Schools are s ll
brought together over 100 deans and directors performing poorly in research and development,
of na onal and interna onal business schools to external linkages and alumni networks.
engage in strategic level discussions. However, she noted that Schools have registered
tremendous success in teaching and enrolment.
The chief guest, Dr. Ishrat Husain, Adviser to
Prime Minister on Ins tu onal Reforms and Mr. Ahtesham Ali Raja, Programme Director
Austerity said that Business Schools must take a NBEAC thanked the sponsors and universi es for
leading role in finding solu ons to the economic their support to make this event possible. The
problems of this country. He advised Business Conference Convener, Dr. Kumail Abbas Rizvi,
Schools to emphasize experien al learning that Professor of Finance and Group Coordinator,
can expose students to the real world issues Lahore School of Economics highlighted themes
instead of confining them to lecture theatres. of the conference with emphasis on the need to
embrace current trends and overcome
In his welcome remarks, Dr. Farrukh Iqbal, challenges on na onal, regional and
Chairman NBEAC eulogized the services of late interna onal pla orms through collabora on.
Dr. Hasan Sohaib Murad and featured a short
video on his contribu ons. He observed that A keynote speaker Dr. Daniel R. LeClair, CEO,
with the rise in number of Business Schools and Global Business School Networks, USA said
Programmes to 142 na onwide, the Deans and management educa on is progressive and
Directors must be concerned about the quality faculty must move with the global trends. He
of teaching and other statutory standards. He called upon the Schools to embrace diversity,
revealed that out of 142, only 21 Schools are partnership and experien al learning.
7
March-April 2019
Advancing Regional Collabora ons
Business and Management Schools in Pakistan have been advised to build Centers of Excellence with
capacity to a ract both regional and interna onal collabora ons.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Husain said, “Build your own niche and be known for it. Centers of
Excellence once established will a ract many partners in building sustainable collabora on”, adding
that more tangible results of collabora ons can be er be realized through carrying out joint
programmes and research with a compara ve dimension. Dr. Shahid Amjad Chaudhry, Rector, Lahore
School of Economics challenged Business Schools to look for research grants that provide
opportuni es to faculty to collaborate with research experts from the developed countries.
Fostering Business Schools-Industry Partnerships
The Deans and Directors of Business Schools observed that there is need to a ract business en es
to the academic ins tu ons through joint applied research, offering relevant courses and nego a ng
internship opportuni es to the excellent students. “The business industry does not have confidence
in faculty members of our schools. We must make the Faculty excellent to be seen as resourceful.
When the businesses begin to come to us for consulta on, this must be seen as breakthrough,” Dr.
Irfan Hyder from Ins tute of Business Management remarked.
Disrup ve Technologies and Pedagogical Innova ons
A panel of five experts chaired by Dr. Farrukh Iqbal, Chairman, NBEAC deliberated on “Disrup ve
Technologies and Pedagogical Innova ons” and observed that universi es must create digital
pla orms from which students can access professionally assorted learning resources with ease
regardless of distance.
Dr. Naveed A. Malik, Rector, Virtual University, Lahore shared with the conference par cipants the
success story of his University in embracing new digital technology saying, “Open educa on is the
way to go and VU is already providing online content with ease. We provide online video, audio, and
textual learning material and manage exams electronically. We hope other universi es can also do it.”
Dr. Chirstophe Terasse, Director, Interna onal Projects EFMD, Brussels advised Business Schools to re-
invent the way teaching is done, saying that this will be major compe ve edge for all universi es.
Civic Responsibili es of Business Schools and their Graduates
Dr. Zaffar A. Khan, Chairman, Board of Directors PCP shared his personal experience of 50 years, his
journey from engineering to the corporate world. “Recogni on in the business world is not acquired
by the profit mo va on only, but we have to be involved in the CSR ac vi es and train ourselves to
be be er versed with social responsibili es.”
Dr. Alnoor Bhimani, Dean, Suleman Dawood School of Business, LUMS presented macro level
perspec ves on how business schools graduates can contribute in the social responsibili es. Dr.
Idrees Khawaja, Dean, Air University, Islamabad was of the view that CSR and profit making work side
by side. “CSR should be inculcated in society in such a way that the popula on prac ces it in
domes c level in their micro level businesses.”
The conference also had several workshops, seminars and policy round tables that addressed topics
such as Fusion of technology and simula on with case study, NBEAC accredita on framework,
Importance of accredita on and research impact- how to publish your journal with Emerald,
Increasing global visibility for research output through ProQuest Disserta on and Thesis publishing
Programme, Why case study wri ng is an important component of Business School’s research? and
regulatory challenges faced by Pakistani business schools.
8
NUST Team Wins Imagine Cup 2019
March-April 2019
The team “EKKO-Wave Peshawar was second runner- the fullest.” He pointed out
Therapeu c Device” from up of the compe on. that quality of educa on and
Na onal University of Sciences relevance of research to the
and Technology (NUST), Mr. Shafqat Mahmood, Federal na onal requirements are the
Islamabad has won the Minister for Federal Educa on real challenges facing
Na onal Finals of Imagine Cup and Professional Training was Pakistan.
