LAHORE: The c said that there was an urgent need to increase equitable access to skills-based education across the country. “Less than 10 percent of the population has access to higher education in Pakistan. This is very low when we compare it to neighbouring counties like India, Iran, China and Turkey,” he said, while chairing a meeting of senior officers at PHEC Secretariat on Tuesday. “In Punjab, we are collaborating with partners such as Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) to establish new universities to address this demand, such as the Punjab Tianjin University of Technology Lahore. We are also scaling up the Community College model of two-year associate degree programmes in technical market-related fields, to colleges and universities across Punjab. Our aim is to bridge the gap between industry and academia, through honing the skills of graduates and providing them with the best education meeting the demands of the local industry,” he added. He said that in a short span of time, PHEC made significant progress towards improving the quality of higher education and research in Punjab with limited resources. “PHEC held 4 commission meetings. We are progressing steadily following the guideline of our commission. We established various initiatives for public and private sector colleges and universities and for students who want to pursue more skills based and market-oriented education,” he said. According to PHEC, in 2017, the commission established foreign and indigenous training and scholarship programmes for the staff and faculty of Punjab’s over 700 public colleges and universities. A rigorous accreditation system to ensure quality standards for private sector colleges and universities was also established by PHEC. Addressing the demand from students for career counselling and skills-based education, PHEC launched Career Counselling Centers in four public sector colleges and the community colleges model in four colleges, providing two-year associate degrees (equivalent to a bachelor’s degree) in textile designing, information technology, media studies and accounting and finance. Responding to the dire need to enhance the effectiveness of teaching and learning in Pakistan, he said that PHEC established the Faculty Development Academy (FDA). “It is the first of its kind in Punjab where more than 400 faculty members from public sector colleges and universities have already been trained in academics, administration and finance related areas,” he said. In addition, PHEC organised training for newly-inducted college teachers in each division of Punjab and for vice chancellors and directors of student affairs. PHEC also initiated several international and national scholarship programs in 2017, including post-doctoral fellowships and split PhD scholarships. “We are sending our faculty to the best destinations in the world to provide them exposure and experience and equip them with the best learning opportunities in their field,” said Dr Nizamuddin. In relation to research, Dr Nizamuddin said: “A rich research culture has been an important contributing factor in the development of knowledge-based economies of advanced countries.” In 2017, PHEC introduced thematic research grants for post-doctoral fellowships, awarding150 travel grants to scholars of provincially chartered universities to present their research work at international conferences. “These initiatives are intended to not only build the capacity of academic staff to conduct research, but to promote a much-needed culture of research amongst faculty and students,” he added. “In 2017 alone, PHEC funded 30 national and international conferences, sent 22 students abroad on fully-funded scholarships, and signed two MoUs with local universities for split PhD scholarships,” he added. Speaking on the issue of illegal campuses and unapproved programmes, Dr Nizamuddin said that PHEC, and HED were working jointly to regulate and streamline the illegal campuses and degree programs of universities, in line with the policies of the government Punjab. “In this regard, parent alerts were been advertised and universities were issued notices informing them of accreditation requirements. We are determined to protect students from investing time and money in such illegal and unregulated programs,” Dr Nizamuddin said. He stressed that to achieve the global benchmarks of quality in higher education; PHEC had recommended to the government to flagship the universities in Punjab where we could focus on quality and ranking indices. “We are committed to bringing a qualitative change in the existing system of higher education; we have a vision, we have a highly dedicated and professional team, and we have a strong drive to bring about change,” Dr Nizamuddin said. Published in Daily Times, January 3rd 2018.