May-June 2018

Higher Education Commission - Pakistan

P - 2

HEC holds Meeting to Review Progress on PSDP ProjectsP - 4

Ambassador of Ukraine Visits Higher Education CommissionP - 12

Dr. Tariq Banuri Assumes Charge as Chairperson HECP - 8

P - 2

HEC holds Meeting to Review Progress on PSDP ProjectsP - 4

Ambassador of Ukraine Visits Higher Education CommissionP - 12

Dr. Tariq Banuri Assumes Charge as Chairperson HECP - 8

Table of Contents

Publisher:Higher Education

Commission, Pakistan

3

Graphic Designer

Raja Ahmad Nadeem

Reporter

Syed Muhammad Ittifaq

Editor

Aayesha Ikram

News & Views is published after

every two months. No part of this

publication may be reproduced in

any form without prior written

permission of the publisher.

The views expressed by authors in the art ic les are their sole responsibility and not of HEC. The Commission would like to thank all the institutions and individuals who contributed information and photographs for this Magazine.

Graphic Designer

Raja Ahmad Nadeem

Reporter

Syed Muhammad Ittifaq

Editor

Aayesha Ikram

News & Views is published after

every two months. No part of this

publication may be reproduced in

any form without prior written

permission of the publisher.

The views expressed by authors in the art ic les are their sole responsibility and not of HEC. The Commission would like to thank all the institutions and individuals who contributed information and photographs for this Magazine.

4

5

2HEC, Microsoft

Announce Imagine

Cup Winners 2018

Quarterly Meeting

of National ORIC

Forum held at HEC

HEC holds

Meeting to Review

Progress on PSDP

Projects

HEC to Fund Seven Research Projects to

Address Smog Issue

HEC Deliberates on Collaboration in

Agricultural Research

Dr. Tariq Banuri Assumes Charge as

Chairperson HEC

HEC, Pakistan Software Houses Association

to Train Fresh Computing Graduates

Committee Meeting for Evaluation of

Research Proposals under TRGP

HEC to Offer Training to 25,000 Youth in IT

and ERP

Ambassador of Ukraine Visits Higher

Education Commission

Achievements under USAID MNBSP Talent

Grooming and Career Counselling

Workshops

HEC Invites Researchers for Proposals under

TDF

HEC, NACTE hold National Forum on

Teacher Education

HEC, Pink Ribbon Announce Winners of

PINKtober Youth Awareness Programme

2017

HEC Deliberates on Implementation of

Green Campus Framework in Pakistani

Universities

6

8

9

9

11

12

12

13

14

15

16

2

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) and

Microsoft, Pakistan recently announced the national

winners of Imagine Cup 2018, a technology

competition during a ceremony at the Commission

Secretariat.

National University of Sciences and Technology

(NUST) School of Electrical Engineering and

Computer Science (SEECS) clinched first position,

while City University of Science and Information

Technology and Bahria University obtained second

and third positions respectively.

Dr. Amirullah Marwat, Chairman National Assembly

Standing Committee on Federal Education and

Professional Training was chief guest of the

ceremony, while Dr. Arshad Ali, Executive Director,

HEC, Mr. Abid Zaidi, Country General Manager,

Microsoft and Dr. G. Raza Bhatti, Member

Operations and Planning, HEC were also present.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Amirullah Marwat

said Pakistan has a huge potential in its youth and

they have demonstrated their skills in the Imagine

Cup. “I am confident now that we, Pakistanis, can do

anything, but it requires us to have a strong

willpower,” he stated. He stressed the need for self-

accountability to address individual and, ultimately,

national issues. He underlined that every sector of

the country needs to adopt the modern

technologies, especially Information Technology, as

this is a need of the hour. He maintained that all the

sectors are required to make innovations and

encourage novel ideas.

Mr. Marwat urged the industry to come forward and

award scholarships to Pakistani youth so that they

are fully facilitated to serve the country. He advised

the students and researchers to ensure their

research is based on solutions to problems

prevailing in the country.

Congratulating the winners of the national final, Dr

Arshad Ali said, “Imagine Cup is all about

innovation, transformation and what comes next.”

He said Imagine Cup continues to cultivate a spirit

of social and technological entrepreneurship,

empowering students to use their creativity to

address real societal problems through technology.

“We have seen extremely innovative ideas coming

in and many of the students who have been

participating in the Imagine Cup competition are

establishing their own startups that are now

becoming multimillion dollar companies. I am

proud of our students for participating in this Global

event and I am sure they will bring laurels for

Pakistan,” the Executive Director said.