2019, organised by Higher chief guest of the ceremony,
Educa on Commission (HEC) which was a ended by Dr. Apprecia ng HEC for its
and Microso Pakistan. Tariq Banuri, Chairman HEC, Lt. proac ve role, the Minister
Gen. (Retd.) Muhammad said that compe ons like
The winning team would now Asghar, Execu ve Director Imagine Cup would improve
travel to Amsterdam for the HEC, Mr. Abid Zaidi, Country problem-solving skills of our
World Regional Finals. Global Manager, Microso , Vice students. “We are entering a
Finals will be held in Sea le. Chancellors and a large new era of development
number of students from wherein every individual is
Out of 48 finalist teams, NUST different universi es. going to play his part”.
team has won Imagine Cup
Na on Finals by coming up Apprecia ng the compe on Mr. Zaidi said Microso is
with EKKO-A Wave, a product par cipants, the Minister pursuing the mission of
that proposes solu on for appreciated the winning empowering individuals to
cogni ve rehabilita on using students and hoped that many reshape their work by
vibra onal waves. The team of the innova ve projects revolu onising Informa on
“Crea veCrew” from Sukkur would go into commercial Technology. Pakistan is
Ins tute of Business applica on. “Pakistani blessed with youth bulge, so
Administra on was the first students have a lot of talent all we need is to learn tangible
runner-up while team “City and an environment is being skills and turn the 4th Industrial
Care” from City University, created to use their talent to Revolu on into an
9March-April 2019
opportunity for Pakistan. He regional finals, held in University, Shaheed Zulfiqat
stressed the need for focus on different ci es and the best Ali Bhu o Ins tute of Science
innova ons to meet the real teams competed to win the and Technology, Sindh
life challenges. Technology Na onal Finals. This me Madrassatul Islam, and
needs to be used to create around it gained a bigger and University of Balochistan. The
opportuni es for the benefit a be er momentum when it winning teams showcased
of people, he emphasised. was telecasted live on HEC’s their innova ve thinking,
EduTV with coopera on of the technical skills and ground-
For this compe on, students four media universi es breaking solu ons to address
were ini ally evaluated in including Lahore Garrison everyday challenges.
Technology Developed for Application of
Bioherbicide to Control Wheat Weeds
A cost-effec ve technology also fostering to offer it to to suppress weed growth and
has been developed by farmer community in a user- promoted wheat growth by
University of Agriculture, friendly form. more than 15 per cent. It is
Faisalabad and Jaffer Agro es mated to increase 567 tons
Services (Private) Limited for Wheat is Pakistan’s major crop of wheat crop yield worth
applica on of bioherbicide to and, unfortunately, its annual Rs.18.44 million annually by
control weed in wheat. produc on is witnessing 24 applying bioherbicide to only
per cent decrease annually by 15 per cent of total area under
This project was approved and weeds causing Rs.37.9 billion wheat cul va on.
undertaken under Technology loss to the country’ economy.
Development Fund (TDF) of Moreover, along with other
the Higher Educa on Various weed control mul ple benefits to
Commission (HEC). strategies are being employed, biodiversity, ecosystem and
including manual weed economy of the country, three
The project en tled control, which on one side is million rupees can be saved
“Development of Bioherbicide me consuming and labour from import of harmful
Containing Allelopathic intensive, while on the other insec cides and pes cides.
Bacteria for Biocontrol of side is suitable only for crops
Weeds of Wheat” was grown in rows, besides causing The project a er successful
awarded to Dr. Zahir Ahmed crop injury and eleva ng the comple on may not only save
and his team at the Ins tute of cost due to high energy inputs. import costs but establish
Soil and Environmental ways to fulfil the objec ves of
Sciences, University of Chemical control is me- mul lateral environmental UN
Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) saving and cost-effec ve, but agreements to which Pakistan
along with Jaffer Agro Services it causes harmful is signatory and empower the
(Pvt.) Limited. environmental impacts, ambi on of knowledge
destroying beneficial economy.
The team has already organisms, pollinators,
iden fied useful strains of terrestrial and aqua c life in TDF is the first ini a ve of its
rhizobacteria, a root- different ways. kind by HEC to harness the
colonising bacteria suitable to exper se of scien sts for
develop a bioherbicide, which Field trials of the technology commercially viable prototype
may be applied to wheat crop conducted in collabora on and product development
through the technology and a with the industrial partner with inbuilt mechanism to
specified process. The team is have already proven its ability have industry partner.
10184 Quality Enhancement Cells at Universi es
HEC Starts New Cycle of Progress Review
Meetings and Trainings
March-April 2019
The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) of Higher ceremony. Addressing the par cipants, she shed
Educa on Commission has started the new cycle light on HEC’s vision for quality enhancement.
of Progress Review Mee ngs and training She emphasised the need for steps to turn QECs
ac vi es for Quality Enhancement Cells (QECs). into statutory bodies wherein the head of a QEC
should have a statutory posi on. She also
HEC has established QECs in 184 higher highlighted the role of Directors at QECs in
educa on ins tu ons in order to strengthen achieving the aim of se ng up these Cells.
their Internal Quality Assurance mechanism and
develop a quality higher educa on system In her opening remarks, Dr. Nadia Tahir,
relevant to na onal needs and enabling higher Managing Director, QAA briefed the par cipants
educa on ins tu ons to demonstrate about the current scenario and future plans of
excellence in teaching, learning and research. HEC pertaining to quality assurance. She said it
is me to gauge the impact of QECs with respect
All the QECs have been divided into 10 groups to employability and skills enhancement.
and two-day ac vi es will be held for each
group. The ac vity of the first group was Under the umbrella of HEC, QAA is striving to
a ended by representa ves of 17 QECs. They promote quality culture in the Degree Awarding
also gave presenta ons on their last year’s Ins tu ons (DAIs). For this purpose, QECs have
performance. The second day included training been established in 184 DAIs to strengthen their
on modali es of Ins tu onal Performance Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) mechanism.
