Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairman Dr Atta-ur-Rehman on Thursday said that revolutionary changes were taking place at higher education and grassroots level. About 400 projects were being implemented across the country to impart the quality education, the HEC Chairman made these remarks while speaking in a PTV programme, 'News Morning.'
He said four new engineering universities were being set up in all four provinces of the country in collaboration with Sweden, Germany, France and Austria. Atta-ur-Rehman said three projects were underway to improve the qualification and quality of the faculty members, adding there were 10,000 faculty members in universities of the country, while out of them only 3,000 members possessed the Ph.D degrees.
Up till now, the government had sent 500 students abroad for higher education under the Ph.D faculty development programme, who would be absorbed in different universities, he said.
While under a similar programme, 260 expatriate Pakistanis, having extraordinary skills in the education sector, had so far been called back to impart quality education in different universities, who were performing their duties as assistant professor, associate professor and professor in universities on long and short-term basis, he added.
Whereas under the indigenous Ph.D programme, the government intended to produce 1,200 to 1,500 Ph.D holders annually, Dr Atta-ur-Rehman said and observed that presently, the country was producing 300 Ph.D holders annually.
Besides this, he said the quality assurance cells were being set up in all universities of the country, adding accordingly, the quality assurance cells had been set up in the 10 universities.
To a question, he said capacity of public sector universities would be doubled aimed at imparting quality education across the country. New and evening campus of universities would be opened in different cities. "Presently, 2.9 percent students of 17 to 23 age group have access to the higher education. This capacity would be doubled in next five years," he added.
To another question, he said a massive scholarship programme of Rs 1 billion had been launched this year to fulfill the requirements of the needy students. About educational activities taking place in the country, Dr Atta-ur-Rehman said Pakistan was at the top among the Muslim countries with 1,200 publications at international level this year.