In his remarks, Mr. Abid Zaidi said Microsoft strives

to bring the right set of tools and technology

towards the students so that they can change the

work for the better. “The way we look at our

students, we feel that they are the agents of change

and they just need the right set of tools to succeed,”

he said, adding that as a technology company,

Microsoft wants to empower students and enable

them to shape our future.

HEC, Microsoft Announce Imagine Cup Winners 2018

Before the national final, HEC and Microsoft held

regional competitions. The regional finals were won

by Sukkur Institute of Business Administration,

NUST SEECS, National Textile University, Faisalabad

and Balochistan University of Information

Technology, Engineering and Management

Sciences, Quetta.

Imagine Cup is one of Microsoft’s many efforts to

transform skill development, nurture budding

technologists and foster collaborative and

innovative spir i t . This global technology

competition boasts of several success stories

emerging from the competition. It’s a great

platform to innovate, get recognised and eventually

get enabled to bring about a positive change.

Imagine Cup continues to foster innovation among

students and enables them to transform their

ambitions into reality. The winner team will now

represent Pakistan at the upcoming worldwide

finals in Seattle, USA to compete among global

teams for a prize of USD $100,000. Microsoft

Imagine Cup continues to witness strong

participation from Pakistan, as well as world over.

This year, as an initiative of the Strategic Partnership

with HEC, Microsoft reached out to more than 56

campuses through onsite sessions in a bid to create

awareness around the competition and effectively

market it to the audience, which resulted in record

breaking project entries i.e. 110 in this competition.

Under Education Transformation Agreement, HEC

and Microsoft work in partnership to enable

student-centric learning, enhance education with

powerful software tools and improve the efficiency

of education systems. The agreement is aimed at

supporting all communities, enabling them to enjoy

social benefits of a well-educated population. It

encompasses tra in ing for educators and

educational leaders, conducting research for

i nnova t ions , and bu i ld ing p ro fe s s iona l

communities to ensure that every student has the

benefit of a global network of empowered

educators. The key strategic aims of this partnership

include transformation of learning and innovation stand development of 21 century skills and

employability.

In view of rising level of smog across the Punjab, the

Higher Education Commission (HEC) has decided to

fund seven research projects in order to find

solutions to minimise the duration and intensity of

smog and to address health issues caused by it.

Under the programme entitled, “Problem Based

Applied Interdisciplinary Research Programme, HEC

and the Punjab Env i ronment Protect ion

Department jointly invited research proposals from

universities of Pakistan to investigate the causes of

smog, analyse its impact and devise mitigation

strategies to reduce air pollution and winter smog.

Against this call, 39 research proposals were

received, whereas 10 proposals were shortlisted.

Out of them, seven research proposals have been

recommended by experts for funding for a period of

two years. Research findings of these research

projects will help resolve the health-related issues

caused by smog and minimise the duration and

intensity of smog.

HEC to Fund Seven Research Projects to Address Smog Issue

3

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) recently

hosted a meeting of Vice Chancellors to review

progress on higher education sector projects

approved and funded under Public Sector

Development Project (PSDP) during the last five

years. The meeting also deliberated on the plans for

the next PSDP projects.

Mr. Ahsan Iqbal, Interior Minister and Minister for

Planning, Development and Reform chaired the

meeting. Dr. Arshad Ali, Executive Director, HEC, Dr.

G. Ghulam Raza Bhatti, Member Operation and

Planning, HEC, and as many as 35 Vice Chancellors

from across the country, in person and through HEC

video conferencing facility, attended the meeting.

Addressing the meeting, Mr. Ahsan Iqbal

appreciated HEC and academic fraternity for a good

teamwork for the uplift of higher education sector in

the country. “The country’s future lies in knowledge-

based economy,” he observed. He said the

Government believes in turning the country into a

knowledge-based economy by investing in the

higher education sector.

He strongly advised the universities to prepare

quality PC-Is of their projects and submit them in

due timeframe so that they may be approved for

implementation. Serious efforts need to be made to

ensure quality of PC-Is, as compromise on quality of

PC-Is leads to failure in project approval, he

underscored. Expressing concerns about serious

capacity constraints, he stressed the need for

proper project management. In the budget for FY

2018-19, 46 development projects have been

unapproved, he informed. The Minister stressed the

importance of good management for execution of

projects after due approval.

He said the Government approved a total of 130

projects for various regions of the country during

the last five years, adding that the sector has

witnessed a remarkable increase in its development

budget in this period. The sector had only Rs. 12

billion development budget in 2012, while its

development budget has now reached Rs. 47 billion,

he informed. He said the Government launched

Pak-US Knowledge Corridor under which it has

funding, on annual basis, for 1000 scholars to study

in best US universities.

“We need to ensure that the Pakistani scholars avail

the opportunities being offered under this initiative

to study in the best US universities,” he underlined.

