Sunday, 04 August 2013
Islamabad: A Special Task Force recently constituted by Higher Education Commission (HEC) would visit Balochistan after Eid holidays. The Task Force has been established over the proposal of Chief Minister Balochistan, Dr Abdul Malik Baloch who met Chairperson HEC Dr. Javaid R. Laghari few days earlier. During the meeting, the Chairman HEC agreed to establish a Special Task Force to evaluate and promote higher education in Balochistan so that it can keep pace with national standards. He also assured cooperation in addressing human resource related problems in the province.
The task force would be headed by Chairperson HEC Dr. Javaid R. Laghari and will be comprised of eminent and experienced academicians and administrators including Prof. Dr. Muhammad Nizamuddin Vice Chancellor University of Gujrat and Chairperson National Committee on Development of Social Sciences and Inter University Consortium for Promotion of Social Sciences which is comprised of 16 leading universities of Pakistan, Prof Dr. Riaz Hussain Qureshi former Vice Chancellor Agriculture University Faisalabad and Advisor Quality Assurance & Human Resource Development HEC Islamabad, Prof. Dr, Mansoor Akbar Kundi Vice Chancellor Gomal University D.I khan who also has vast experience of working in higher education sector of Balochistan. The members of the Task Force will meet the vice chancellors, university administrators, faculty students and other stakeholders before making recommendations to the Chef Minister Balochistan.
The Task Force on Balochistan Higher Education will delineate primary challenges the Universities in Balochistan are currently facing that impede their development as high standard institutions of learning and research and recommend, steps and reforms required to improve their performance and progress as world class institutions of higher learning. While assessing the Universities in Balochistan, the Task Force will among other things, specifically focus on the areas including Governance and Management of Universities; autonomy from all kinds of extraneous influences in academic, administrative and financial functions, faculty development, trainings and research functions, institutional performance, adequacy of resources (public and self-generated; including university effectiveness to mobilize resources), efficiency and effectiveness of resource use, adoption and adherence to quality standards and practices, development and quality of faculty, retention vis-à-vis vacancy, law and order issues arising there from necessitating immediate response and solution and role of Universities in improving quality of instructions and research in affiliated institutions etc.
The Higher Education Commission HEC has paid special attention towards increasing access to higher education in remote and far flung areas of the country. Within last few years, out of total 55 new university campuses: 31 have been established in rural areas throughout Pakistan.
The main HEC initiatives for promotion of equitable access to higher education In Balochistan include: approval of 49 development projects amounting to more than Rs. 10 billion, application of federal quota policy over indigenous and foreign scholarship programs, allocation of 390 PhD scholarships for university faulty, award of 2,000 scholarships to students of Balochistan and FATA, announcement of 1500 more scholarships and 600 foreign PhD scholarships, implementing Fee Waiver Scheme for the Public Sector University Students of Balochistan at Masters and MS level at Balochistan and PhD Students throughout the country, launched special projects for the development of basic infrastructure at higher education institutions of the province including labs, class rooms, seminars rooms, labs, transport facilities, digital libraries, video conferencing facility etc. and establishment of HEC Regional Centre at Quetta
As result of these reforms for Balochistan, number of universities has been increased from 2 to 8, student enrollment increased from thirty thousand to more than seventy six thousands and impressive increase has been witnessed in international publications from 6 in 2002 to 338 in 2011.
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