Evalua on, MS/MPhil and equivalent These QECs are annually assessed by QAA for
programmes review, PhD programmes review their performance against the defined
and Yearly Progress Report of QECs. parameters. Whereas for External Quality
Assurance (EQA), different mechanisms have
Ms. Noor Amna Malik, Adviser, Monitoring and been devised at ins tu onal level as well as
Evalua on HEC was chief guest in the opening programme level.
HEC, IMSciences Celebrate
Spring Festival to Mark Nowruz
In order to mark Nowruz, the Persian New Year, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa a ended the event. The
the Higher Educa on Commission in event was organised by Mr. Sikandar Khan Tangi,
collabora on with the Ins tute of faculty member, IMSciences.
Management Sciences
(IMSciences), Peshawar The chief guests of the event
celebrated a one-day Spring were Mr. Bilal Ameri,
Fes val. Culture and Educa on
Department, Afghan
The aim of celebra ng consulate and Mr. Noor Agha
fes val was to strengthen Behzad, Administra on
Pakistan-Afghan bilateral rela ons. Department, Afghan consulate. Ms.
Over 400 students of IMSciences as well as Afsheen Akhtar, Project Manager (HRD) HEC
Afghan students from other universi es of was also present.
11March-April 2019
HEC, Kyrgyzstan
to Strengthen
Higher Education
Ties
A delega on of Kyrgyz academicians led The Execu ve Director briefed the delega on about the
by Dr. Osman Tongusakov, Director main objec ves, func ons and future plans of HEC. He
Ins tute of Philosophy and Legal said HEC is playing a pivotal role for evalua on,
Research, Na onal Academy of Science, improvement and promo on of higher educa on in
Kyrgyzstan visited Higher Educa on Pakistan. He said HEC is focusing to increase access to
Commission and called on its Execu ve higher educa on, improve quality, and ensure
Director Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Muhammad relevance of educa on and research to na onal needs.
Asghar, and other senior officers at the
Commission Secretariat. Dr. Tongusakov said Kyrgyz ins tu ons aspire to
develop collabora on with HEC, accredita on councils
The two sides agreed to develop of Pakistan and Pakistani universi es. He said that
collabora on in various academic fields Kyrgyz universi es are looking forward to having
including medical, engineering and collabora on with HEC in order to improve its
agriculture. educa on system.
Belarusian Ambassador Visits HEC
Mr. Andrei Ermolovich, Ambassador of
the Republic of Belarus to Pakistan called
on Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Muhammad Asghar,
Execu ve Director HEC.
The two sides discussed a large range of
academic issues pertaining to promo on
of bilateral collabora on in the higher
educa on sector.
The Execu ve Director said HEC values
academic and research linkages with its
partner countries, adding that HEC is
keen to strengthen rela ons between
Pakistani and Belarussian ins tu ons. Ambassador Ermolovich emphasised that Pakistan and
Belarus have a great poten al to work together in the
He stressed the need for measures to higher educa on sector and ini ate mutually beneficial
iden fy areas wherein Pakistani and programmes. The Ambassador was accompanied by Dr.
Belarussian higher educa on ins tu ons Alena Dastanka, Head of Academic Affairs Unit of the
could develop collabora on. Belarusian State University.
12262 Students Awarded HEC-USAID
Merit & Needs-based Scholarships
March-April 2019
As many as 262 undergraduate Punjab, and Khyber
students from Pakistani Pakhtunkhwa. They will a end
universi es were awarded 16 different ins tu ons, and
scholarships under HEC- USAID pursue degrees in Agriculture,
Merit and Needs-based Business, Engineering, and
Scholarship Programme, Social Sciences.
during a ceremony recently
held at the Commission Speaking on the occasion, Dr.
Secretariat. Tariq Banuri congratulated the
scholarship recipients. The
The ceremony was a ended Chairman said the real
by Dr. Tariq Banuri, Chairman resource of Pakistan is its
HEC, Mr. Paul W. Jones, Chargé people. “Inves ng in our
d'affaires US Embassy and a people will help the country
large number of students and overcome its socio-economic
the Programme alumni. challenges.”
The scholarship recipients are He said that Pakistani youth
the latest cohort to benefit have tremendous talent which
from this Programme, which needs to be tapped. “The
was started in 2004. More Government of Pakistan is
than 5300 talented youth from commi ed to increase access
financially disadvantaged and quality of educa on, and
families across Pakistan have the development of higher
received these scholarships. educa on sector is one of the
The grant covers student highest priori es of the
housing, textbooks, s pend Government.”
and tui on. The scholarship
recipients come from different Ambassador Jones said the
provinces and areas of young people of Pakistan
Pakistan including Gilgit, represent Pakistan’s future.