He maintained that the Government has launched a

similar programme named UK-Pakistan Knowledge

Gateway which offers Pakistani students to acquire

quality higher education as well as exposure by

studying in the leading UK universities. He also

informed the meeting about the Government’s plan

to initiate Pak-Russian knowledge platform.

He said the Government established FATA

University, University of Gwadar and sub-campuses

of various universities at district level, launched

Technology Development Fund (TDF), set up

National Centre for Excellence in Big Data and Cloud

Computing, and initiated Faculty Development

Programme for 2000 faculty members. The security

of our country depends upon the uplift of higher

education sector, he concluded.

In his closing remarks, Dr. Arshad Ali said HEC is

committed to keeping up with the Government’s

expectations of playing it pivotal role in building the

knowledge-based economy. He thanked the

Minister for his personal interest in the uplift of

higher education sector. He said HEC and the

Planning Commission closely worked for the holistic

development of higher education sector and the

coordination will be kept intact.

HEC holds Meeting to Review Progress on PSDP Projects

Minister Ahsan Iqbal Urges Universities to Ensure Proper Project Management, Fund Utilisation

4

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) held its

quarterly meeting of National Offices of Research,

Innovation and Commercialisation (ORICs) Forum

at its Secretariat.

Dr. Arshad Ali, Executive Director, HEC chaired the

meeting. The meeting focused on two-point

agenda i.e. presenting progress of federal and

provincial ORICs and sharing proposals to bring the

National ORIC Forum in line with Association of

University Technology Managers (AUTM).

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Arshad Ali termed the

progress of regional forums satisfactory and said

that the development will pave the way for building

knowledge-based economy.

He said that all regional ORICs need to identify their

strength and share resources with others to serve

the community. He informed the participants that

Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry

celebrated first week of April as University-Industry

Linkages Week.

He maintained that HEC and its regional centres

along with federal and provincial ORICs will start

celebrating the first week of April as University-

Industry Linkages Week from the next year. He

urged the ORICs to conduct events in relevant

regional Chambers of Commerce to create job

opportunities and to develop entrepreneurial

ventures.

The Executive Director also shared initiation of the

Best ORIC Award, directing the focal universities of

ORIC Forums to prepare and propose evaluation

performa for the next National ORIC Forum

meeting. He assured that HEC will provide Rs. 0.5

million to focal universities of regional ORIC

Forums. This amount, he said, will only be utilised on

ORIC Forums and HEC’s R&D Division will audit and

monitor its utilisation. In the meeting, it was

unanimously decided that quarterly meeting of

National ORIC Forum will be held bi-annually.

Bahria University, Islamabad, Lahore University of

Management Sciences (LUMS), Dow University,

Karachi, Institute of Management Sciences,

Peshawar, Balochistan University of Information

Technology, Engineering and Management

Sciences, Quetta, and Azad Jammu Kashmir

University were selected to represent the Federal

ORIC Forum, Punjab ORIC Forum, Sindh ORIC

Forum, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ORIC Forum,

Balochistan ORIC Forum and AJK ORIC Forum

respectively for a period of two years.

To foster culture of research, innovation and

commercialisation in Pakistan, HEC has established

61 ORICs in various universities across Pakistan.

These offices are mandated to facilitate students

and faculty to boost research and to bridge the

academia-industry gap. In the meeting, all

provincial ORIC Forums presented their progress

since inception of these ORICs.

Quarterly Meeting of National ORIC Forum held at HEC

5

6

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) held a

meeting on Collaboration in Agricultural Research

to discuss prevailing scenario, challenges and future

opportunities in the agricultural universities of the

country and provincial agriculture departments. The

meeting was chaired by Dr. Arshad Ali, Executive

Director, HEC.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Arshad Ali said that

Research and Development (R&D) is one of the core

strategic aims of HEC. Since its establishment in

2002, HEC has initiated, devised and implemented

numerous programmes to cultivate a culture of

quality and relevant research in the higher

education institutions.

He observed that magnitude and quality of research

has been gradually increasing, which has been

widely acknowledged nationally as well as

internationally. “However, this is just a beginning

and we not only have to sustain this trajectory, but

also to contemplate and ensure that R&D activities

constructively impact life of the people of Pakistan

through academic , economic and soc ia l

contributions,” he underlined. He maintained that

HEC has been at the forefront of facilitating higher

education institutions in fostering quality and

relevance of research.

The Executive Director said agriculture is the

backbone of Pakistan’s economy and HEC is

promoting agricultural research activities in the

country’s agricultural universities. He stressed the

need for inter-provincial collaboration to foster the

agricultural research in the country. He maintained

that agriculture research board should also be

established in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan

and Azad Jammu and Kashmir like Punjab and

Sindh. He offered funding to all provincial

agriculture departments through universities in

different projects. He said the world is witnessing a

dramatic change in agriculture, adding that Pakistan

needs to adopt new technologies to cope with the

new challenges in agricultural research and

education.

