ISLAMABAD: As many as 47 teachers have been selected in the best university teacher award 2015 by top educational monitoring body known as Higher Education Commission (HEC). According to the list, the HEC has selected the best teachers-2015 of various cadres including lectures, associate professors, assistant professors and professors by the HEC recognized universities and Degree Awarding Institutions (DAIs) being functioned across the country. The selected teachers were also conferred Rs 100,000 along with souvenir to each for their exceptional performance in their respective disciplines of teaching. According to a senior official of the HEC, only two teachers should be nominated from on university in a year. There was a prescribed criterion by the HEC for inclusion of higher educational faculty members in such list. While talking to Daily Times Chairman HEC, Dr Mukhtar Ahmed explained about the said criteria and other parameters for such purpose. Dr Ahmed said that each recognized university and DIA have an internal committee of their Quality Enhancement Cell (QEC) for reviewing the performance of its faculty members. The committee works as per standards have been determined by the HEC, he said, adding that these standards declared after a briefed consultation with the senior experts and the members of the various universities. The chairman further briefed that the committees suggests their inputs to the HEC about their faculty members and the commission finalizes them with consultation of vice chancellors of the respective universities. He informed that there are two types of components for declaration of best university teachers. “One is teaching quality and the second is research in the respective area of the subject”, Dr Ahmed revealed. Beside other part of the country, the universities in the federal capital from where the teachers are picked for said awards were comprised on Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU), National University of Science and Technology (NUST), International Islamic University (IIU), FAST-National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS), National University of Modern Languages (NUML), Bahria University (BU), Riphah International University. Prof Sohail Nadeem serving in the Department of Mathematics at QAU, got the award. Its Vice Chancellor Javed Ashraf says that the name was finalized as per standards determined by the HEC and the university followed absolutely to the HEC. An official Mehvish Kamran in the BU told this scribe that as the university is recognized from the HEC so it has forwarded the name of Associate Professor Amina Jameel to HEC as best teachers of the university in the calendar year 2015. Rohama Gill, Assistant Professor Department of Environmental Sciences, Fatima Jinnah Women University (FJWU), Rawalpindi has been selected as a best teacher of the year 2015 in her varsity. VC, FJWU Samina Amin Qadir, told this correspondent that the name of Gill was finalized by the QEC of the varsity after passing through the entire procedure. For example, she said, the teaching evaluation is determined from the students by the end of every semester though an online form. “Through this methodology, there are very less chances for inputting the wrong information about the teachers by the students”, Qadir said while replying a question. Beside the names said above, some other teachers were also part of list such as Sharif Ullah Khan, Associate Professor (NUST), Khadija Shahid, Associate Riphah International University, Nabi Bux Jumani of the IIU, Muhammad Aftab Rafiq, Associate Professor PIES, Prof Nabi Bux Jumani of IIU, Muhammad Shafique Anjum, Assistant Professor NUML. The teachers awarded from the Punjab included Muhammad Nouman Associate Professor Government College University, Lahore; Liaqat Ali, Professor University of Engineering and Technology, Taxila, Abdul Rauf Associate Professor University of Sargodha, Sammia Shahid, Associate Professor University of Management and Technology, Lahore; Naeem Iqbal, Associate Professor Government College University, Faisalabad. Mahmood Saleem, Professor Institute of Chemical Engineering and Technology, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Prof Imran Sharif Chaudhry, Professor Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Rana Abrar Hussain, Associate Professor University of Education, Lahore, Muhammad Ijaz, Assistant Professor University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Prof. Abdul Saboor Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi; and Ijaz Ahmad Bhatti, Professor University of Agriculture, Faisalabad. The other teachers conferred for award belonged to the universities being functioned in Khyber Pakhtunkhaw (KP) and Baluchistan.