Sindh, Balochistan, South
“Unfortunately, fewer than 10
percent of them currently
pursue higher educa on. Our
partnership with HEC was
forged by the idea that we
should help open doors and
opportuni es to as many
promising students as
possible. Every bright and
curious young person should
be able to a end university
and develop his or her full
poten al.”
13March-April 2019
O B I T U A R I E S
Dr. Tariq Siddiqui
A memorial reference in honour of Dr. Tariq Siddiqui was held at the
Quaid-i-Azam University. Dr. Siddiqui’s family members, friends and
colleagues a ended the ceremony to recall his excep onal
contribu ons as an eminent scholar, bureaucrat, and educator.
Addressing the ceremony, Dr. Ishrat Husain, Special Adviser to the
Prime Minister highlighted his outstanding career. He quoted a
number of examples from his ac ve career as a bureaucrat. “He
never bowed to moun ng poli cal pressures and I am proud, what I
have learned from Dr. Siddiqui. We should remember the people
who served our ins tu ons and na on with honour, integrity and
upheld the values and rules.”
Dr. Tariq Siddiqui, former Mr. Sartaj Aziz, former Finance Minister said that Dr. Tariq Siddiqui
Vice Chancellor of Quaid-i- was an iconic figure and a rare combina on of a modest personality
Azam University who and high intellectual capacity.
passed away on April 9 -
2019, was widely admired Dr. Tariq Banuri, Chairman HEC said that Dr. Siddiqui was a truly
by his colleagues and compassionate person and an inspiring teacher I ever came across.
friends for his erudition, He had all those quali es that a teacher must have, including
command on the subject, excellent communica on skills and a role
professionalism, integrity,
model for the students.
and courage.
Remembering his interac on with Dr. Tariq Siddiqui at Planning
Dr. Siddiqui, who also Commission, Dr. Pervez Tahir said that Dr. Siddiqui was a pa ent,
remained Vice Chancellor of courteous and cul vated person. “We were pleasantly surprised
Allama Iqbal Open that he was a PhD in Economics from Syracuse University. He
University, had joined the understood why some policies, projects, programmes, plans had no
Civil Service of Pakistan in chance to be implemented, despite being based on sound
1955 and served on a economics.”
number of senior
Dr. Muhammad Ali, Vice Chancellor, Quaid-i- Azam University, Mr.
government positions, Shoaib Sultan Khan, Chairman, Rural Support Programme Network,
including Director General, and Mr. Ejaz Qureshi, former Chief Secretary also payed homage to
Civil Services Academy, and Dr. Siddiqui by shedding light on his services for the na on. A large
Federal Secretary, Cabinet number of students, faculty and staff members a ended the
Division. memorial reference.
14March-April 2019
Dr. Tahir Amin
A PhD in Poli cal Science from Massachuse s Ins tute of
Technology, a Masters in Interna onal Rela ons from Carleton
University, Canada, and MSc in Interna onal Rela ons from Quaid-
i-Azam University, Dr Amin was the Iqbal Chair at the Centre for
Interna onal Studies, University of Cambridge, UK during 1997-
2001.
He received King Faisal Scholarship to study at MIT, and a Fulbright
Award at Harvard University, where he worked on a research project
en tled Reac ons of the Non-Western world to the Thesis of the
Clash of Civilisa ons by Samuel Hun ngton. He was a visi ng Fellow
Dr. Tahir Amin was a at the Watson Ins tute of Interna onal Studies, Brown University,
renowned academician who Providence, USA, and at the Centre for Interna onal Affairs (CFIA) at
served various higher Harvard University.
education institutions
Dr. Tariq Banuri, Chairman HEC expressed deep condolences on the
including Bahauddin sad demise of Dr. Tahir Amin, former Vice Chancellor of Bahauddin
Zakariya University, Zakariyya University on behalf of the en re higher educa on sector.
Multan, Quaid-i-Azam The Chairman appreciated the services of Dr. Amin to higher
University, Islamabad, and educa on sector. He prayed for the departed soul and his bereaved
Women University Multan. family.
Dr. Abbas Chaudhry
Dr. Tariq Banuri, Chairman HEC, on behalf of the higher educa on
sector has expressed deep condolences on the sad demise of Dr.
Abbas Chaudhry, Rector, Virtual University of Pakistan. The
Chairman appreciated services of Dr. Chaudhry for higher educa on
sector and prayed for the departed soul.
Dr. Chaudhry held a PhD in Engineering Management from The
George Washington University, USA and served as Vice Chancellor,
NAMAL, Vice Chancellor, University of Engineering and Technology,
Before his appointment in Taxila and was the founding Vice Chancellor of Balochistan
Virtual University, Dr. University of Informa on Technology, Engineering and
Chaudhry headed a number Management Sciences, Que a.
of other higher learning
institutions, and had vast
experience in the field of
higher education
management.
15March-April 2019
Laptop Distribution HEC Launches Job Portal
under PM Youth for PhD Scholars
Programme The Higher Educa on Commission (HEC) has
launched a Job Portal, phdjobs.hec.gov.pk,
which aims to improve matching of PhD scholars
with job opportuni es.
The Job Portal has been built on Rozee.pk,
Pakistan's largest job placement pla orm, with
over 30000 ac ve jobs and addi on of around
1000 new jobs daily.