Moreover, he assured of providing digital library

access to provincial agricultural departments on

fulfilment of legal formalities. He also assured his full

support to formulate and finalise a roadmap for

agricultural research projects.

Dr. Muhammad Latif, Adviser (R&D), HEC, all

provincial Agriculture Secretaries along with a

number of Director Generals and Vice Chancellors of

agriculture universities Mr. Sheikh Shakeel,

Additional Secretary, Government of Sindh, Mr.

Shaukat Ali, Additional Secretary, Government of

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mr. Ahmad Raza Khan,

Secretary Agriculture, Government of Balochistan,

and Mr. Abdul Sattar, Additional Secretary

Agriculture attended the meeting.

Capt. (R) Muhammad Mahmood, Secretary

Agriculture, Government of the Punjab, joined this

meeting though video conference. Dr. Sarwat Naz

Mirza, Vice Chancellor, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid

Agriculture University, Rawalpindi and Dr. Noor P.

Khan, Vice Chancellor, Agriculture University,

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were also present on the

occasion. Vice Chancellors of agriculture universities

also joined this meeting through video conference.

HEC Deliberates on Collaboration in Agricultural Research

7

A Progress Review Meeting of Huawei Authorised

Information and Network Academies (HAINAs)

established in 13 universities in 2017 by the Higher

Education Commission (HEC) and Huawei

Technologies was recently held at Commission

Secretariat. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Arshad

Ali, Executive Director, HEC.

Representatives of different HAINAs delivered

presentations on performance of their respective

Academies through HEC video conferencing facility.

Mr. Abdullah Fayyaz Chattha, Director, Information

Technology Division, HEC, Mr. Naveed Tahir,

Director, Pakistan Education Research Network

(PERN), Mr. Wangxuesong, Vice President Enterprise

Service, Huawei Pakistan, and Ms. Fatima

Sameeullah, Manager Training and Certification,

Huawei Pakistan also attended the meeting.

Dr. Arshad Ali appreciated HAINAs which showed

good performance by opening classes, training

students, holding ICT competitions and organising

other activities assigned to them as well as

contributing to the ICT ecosystem in Pakistan.

However, he expressed serious concerns regarding

the Academies which could not live up to

expectations. He urged HAINAs to improve their

performance in the coming months to make this

project successful.

Dr. Arshad Ali emphasised on strict monitoring of

HAINA operations. He categorically said that

HAINAs which display lack of commitment or

underperforms will be terminated.

Mr. Wangxuesong appreciated efforts of HEC and

the constant guidance, direction and operational

support provided by the executive committee in

nurturing local talent ecosystem in Pakistan.

Earlier, Ms. Fatima Sameeullah introduced the

progress of the establishment of HAINAs at the 13

selected HEIs. She also informed that training of two

batches of instructors under train the trainer

programme has also been concluded successfully

and the HAINA instructors have completed their

Huawei Certified Academy Instructor (HCAI)

certification in 2018.

Representatives of HAINAs at Ghulam Ishaq Khan

Institute of Engineering Science and Technology,

National University of Sciences and Technology

(NUST) School of Electrical Engineering and

Computer Science (SEECS), Balochistan University of

Information Technology, Engineering and

Management Sciences (BUITEMS), Karakorum

International University, University of Engineering

and Technology (UET), Taxila, NED UET, Karachi,

COMSATS Institute of Information Technology,

Islamabad, Mehran University of Engineering and

Technology, Jamshoro, Institute of Business

Administration, Sukkur, University of Haripur, and

UET, Lahore displayed their performance during the

meeting.

The HEC and Huawei Technologies jointly awarded

HAINAs by establishing Huawei HCNA Labs in 13

public sector universities after competitive

evaluation of HAINA proposals from 37 by HEC

Steering Committee last year.

HEC, Huawei Review Performance of HAINA Academies in HEIs

Dr. Tariq Banuri has taken the charge of Chairperson

of the Higher Education Commission (HEC). The

newly appointed Chairperson was welcomed by Dr.

Arshad Ali, Executive Director, HEC, senior

management and employees of HEC.

In his maiden address to HEC employees, Dr. Tariq

Banuri extended his gratitude to Prime Minister and

the selection committee for reposing their

confidence in him for the esteemed position of

HEC head. “The first challenge lying ahead of

me is to live up to this confidence and trust,”

he stated.

