HEC’s VISION AND CHALLENGES AHEAD

“Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance”.

(Will Durant)

The central objective of Higher Education Commission is not

only to facilitate institutions of higher education but also to act as
a catalyst of change and socio-economic development in Pakistan.
In fact, its role is not limited to evaluate, improve and promote the
quality of education. It encapsulates wide spectrum of maintaining
quality, formulate an effective policy, guiding principles and
allocating priorities for its reform and change. Its main thrust is to
increase access to the higher education, improve IT, and increase
R&D in the country.

Recalling its chequred history, it was established in order to

facilitate the development of indigenous universities to be world
class centers of education, Research and Development. With the
fast pace of these developments, HEC intends to play its due role
in spearheading the building of a knowledge-based economy in
Pakistan. Realizing the grave situation and dismal state of
education in Pakistan, HEC was established in 2002. It was
empowered with a broad mandate to evaluate, improve and
promote the higher education and research sector in Pakistan.

Since its inception, it has undertaken a systematic process of

implementation of the five year agenda for reform out lined in HEC
MTDF (Medium Term Development Framework) in which access,
quality and relevance have been identified as the primary
challenges faced by this sector. In order to address these issues,
HEC hatched a comprehensive plan for reforms. They were as
under: One, faculty development two, improve access to higher
education three, excellence in learning and research. Moreover,
these strategic aims are further cemented through developing
leadership, governance and management, enhancing quality
assessment and accreditation, physical and technological
infrastructure development.

In furthering this process, HEC chairman said that ‘access to

higher education would be increased up to 10 per cent by 2015.
While realizing the importance of higher education, president of
Pakistan said that budget for this sector would be further increased
up to 7 per cent of the GDP. In addition, he said that universities
were the battle ground for fighting the battle of minds and ideas.
Our graduates must be men and women of vision, knowledge,
courage and integrity.

No doubt, Pakistan has been called a ‘Rising Star’, in Science

Watch. According to the World Bank report and the British Council,
the efforts of Higher Education Commission have been
characterized as satisfactory. However, what our universities need
to do is to contribute positively so as to transfer society by
inculcating in it qualities of greater patience, tolerance, pluralism
and prosperity.

In spite of this phenomenal reform and change in HEC policy

matters, there are a few questions which need proper attention of
higher authority. They are stipulated as: first, has HEC remained
up to the expectations of the universities? Why there is ambiguity
in HEC’s rules and regulations? Why few universities are supported
in terms of perks and privileges? What causes communication gap
between HEC and those who are pursuing their PhDs abroad? Why
there is no allowance for M.Phil candidates?

In addition to this, there are many challenges which the HEC

has to tackle. Academically speaking, for instance, in efficient use
of available resources, unequal distribution of faculties among
Public and Private Sector, lack of monitoring, emphasis on
quantitative education rather than qualitative aspect of education
and inadequate attention to research and support for it. Not only
this but also it is said to be fraught with crisis of management

However, critics of HEC have underlined following

complexities and intricacies involved in terms of management
crisis: ineffective governance; inefficient regulatory steps; strong
skepticism about the realization of reforms in the making;
politicization of faculty, staff and students. According to the sixth
edition of EFA Global Monitoring Report unfolded by UNESCO in
2009, it pin pointed large disparities between provinces urban and
rural areas, rich and poor house holds remained at the heart of
country’s slow progress in basic education.

Apart from these challenges, the performance of Higher Education

is not devoid of major achievements. Currently, its various
programs and projects are taking a major pick up. Its programs
and projects are characterized as under: faculty development,
curriculum revision, developing educational infrastructure,
awarding indigenous scholarships, developing new technology
parks, video conferencing, digital library etc. An article appeared in
one of the newspapers with a title, ‘Quality in Higher Education’, by
Dr Javaid R. Laghari, dated: February 11, 2010. He, besides
underlining the importance of higher education and challenges a
head, said that due to the rapid growth in the number of
universities in Pakistan, the quality of education has been
compromised. In order to meet these challenges, the Chairman
HEC said ‘we have to improve the existing infrastructure,
strengthen scholarship programs, teacher training and enhancing
opportunities for students’.

What we, as academicians believe is that, quality of education

will not come from sky. It has be introduced and initiated from the
gross roots level. Moreover, quality can be categorized into three
dimensions: first, core dimension: study material, instructional
design, learner support, assessment and research. Second,
systemic dimension: state policy participatory governance
institutional leadership/ management and planning. Third, resource
dimension: academic or technical expertise, learning resources,
networking etc.

It is not surprising to say that to maintaining quality in higher

education is a daunting challenge. There could be no unilateral
approach towards quality control. Further more, a few countries
support, in any way, the development of internationally accepted
standards of quality, where as few others perceive that it should
be left to the concerned institutions.

In this age of globalization and fast communication, there is

increasing pressure in order to achieve quality in higher education.
The obvious challenge faced by those who visualize expanding the
horizon of education is how to create a balancing act between tri-
lateral goals, that is to say: access, quality and cost.

The writer of this article offers his valuable suggestions

regarding how to solve these emerging issues and challenges.
First, effective coordination among various universities, second,
unbiased and multilateral approach on the part of HEC towards all
universities, third, friendly and cooperative policies will prove to be
a great dividends for universities, fourth, reforming governance in
universities, fifth, effective system of checks and balances (QEC)
may be introduced in all institutions, sixth, ensure academic
freedom, seventh, effective management of human resources, last,
visionary and charismatic leadership.

To sum up, what the Higher Education need to do is that it

has to realize its vision and face the challenges of 21st century with
great care and consideration. Now it remains to be seen how the
higher authorities tackles these challenges and issues besides
ensuring quality in higher education. It is rightly said that one can
not clap with one hand, but it requires two hands to make a clap.
In the light of this maxim, one can say that universities are also
equally responsible for maintaining quality, ensure proper
discipline through effective management and work in unison with
Higher Education Commission. In this way one can realize ones
vision and address effectively challenges within and without.

PERVAIZ ALI MAHESAR,

LECTURER DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE,
UNIVERSITY OF SINDH, JAMSHORO.
E-mail: mahesarpervaiz@yahoo.com