The Portal will provide PhD scholars with access
to opportuni es in academia, research
ins tu ons, and in the private sector that can
leverage the unique skills they developed in
pursuance of PhD degree.
As many as 400,000 laptops have
been distributed in Phase I-IV Over me, the increased use of Portal will
provide HEC with job data analy cs that will
along with 71,641 laptops help shape future policy. The Portal is linked to
distributed in Phase-V so far. unemployed PhD data already collected.
Prime Ministers’ Laptop Scheme is part of a The PhD scholars who are already registered
series of projects ini ated by the Government of with the HEC now have profiles created on
Pakistan under the Prime Minister Youth Rozee.pk. These PhD scholars can start taking
Programme. The Scheme is aimed to equip advantage of Rozee's sophis cated job matching
students with the latest tools and technology in algorithm and job aler ng features. PhD
order to bridge the Informa on Technology gap scholars that have not already registered with
and decrease the digital divide. the HEC can register themselves.
The Scheme provides students with a complete The candidate’s profile has been enhanced to
package of technology which includes a laptop include specific areas that are relevant to
with bag, an internet device, a Microso Office academia/research job seekers, including
Specialist (MOS) Cer fica on Voucher and publica ons, teaching experience, grant
access to subsidized Coursera Online Courses. experience, etc. PhD scholars are encouraged to
complete the enhanced profiles on the job
A total of 500,000 laptops have to be distributed portal in order to improve overall job matching
on merit among meritorious students of public results and provide more informa on to the
sector universi es and technical colleges across prospec ve employers.
Pakistan which includes degree colleges of
Islamabad and FATA region. As many as 400,000 Universi es will be provided access to the Portal
laptops were distributed in Phase I-IV along with and have been requested to post their academic
71641 laptops distributed in Phase-V so far. jobs on the portal. Employers already using
Rozee will have access to the PhD Scholars that
Moreover, 18 mega distribu on events of Phase- have been added to Rozee's candidate database.
V were held from January to April this year Portal can be accessed via phdjobs.hec.gov.pk
across Pakistan at different universi es. and queries may be sent to dcup@hec.gov.pk.
16Pakistan, Sweden
to Enhance
March-April 2019
Collaboration in
Higher Education
Ms. Ingrid Johansson, Swedish-Pakistan universi es for higher
Ambassador of Sweden to collabora on in higher educa on and research.” Mr.
Pakistan visited Higher educa on and research fields. Pohl said STINT’s mission is to
Educa on Commission interna onalise Swedish
Secretariat and called on its The Execu ve Director research and higher
Execu ve Director, Lt. Gen. informed the guests about educa on. He said Pakistan is
(Retd.) Muhammad Asghar. HEC ini a ves to increase demonstra ng tremendous
access, improve quality and progress in research ini a ves
She was accompanied by Mr. ensure relevance of higher and its publica on volume is
Hans Pohl, Programme educa on and research. rapidly growing.
Director STINT (Swedish
Founda on for Interna onal The Ambassador said Pakistan Ci ng Scopus, he said that
Coopera on in Research and and Sweden have huge Pakistan was third among 48
Higher Educa on). poten al to enhance countries preceded by Iran
academic rela ons. “We want and Saudi Arabia in having
The two sides discussed to encourage Pakistani over 10,000 publica ons in
measures to promote students to choose Swedish 2017.
Punjab University Wins HEC Women Tennis Championship
nd
University of the Punjab, Lahore has won 42 All for Women University (LCWU) during the final
Pakistan HEC Women Tennis Championship game held recently.
2018-19 organised by the Higher Educa on
Commission in collabora on with Pakistan Meanwhile, University of Central Punjab, Lahore
Tennis Federa on (PTF) at PTF Tennis Complex, beat Bahauddin Zakariyya University, Multan for
Garden Avenue, Islamabad. Punjab University the third posi on. As many as 16 universi es
clinched the tle a er defea ng Lahore College par cipated in the Championship.
17March-April 2019
HEC Initiates Process of Revamping
the Undergraduate Curriculum
By Dr. S. Zulfiqar Gillani
In its ongoing mission to To that end, HEC has ini ally iden fied 30
enhance the quality of general universi es across Pakistan and grouped
higher educa on, the them into five regions, including Balochistan,
Higher Educa on Islamabad-Rawalpindi/AJK/ Gilgit Bal stan,
Commission (HEC) has Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh. To begin
started the process of with, HEC engaged with the Vice Chancellors and
revamping the four-year Rectors region-wise, who shared their views on
undergraduate curriculum problems of the current four-year integrated
in general universi es. curriculum, and unanimously agreed on the
urgent need for revamping.
The overall aim is that on comple on of
undergraduate studies, the student should have It is encouraging that the Vice Chancellors and
the habits of cri cal and analy cal thinking, Rectors are suppor ng the HEC in taking forward
evidence-based observa on, a deeper sense of the revamping effort. On HEC’s request, the
civic and social rights and responsibili es, and university heads have nominated a curriculum
should have grown personally as an individual. reform team of faculty and administra on from
Such graduates will be be er able to lead each university. These teams will contribute to
personally fulfilling lives, and will be produc ve the development of curriculum structure, and
members of society who can contribute to socio- provide the lead in their respec ve ins tu ons to
economic development of the country. implement the revamped curriculum.