He stressed the need for identifying the key

issues facing the sector, setting targets for the

next four years, and brainstorming on how

t h e H E C p r o c e d u r a l deficiencies can

be addressed. “HEC

h a s t o p l a y a

supportive role for

h i g h e r e d u c a t i o n

institutions, faculty and

students at large, as it is a

service organisation meant for

facilitating all the stakeholders,”

he underlined.

The Chairperson emphasised that HEC has to go

beyond numbers towards quality of higher

education and constantly safeguarding the rights of

academia. He said HEC will not be a bottleneck on

the growth of higher education, but it is problem

solving entity that will empower universities and

realise the HEC vision. He said trainings will be held

for HEC employees time to time for their capacity

building so that they may improve their potential

and work smarter. “HEC will invest in its employees

ensuring that every individual sees their potential

growing with the passage of time,” he pledged.

Dr. Arshad Ali welcomed the new Chairperson on

behalf of all HEC employees and assured that all

HEC employees will honestly and dedicatedly make

their contribution to the development of higher

education sector under the leadership of Dr. Tariq

Banuri. He appreciated the Government for making

well-deserved selection and said the higher

education fraternity hails this merit-based

appointment.

Dr. Tariq Banuri, a PhD from Harvard University has

joined HEC as its fourth chairperson. He has an

extensive experience of working in

academia, civil society and national as well

as international organisations.

Dr. Banuri was member of Steering

Committee on Higher Education

Reforms, the body that played

a vital role in inception of

HEC in 2002. He has also

worked as Professor of

Economics at University

of Utah, USA.

The new Chairman holds

PhD degree in Economics.

He did his Bachelors in

Civil Engineering from

University of Peshawar

a n d M a s t e r s i n

Development Economics from Williams College. He

started his career through Civil Services of Pakistan,

however after five years he left to pursue PhD in

Harvard University and joined the United Nations

University World Institute for Development

Economics Research (WIDER), United Nations as a

research fellow.

Dr. Banuri has also served as founding Executive

Director, Sustainable Development Policy Institute

(SDPI), Pakistan. He worked as Coordinating Lead

Author on the Nobel Prize winning Inter-

governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Also, he has been providing free consultative

services to Pakistan government in the area of

climate change.

Dr. Tariq Banuri Assumes Charge as Chairperson HEC

Vows to Execute HEC’s Vision, Serve Academia and Empower Universities

8

The Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan

and Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA)

have agreed to conduct trainings for fresh

computing graduates enabling them to acquire job

opportunities in local and international market.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Arshad Ali,

Executive Director, HEC, Mr. Barkan Saeed,

Chairman, P@SHA, Dr. Ayub Alvi, Chairman,

National Computing Education Accreditation

Council (NCEAC) and Vice Chancellors of different

universities.

The objective of this meeting was to explore

avenues of collaboration among the stakeholders

to enable fresh graduates to learn about new and

emerging tools and technologies. It also aimed at

deliberating on measures to enhance production of

computing professionals in order to meet the local

as well as international demand of experts in new

and emerging tools and technologies. It also

brought under consideration the steps required to

reduce the market gap between available qualified

and skilled human resource and actual required

qualification of human resource.

Talking to the meeting participants, Dr. Arshad Ali

stressed the need for devising a plan of action to

achieve the objectives. He said HEC is committed to

building skills of computing graduates so that they

may cater to the needs of market.

Mr. Barkan informed the meeting that P@SHA is

preparing a list of experts of new and emerging

areas of computing which will be shared with HEC

and other stakeholders. These experts will help

universities, their faculty and graduates to learn

about new tools and technologies.

HEC, Pakistan Software Houses Association to Train Fresh Computing Graduates

The Academics Division, Higher Education

Commission (HEC) recently held 2-day Committee

Meeting for evaluation of research proposals

received under Thematic Research Grants

Programme (TRGP) at HEC Secretariat.

The meeting was chaired by Dr. Arshad Ali,

Executive Director, HEC. While speaking at the

inaugural session of committee meeting, Dr. Arshad

Ali urged need for fostering a quality research

culture which is well aligned with national priorities

and the one which offers a so lut ion to

contemporary issues confronting the Pakistani

society.

Mr. Muhammad Raza Chohan, Director General

Academics Division, HEC, briefed members of the

committee regarding criteria for selection of

proposals and reiterated HEC’s commitment for the

pursuit of quality research.

In concurrence with its strategic priority for the

uplift of social sciences, HEC has earmarked Rs. 200

million for TRGP.

This year more than 250 research proposals were

received from public and private universities across

Pakistan under five social science themes namely:

Economy and Sustainable Development Goals;

Social Sciences, Arts, Humanities and National

Development; The New Dynamics of National and

International Affairs; State and Society of Pakistan:

the Way Forward; Higher Education in Pakistan:

Issues, Challenges and the Way Forward.

