The government has finalised a plan to set up National Institute of Applied Technology (NIAT) in order to meet modern challenges. Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC), Dr Mukhtar Ahmed said this while briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training, which met here under the chairmanship of Senator Rahila Magsi on Wednesday.
The meeting was also attended by Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training, Mohammad Baligh Ur Rehman. The chairman HEC said that the government is taking various steps in enhancing the capabilities and capacities of the people of Pakistan by imparting them with the modern education. He said that keeping in view the global trends and changes, the HEC in collaboration with other stakeholders is making all-out efforts to produce quality graduates and rid the nation of substandard educational system.
He said that the HEC has started a new kind of research for employability through industrial linkages, adding that the government is moving in right direction and seeing good economic growth as this year GDP growth may touch or cross 6 percent. The meeting was informed that with the operationalization of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), aviation industry is all set to witness the highest growth for which the Institute of Space Technology (IST) Islamabad is imparting the required education to the national youth.
Briefing the participants, the chairman HEC said that the commission has succeeded in banning a fake charted university as well as 110 PhD degrees awarding fake institutes in the country. He said that PhD degree and other highest degrees were being sold on simple shops by a certain mafia, which wanted to get registered with Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) and Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC).
The chairman committee said that there should not be any compromise on national education and health. Dr Mukhtar said that the HEC is ready to brief the panel in-camera about certain issues, wherein the members will be given full insight of the various issues. Senator Azam Swati said that an institute namely Institute of Modern Study with the backing of influential group or figures was operational in Islamabad which was selling fake medical degrees and diplomas. He said that various such degree holders have been detained in Middle East and Europe and this has given a bad name to Pakistan. He added that HEC and other relevant departments must take the notice of this situation to avert such practices and the people responsible must be put behind the bars.
The chairman HEC said that to promote latest technologies, education sector the HEC has established offices of research, innovation and commercialization (ORICs), business incubation centres, and technology development fund. To a question, he said that the HEC releases funds to universities without any delay. "No individual can influence the release of funds, as they are released through a formula based funding without any discrimination," he added.
He emphasised upon the private sector and philanthropists to play their role for promotion of education sector. "HEC's government funding has reached Rs 106 billion; however, we cannot entirely rely on the government. Everybody needs to play a role in order to bring our higher education sector at par with that of the developed world," he added.
Shedding light on some other initiatives, he said that the HEC has formed online attestation system and formulated National Qualifications Framework (NQF) and Pakistan Qualification Register (PQR) as a part of NQF in order to enable the students and their parents to make informed decisions. "Establishment of Education Testing Council is another initiative for ensuring quality of student intake in our higher education institutions."
Referring to the latest developments, he said that the HEC has become a part of Washington Accord, adding that negotiations are underway about joining the Sydney Accord also. Briefing the participants, the vice-chancellor of Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) said that 1.3 million students were enrolled with the university, adding that the university has approved inclusion of 26 new programmes into the curriculum including international relations and political science.
He said that the AIOU has set up regional educational centers across the country from Gawadar to Gilgit-Baltistan to Azad Kashmir. He said that the university has designed a special plan to impart eunuchs with education. The senators said that the AIOU instead of setting up educational centers in rented buildings must have own buildings.
Senator Sehar Kamran announced that she was denoting her land in district Sajawal of Sindh to AIOU for setting up of educational centre. Rahila Magsi offered the management of AIOU to select suitable land from her land in district Tando Allahyar.