HEC is focusing on undergraduate studies In the next step, HEC has planned a series of five
because it is the backbone of higher educa on. regional consulta ve workshops. The first
As in the rest of the world, the undergraduate workshop of the series was organized at the
degree should be a terminal degree for most Interna onal Islamic University, Islamabad from
students, who on gradua on should have April 5-6, 2019. The par cipants were nominated
adequate knowledge and skills for employment teams from five iden fied universi es in the
or other gainful work. Also, graduates interested Islamabad-Rawalpindi/AJK/Gilgit-Bal stan region
in further educa on, like Masters or MPhil or and an observer from each of the remaining 24
Doctoral studies, should have sufficient general universi es in that region, again
knowledge and adequate grounding in research. nominated by the concerned university head.
Tangibly, the revamped undergraduate The workshop was designed to foster a be er
curriculum will provide much greater freedom to understanding of the needs and purposes of
the student to choose the subject area in which revamping the curriculum, obtain cri cal inputs
they want to specialise or Major, have a well- in development and implementa on of
rounded and broader educa on, and in- depth revamped curriculum, and to develop
knowledge of their chosen subject. par cipants’ know-how and skills so as to enable
them to lead the revamping effort in their
The revamping effort was started in January universi es. HEC will organise a follow-up
2019. The bedrock of the effort is coopera ve workshop with the par cipa ng teams from five
partnerships with universi es in revamping the iden fied universi es, and con nue providing
curriculum structure, and then implemen ng it technical and other support to them in the
ins tu onally. implementa on process.
18In his remarks at the workshop conclusion, Dr. Tariq Banuri,
Chairman HEC emphasised the centrality of undergraduate studies
for overall enhancement of the quality of higher educa on. He said
IBA, SBP
that the purpose of revamping curriculum is to make
undergraduate degree a terminal one and produce graduates who
Business
March-April 2019
are truly educated. Similar workshops will be held in the other four
regions in the coming months. In this manner the structure of
Confidence
revamped curriculum will be developed and implemented ini ally
in 30 iden fied universi es in the five regions.
Survey
The Ins tute of Business
As this process unfolds, other general universi es in the country Administra on (IBA), Karachi
will be brought on board. HEC is also mindful of the reality that in collabora on with the
postsecondary or undergraduate educa on is also being provided State Bank of Pakistan (SBP)
in Colleges and Professional or Technical ins tu ons of higher has recently started
educa on. So, in close consulta on with all stakeholders, HEC will conduc ng Business
also work on curricula frameworks for these types of ins tu ons. Confidence Survey (BCS) at a
bi-monthly frequency.
As far as possible, their curricula will be aligned with the revamped
curriculum so that the broader purposes of revamping are also The BCS aims to obtain
achieved in those ins tu ons. opinion of firms in industry
and services sector about
current and expected
business condi ons and
Conference on Pulses major factors affec ng their
businesses. This telephonic
for Food Security survey targets large firms
spread across the country to
seek their opinions on
The Ins tute of Plant Breeding and Gene cs and Department of
demand for credit and
Agronomy, Muhammad Nawaz Shareef University of Agriculture,
economic condi ons etc.
Multan recently organised an interna onal Conference on Pulses
for Food Security: Science for Growers and Entrepreneurs.
The survey results are
disseminated in the form of a
The stakeholders including academia and researchers together
composite index namely
with chickpea progressive growers par cipated in this event along
Business Confidence Index
with Interna onal scien sts from Australia. The scien sts share
(BCI). This index measures
their experiences to solve contemporary issues of pulses
business sen ments and is
produc on through technological advances.
based on six parameters
including current and
Dr. Ata ur Rehman from the Graham Centre for Agricultural
expected economic
Innova on, Charles Sturt University, Australia said that current
condi ons, current and
interven ons by the Australian Center for Interna onal
expected produc on, sales of
Agriculture Research (ACIAR) on increasing produc vity and
businesses and current and
profitability of pulses in the cereal based cropping systems in
expected hiring of employees
Pakistan has luckily come at the right me when leguminous
by large scale firms. It
len l, chickpea and ground nut have gained governmental
provides an opportunity for
support and are fast a aining prominence in connec on with
businesses to contribute in
their nutri ous status worldwide. Prof. Chris Blanchard, Director,
policy formula on process by
Func onal Grains Centre, Charles Sturt University, Australia
sharing their percep ons of
discussed challenges in Australian pulse produc on. Dr. Gavin
current and future economic
Ramsay on behalf of ACIAR pulse project urged the need to shi
condi ons.
from research for development to development driven research.
19March-April 2019
Buffalo Congress Concludes at UVAS
The concluding ceremony of two-day update the work in thema c areas of nutri on,
Interna onal Buffalo Congress 2019 was reproduc on, gene cs, management, health,
recently held at University of Veterinary and and socio-economics of buffalo with its main
Animal Sciences, (UVAS) Lahore in collabora on Subsistence to Commercialisa on. He said that
with Livestock and Dairy Development the informa on generated in the congress will
Department. The Governor Punjab, Ch. help in bringing economic prosperity of buffalo
Mohammad Sarwar chaired the ceremony. farmers.