Committee Meeting for Evaluation of Research Proposals under TRGP

9

The Institution of Engineers, Pakistan recently

awarded Dr. Arshad Ali, Executive Director, Higher

Education Commission (HEC) with Lifetime

Achievement Award for his academic excellence

and professional achievements.

Prof. Dr. Arshad Ali is a prolific researcher and

academician. He has earned Bachelors of

Engineering degree in Avionics from NED University

of Engineering and Technology, Karachi and MS and

PhD degrees in Electrical Engineering from

University of Pittsburgh, USA.

He has been awarded gold

medal by Pakistan Academy

of Sciences and COMSTECH

for IT research, President’s

gold medal for best NUST

researcher of the year 2005

and “Distinguished Scientist

of the Year 2006” award by

Pa k i s t a n A c a d e m y o f

S c i e n c e s . H e i s a l s o

recipient of President’s

pride of performance in IT

research and Sitara-e-

Imtiaz by Government of

Pakistan.

D r . A r s h a d i n i t i a t e d

research collaboration with

C e n t e r f o r E u r o p e a n

Nuclear Research (CERN),

Switzerland and earned the

Associate Institute status of

CMS-CERN for National University of Sciences &

Technology (NUST).

He has been actively working on various research

projects with Stanford USA, Caltech USA, UWE UK,

and University of South Brittany France. Dr. Arshad

has also served as member of the International

Advisory Board of the "International ICFA Workshop

on HEP Networking, Grids, and Digital Divide Issues

for Global e-Science".

The Institute of Engineers, Pakistan, now the

Institution of Engineers, Pakistan, was founded on

May 7, 1948 under the patronage of Quaid-e-Azam

Muhammad Ali Jinnah at Dacca, the then capital of

East Pakistan. After the

creation of Bangladesh in

1971, its IEP headquarter

was established at Lahore.

The IEP is the largest body

of professional Engineers in

Pakistan and provides a

forum for the professional

development of Engineers

through a wide range of

activities and programmes.

The Institution plays an

important role for the

d i s s e m i n a t i o n o f

knowledge amongst fellow

eng inee r s and i n the

d e v e l o p m e n t o f

engineering and science in

the country.

T h e I E P h a s b i l a t e r a l

relations with 39 professional societies and

institutions abroad. It represents Pakistan in the

World Federation of Engineering Organizations

(WFEO), Federation of Engineering Institutions of

South and Central Asia (FEISCA) as well as

Federation of Engineering Institutions of Islamic

Countries (FEIIC), the Commonwealth Engineers

Council (CEC) UK, American Association for

Advancement of Science (AAAS) and Consortium of

Affiliates for International Programme (CAIP).

Dr. Arshad Ali Honoured withIEP Lifetime Achievement Award

10

As the Planning Commission has recently approved

a project costing more than Rs. 2,781 million, the

Higher Education Commission (HEC), after detailed

consultation with leading IT firms, public and private

sector organisations, would offer trainings to 25,000

youngsters in Information Technology (IT) and

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) related courses.

On the basis of feedback received, HEC identified

following training fields; cyber security, artificial

intelligence, data analytics, cloud computing, ERP,

e-commerce, open Source technologies, business

intelligence and block chain etc.

The objective of the training programme is to

reduce skill gap in market oriented programmes

and to increase the employability of Pakistani

professionals, enabling them to capture local as well

as global job market.

Moreover, the trainings would be offered in reputed

institutes and universities. The candidates for the

trainings would be selected through advertisement

in national press and the trainees may apply against

these advertisements adopting the prescribed

procedure. The selection criteria may include

minimum 16-year of education in the disciplines of

IT or related fields such as Computer Science,

Computer Networks , Te lecom, Computer

Engineering and Software Engineering etc. and the

eligible age limit for candidates will be from 21 to 32

years.

The selection of trainees will be based on the

screening tests to be organised by the partner

training institutes. On successful completion of

course, a certificate would be issued to the student

by the organising institute. After completion of

course, the training organisation will keep track of

the student and would update HEC on the level of

job he would get after completion of the course.

Furthermore, while selecting the candidates, HEC

will follow the federal government quota policy for

various provinces and regions.

HEC to Offer Training to 25,000 Youth in IT and ERP

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) will

establish sub-campus of Government College

University (GCU), Faisalabad in Chiniot, as the

Planning Commission has approved the project

worth Rs. 1676.561 million.

The Government of the Punjab has allocated 100

kanals and 16 marlas of state land situated at

Chiniot-Sahianwala Road for establishment of the

sub-campus.

