Federal Minister for Planning Development & Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal has asked the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to align the higher education sector with modern trends and requirements while curriculum of the varsities should be aligned with the job market. The minister made these remarks while meeting with the newly-appointed Chairman HEC Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed at the Ministry. On July 30 Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appointed Dr Mukhtar Ahmed as the HEC chairman, according to a press release issued here on Tuesday. The minister while congratulating him said that Dr Mukhtar had an extensive experience in the education sector which would reflect in the policies of HEC. “Priority sectors and best universities should be selected for scholarships abroad, ” said the minister, adding that despite the economic crisis, ample funds had been provided for HEC. The minister further added that a competitive process should be set up through the academic and performance audit system of universities. Candidates should be selected to benefit from the Pakistan-America Knowledge Corridor Project, he remarked. Professor Iqbal said that steps should be taken to ensure the establishment of Dr. AQ Khan Metallurgy Institute. Dr Ahmed, a renowned educationist, had earlier held the post of HEC Chairman from 2014 to 2018.Executive Director HEC from 2013 to 2014 and as Member (Operations and Planning) HEC from 2005 to 2011. With a Bachelors and Masters of Science from University of Agriculture, Faisalabad and Masters in Business Administration and PhD from University of California, Riverside, USA, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed has over three decades of educational development and management experience at national and international level that includes teaching, research, administration, policy development, linking educational research to industry/commercialization, introducing entrepreneurial approaches to education and a diverse range of educational development programmes. Chairman HEC vows to bring stakeholders together for solution of national challenges: Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC) Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Tuesday said that the commission would take forward the agenda of improving quality of teaching and research in higher education institutions and the universities would be encouraged and supported to play a proactive role for socio-economic growth of the country. During his first media briefing after assuming charge of the Chairman HEC, Dr. Mukhtar said the commission would bring together universities, research organisations and other government departments to jointly work on presenting solutions to the problems facing the country, especially water depletion and flooding, food security, climate change, and country’s security. “Nations face adversities, however they strive to rise up. We together have to steer the country out of these problems by prioritising our objectives and synergising for sectoral development,” he emphasised. Stressing the need for being selective in areas for PhD studies, he said that the research carried out at universities and research centres must provide solutions to local and national issues. The chairman pointed out that quality, governance and technology-readiness as the major challenges facing the higher education sector, and assured that HEC would put more efforts for continuous improvement in quality and governance. He warned that those universities which ignore adapting to the needs of the technological world would lag behind. He said HEC was committed to the mandate of enhancing access, improving quality and ensuring relevance, but added that the commission would emphasise care in expanding the higher education sector. He asserted that the government had shown its strong commitment to supporting the higher education sector despite challenges. “I assure the Vice Chancellors, faculty, and students that HEC will facilitate all of you. And we will work together for the development of the higher education sector,” he said, affirming that HEC’s role as a regulatory body would be to streamline the processes and improve the quality standards.” Dr. Mukhtar hoped that the public and private sectors would jointly work to enhance their contributions towards the development of the country. The chairman also dilated on strengthening academia-industry linkages, skill-based degree programmes, and media’s role in informing masses about educational and research opportunities.