Speaking on the occasion, the Governor said More than 500 delegates from Pakistan and
that livestock has a huge poten al and we need abroad a ended the congress, which was
to increase per animal yield. He said that the spread over one plenary and 14 technical
Government of Punjab is working on various sessions, a farmer-industry forum, 12 business
strategies to overcome challenge of ensuring mee ngs, seven pre-congress workshops, 100
availability of sufficient, safe and secure food to each posters and oral presenta ons on 10
the masses. He said that livestock is raised as an different aspects of buffalo.
easily conver ble currency and a reliable living
bank to provide day-to-day financial needs of The congress recommended transforma on of
the people. “Buffalo farming is playing a pivotal subsistence to commercial farming needs, input
role in the na onal economy by producing of technology packages combining breeding,
significant propor on of milk and meat and we feeding, disease control, management and
have to develop it further”. marke ng instead of piece meal approach, so an
integrated approach similar to the model of
Sardar Hasnain Bahadar Dareshak, Minister for Swedish project in Sri Lanka be adopted.
Livestock and Dairy Development Punjab called
for gene c improvement of animals with be er The congress further recommended adop ng
management strategies to increase their successful methods of buffalo breeding such as
produc vity i.e. milk and meat. Fixed Time AI in smallholder buffalo farms and
alternate non-conven onal local feed resources
Dr. Talat Naseer Pasha, Vice Chancellor UVAS be explored using R&D to make these safe for
said that the congress was aimed to review and cost effec ve use in buffalo feeding.
20VU Symposium on
Genetics Disorders & Prevention
March-April 2019
The Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of degenera on and infec ous diseases and drug
Science and Technology, Virtual University, (VU) response in pa ents with genotype. Different
Lahore recently organised two-day interna onal experts and prac oners presented latest
symposium on Gene c Disorders and innova ons, advances and shared their
Preven on. experience for trends and opportuni es in
related fields.
The event brought together interna onal
spectrum of visionaries and delegates from The second day of the symposium included the
academia across the country and abroad. A total discussion of possible collabora ons to fight
of 10 research paper presenta ons were split in with the gene c disorders in Pakistan. In this
two technical sessions. The par cipants regard, Memorandum of Understanding was
discussed preven ve strategies for gene c signed between VU, Gustave Roussy Cancer
diseases, tumor gene c profiling in hereditary Centre, France and University of Geneva
cancer, molecular gene cs of hereditary re nal Medical School, Switzerland.
Seminar on Pakistan-Japan Bilateral Relations
A one-day interna onal seminar en tled
Pakistan-Japan Bilateral Rela ons: A Mul -
dimensional Engagement was recently organised
by Area Study Centre (Far East and Southeast)
Asia, University of Sindh, Jamshoro.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Fateh Muhammad
Barfat, Vice Chancellor, University of Sindh said
that Japan has served as an enviable model of
economic development in Asia and that
excep onal a ributes of Japanese na on like South Asian Studies, Gifu Women’s University,
adherence to core and universal human values, Japan said that Japan had shi ed to a foreign
commitment, dedica on and indefa gable policy with free, open and possible connec vity
labour are worth emula ng. with all na on states through academic,
cultural, people to people contact and
Mr. Ryohei Kasai, Visi ng Researcher, Centre of engagement focusing on promo on of peace.
21March-April 2019
th
Isra University holds 15 Convocation
The Isra University, Hyderabad conferred degree in Biochemistry. In addi on, 107
degrees to around 397 students belonging to students received degrees for Bachelors and
Medical Sciences, Den stry, Nursing, Vision Masters in Business Administra on, Electrical
Sciences, Physical Therapy, Management Engineering, Computer Science, Electronics,
Sciences, Electrical Engineering, Computer Informa on Technology, So ware Engineering
Science, Electronics, Informa on Technology, and Telecommunica ons.
So ware Engineering and Telecommunica ons.
Addressing the students, Dr. Asadullah Kazi,
Out of 397 graduates, 265 received degree for Chancellor, Isra University said that everything
Bachelor in Medical Sciences, Den stry, Nursing changes with me, except the change itself. “We
and Physical Therapy whereas, 24 postgraduate live in an age of innova on and change and now
degrees were awarded in different programmes the universi es have a special obliga on. They
of medical and allied medical sciences. Apart must hold fast to the best of the past, and do
from this, one student was also conferred a PhD more for best of the future.”
IUB Conference on Linguistics and Literature
An interna onal conference on Linguis cs and provided a pla orm for interac on to na onal
Literature was organised at Islamia University, and interna onal delegates, researchers,
Bahawalpur (IUB). The three-day event was scholars and experts in the field of linguis cs
a ended by over 100 delegates including and language teaching.
scholars from Turkey, Indonesia, Thailand,
France and Pakistan. “Through oral and poster presenta ons and
plenary talks, the conference provided our
Dr. Aamir Ijaz, Vice Chancellor IUB was chief academic staff, indigenous scholars and
guest in the concluding ceremony. He said that postgraduate students exposure to the latest
Southern Punjab is rich in cultural heritage and research achievements made in the field. It has
has always enjoyed the patronage of scholars. also provided an opportunity to build academic
Dr. Mamuna Ghani, Dean, Faculty of Arts and rela onships and explore possibili es and
conference focal person said that this forum capabili es of research collabora ons.”