The university will offer undergraduate academic

programmes in English Literature, Economics,

Applied Psychology, Sociology, Mathematics,

Computer Science, Business Administration,

Physics, Chemistry and Biosciences in the first

phase, while in the next phase, the post-graduate

programmes will be offered after development of

facilities at the sub-campus. The sub-campus will

faci l itate students of district Chiniot and

neighbouring areas such as Hafizabad, Pindi

Bhattian, Bhowana, Lalian, Silanwali, Amin Pur, Salar

Wala and Chak Jhumra.

The development project includes construction of

300,000 sq. ft. area for two academic blocks, an

administration block, an auditorium, two student

hostels, staff and 16 faculty residences, laboratories,

staff rooms, a library and a sports complex.

The campus will consist of one of the unique

features of 100 KW solar system power supply on

each academic block and a 35 KW hybrid solar

power supply for each students’ hostel for provision

of uninterrupted power supply for academic and

research facilities.

HEC to Establish GCU Faisalabad Sub-Campus in Chiniot

11

Mr. Volodymyr LAKOMOV, Ambassador of Ukraine

to Pakistan vis ited the Higher Education

Commission (HEC) and met Dr. Arshad Ali, Executive

Director, HEC at the Commission Secretariat. Issues

pertaining to collaboration in higher education

sector were discussed in the meeting.

Talking to the ambassador, Dr. Arshad Ali stressed

the need for collaborative efforts and joint research

initiatives between Pakistan and Ukraine. He said

HEC accords high importance to collaboration with

foreign countries in order to mutually share

academic experiences.

Briefly highlighting the functions of HEC, he said the

Commission is committed to promoting higher

education and research culture in the country. HEC

is actively playing its role in turning the country into

a knowledge-based economy, he added. The

ambassador appreciated HEC for its role in

promotion of higher education in Pakistan and its

struggles to strengthen international relations

through academic collaboration.

During the meeting, matters relating to upcoming

visit of a two-member delegation from Ukraine as

well as the modalities of a Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) likely to be signed between

Kyiv National Linguistic University, Ukraine and

National University of Modern Languages (NUML),

Islamabad for a collaborative project on linguistic,

cultural and scientific cooperation were discussed.

Under the MoU, the two sides will enhance bilateral

cooperation in humanitarian sphere and will

establish communication channels allowing

exchange of linguistic, cultural and scientific

knowledge. This will promote teaching and research

in the fields of bilateral interest in addition to

provision of mobility for teachers and researchers

between the two institutions. Also, specific areas

wherein collaboration can be mutually beneficial

will be identified.

Ambassador of Ukraine Visits Higher Education Commission

Under USAID-funded Merit and Needs-Based

Scholarship Programme, team of Capacity Building

and Alumni Affairs organises different trainings and

workshops for the enrolled students, alumni as well

as for staff of Financial Aid Offices (FAOs) at 30

partner universities.

Since 2014, total 2160 students and 320 staff

members have been trained through capacity

building programmes. During last 6 months, ten

different trainings have been organised including

Talent Grooming and Career Counselling for

students and IT Skills Development for staff of FAOs

of partner universities.

Overall 517 students including 267 males and 250

females from partner universities attended these

trainings.

In Talent Grooming Workshops, major areas of focus

were communication skills, presentation skills,

personality development, research methodology,

compilation of research report, emotional

intelligence and empathy.

In Career Counselling Workshops, the emphasis was

on sessions of CV writing skills, interview skills, job

search strategies, decision making skills, personal

branding and entrepreneurship skills.

Achievements under USAID MNBSP Talent Grooming and Career Counselling Workshops

12

The Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan

has called researchers and academicians to submit

their proposals under third call for proposals for

Technology Development Fund (TDF) by August 30,

2018.

The TDF is a five year Public Sector Development

Programme (PSDP) approved project of Rs. 2,095

million to support joint proposals of academia and

industry to ensure prototype/product development

and its commercialisation.

Against second call for proposals, 276 proposals

were received, out of which 91 proposals were

approved in 25 different industrial sectors including

agriculture engineering, IT, nanotechnology,

industries symbiosis, renewable energy, mining,

and applied engineering sciences whereas against

first call for proposals in FY 2016-17, 35 out of 116

r e c e i v e d p r o p o s a l s w e r e a p p r o v e d i n

correspondence to 16 different industrial sectors.

TDF is one of the flagship projects of HEC towards

accomplishment of Vision 2025 of Government of

Pakistan with an aim of industrial development

through technology transfer from academia to

industry to build knowledge-based economy.

Under the project, tier 2 research of academicians

will be supported financially with Rs. 14 million for

commercialisation of products, patent filing,

p ro to type deve lopment , i n i t i a l p roduct

development, marketing and licensing of new

products.