22PERN & CEAD, MUET Jamshoro Jointly organise
dQ19 (dancingQ19) Dancing on Cyber Cloud
Professional folk singers, choreographers and
March-April 2019
performers from six different countries
mesmerised the audience with cultural
performances at the Centre of Excellence in Art
and Design (CEAD), Mehran University of
Engineering and Technology (MUET) Jamshoro.
The programme en tled “dQ19 (dancingQ19)
Dancing on Cyber Cloud” that was awarded by
TEIN*CC (organisa on that connects Asian CEAD, Dr. Bhai Khan Shar and renowned
Educa on and Research Network with Global journalist Naaz Sahito. Technical team of PERN
counter peers) in their 1 Asi@ Connect Call for provided audio/video and network support.
Proposal. The countries included in the project
were Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, South Korea, Almost ten minutes were allo ed to each
India, Malaysia and Vietnam. country as all six countries gave seven minutes
dedicated and three minutes synchronized
The idea to conduct live one-way and two-way performance. In Pakistan, local eminent folk
cyber performances over TEIN high speed singers won the hearts of na onal and
network was that each country can represent interna onal audiences by singing famous songs
culture through music and dance performance. in Urdu, Sindhi, Punjabi, Pashto, Balochi and
Seraiki. The performance is available at Higher
Final event of the project was organised as a Educa on TV channel: edutv.hec.gov.pk.
th
mega event in the 47 mee ng of Asia Pacific
Advance Network (APAN) at Daejeon South The project has been successfully completed
Korea where main stage set up was heading the and Pakistan has made its mark in show-causing
en re programme. The mega event was not only diversity of its regional cultural but also
a ended by renowned researchers, its high speed network capabili es through
academicians and field experts from Asia Pacific, PERN. It is per nent to men on that the
Europe and America. performance is also rewarded in the next
project where Pakistan has formally become
Pakistan Educa on Research Network (PERN) member of the 3rd Asi@ connect project “Cyber
collaborated with CEAD, MUET Jamshoro for the Performance, Collabora ve produc on,
Performance which was moderated by Director Streaming and Archive”.
QEC holds Orientation for JSMU Management
The Quality Enhancement Cell was to enlighten the Dr. Abdul Wahid Usmani,
(QEC) of Jinnah Sindh Medical par cipants on the Director QEC elaborated the
University (JSMU) Karachi responsibili es and func ons Cell’s scorecard parameters
recently organised an assigned by Quality Assurance and their requirements in
orienta on session on the role Agency of HEC and how the detail and discussed the
of senior management in senior management can play support needed from all
effec ve func oning of QEC. their role to strengthen the concerned departments and
The purpose of the session QEC at the University. officials.
23March-April 2019
Xinjiang Agriculture University, UAF
to Identify Cotton-Wheat Varieties
A Chinese delegation, led by issue of poverty alleviation and University of Agriculture said
Dr. Chen Quanjia, Vice Dean, productivity enhancement. He that China had developed
Faculty of Agriculture, Xinjiang suggested to include skilled modern irrigation system on
Agriculture University recently manpower and technician which our scientists are
visited University of training section in the China learning from them.
Agriculture, Faisalabad (UAF) Pakistan Economic Corridor.
and agreed to jointly work on He added that collaborative
identification of heat tolerant Dr. Yang, Dean Confucius work on heat and drought
cotton and wheat varieties. Institute, Xinjiang Agriculture resilient cotton, wheat
University said that Confucius varieties, and other fruits and
The meeting was attended by Institute is not a place of vegetable would pave new
Dr. Zafar Iqbal, Vice Chancellor language learning but also ways of socio-economic
and other university officials. increases people-to-people development.
interaction that would help in
Dr. Zafar Iqbal, said that boosting trade, education and He said that under the
institution-to-institution other bilateral relations. Confucius Institute, as many as
agriculture ties between China 300 students and faculty
and Pakistan would help our Dr. Ashfaq Ahmad, Vice members would be sent to
governments to address the Chairman Confucius Institute, China for education.
CUI, Cotton Craft Join Hands for
Patent Commercialisation
The Comsats University, Comsats University, Lahore treatment of burn and
Islamabad (CUI) recently under Higher Educa on Diabe c Foot Ulcer (DFU)
signed an Intellectual Property Commission’s Technology pa ents in Pakistan and all
Commercialisa on agreement Development Fund. across the world.
with the Co on Cra , a local
industry partner. The project is aimed at The IP Commercialisa on
formula ng quick, safe and agreement is a step towards
The agreement would address low priced products to knowledge economy expected
an ongoing collabora ve immediately stop blood by to benefit the society with
research en tled “Conver ng procuring grail scale-up of sustainable industrial growth
Inexpensive Indigenous chitosan and its water soluble and innova ve local products.
Chitosan to High Value deriva ves, conduc ng
Commercial Pro-angiogenic chemical and biological re- The agreement is expected to
Tissue Engineered Skin Gra s evalua on of those products commercialise the wound care
for Burn Pa ents.” and then conver ng applica on, using de-oxy sugar
prototypes to commercially releasing materials that
The research project was valuable outcome. promote blood vessel growth
awarded to Dr. Muhammad It is expected that the gra s and reducing the overall me
Yar, Associate Professor, will become very effec ve for for wounds to self-heal.
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