Since its inception, TDF is playing a vital role in

promotion of academia-industry linkages and

mobilisation of local industries to team up with

academicians to pitch their joint proposals for

commercialisation.

Moreover, TDF has won trust of renowned

industries including Sazgar engineering, Engro,

Fauji Group of Companies, Shezan, Metro-Habib

Cash & Carry, Shafi Reso Chemical, TCS, Qarshi

Industries, Muree Brewery, Starco Fans, Saffron,

Pioneer Cement, Seasons Foods, Shama Ghee,

SUZU and Shakarganj etc.

These industries and many others have joined

hands with academicians to transfer technology, to

create employment and to generate revenue

through innovation which is a success on account of

HEC and TDF. Further details can be viewed at:

www.hec.gov.pk/site/tdf

Building Industry-Academia Linkages

HEC Invites Researchers for Proposals under TDF

The Academics Division, Higher Education

Commission (HEC) recently completed its series of

seven 2-day training workshops for building

research capacity of faculty from Public and Private

sector universities all across Pakistan.

The research workshops were focused on building

academic writing and qualitative research skills by

using NVIVO. The aim of these workshops were to

provide knowledge prerequisite for writing research

papers effectively which includes offering guidance

to publish papers in peer reviewed impact factor

research journals and to proficiently use NVIVO.

The workshop sessions were conducted by Dr.

Cusrow. J. Dubash, Pro-Rector, FC College, Lahore

and Dr. Muhammad Shakeel Ahmed, Assistant

Professor , COMSATS, Attock campus, Dr .

Muhammad Arif Saleem, Assistant professor,

International Islamic University, Islamabad and Dr.

Nadeem Dogar, Assistant Professor, University of

Central Punjab, Lahore.

Series of Training Workshops for Building Academic Writing Skills

13

The Higher Education Commission (HEC), Learning

Innovation (LI) Division has recently conducted a

two-day National Forum on Teacher Education in

collaboration with National Accreditation Council

for Teacher Education (NACTE).

Dr. Riaz-ul-Haq Tariq, Chairperson, NACTE graced

the occasion as chief guest. As many as 35

participants including Deans, Directors and

Chairpersons of public and private sector teacher

education departments attended the forum apart

from HEC and provincial school education

authorities. The purpose of this forum was to

address prevailing issues of teacher education

focusing on how to prepare quality teachers,

conduct ideal weightage of content.

The forum brought under consideration two

prevailing issues including varying employment

policies and practices across provinces and the

models and pathways of teacher preparation. It

observed that the question of teacher preparation

in Pakistan is jeopardised at the grass root level by

allowing any individual to become a teacher with

the lowest level and quality of academic preparation

and zero professional preparation.

“Even the policy book regarding appointment in

public schools is set aside to appoint untrained

teachers claiming some short-term post-induction

training as sufficient to become a teacher,” speakers

at the forum underlined. They maintained that the

said two issues lead to the third most important

issue i.e. quality assurance of teacher education

programmes.

They expressed serious concern about the induction

of untrained and non-professional teachers and

stopping pre-service in Government Colleges for

Elementary Teacher (GCETs) and Regional Institutes

of Teacher Education (RITEs) by the provincial

education departments. The forum stressed the

need for consensus among provincial educational

au thor i t i e s and exper t s w i th rega rd to

establishment of pre-service teacher education and

training mechanism.

The closing ceremony was chaired by Dr.

Mehmood-ul-Hassan Butt, Consultant, HEC. Dr.

Riaz-ul-Haq Tariq, Chairperson NACTE, Dr. Irshad

Farrukh, Sectary, NACTE and Mr. Fida Hussain,

Director General, LI, HEC were also present on the

occasion.

HEC, NACTE hold National Forum on Teacher Education

14

Mr. Marc Baréty, Ambassador of France to Pakistan

called on Dr. Tariq Banuri, Chairman, Higher

Education Commission (HEC) at the Commission

Secretariat to discuss the celebration of Pakistan

Week in France. Dr. Arshad Ali, Executive Director,

HEC, also attended the meeting.

Mr. Marc Baréty reiterated his resolve to build long

term relationship with HEC for development of

higher education sector. He extended invitation to

Chairman HEC to visit France to attend Pakistan

Week starting from June 18, 2018.

He express his desire to organise an International

Archaeological Conference with collaboration of

HEC in 2019-20 .

Dr. Banuri said that all-out efforts will be made to

have fruitful collaboration between both the

countries in the higher education sector.

In the meeting, it was agreed to jointly work on

areas of common interest like climate change, Social

Sciences and Human Sciences. It was further

recommended that during the Pakistan Week in

France, official visits of educationists would be

planned for better understanding of quality process

and procedures being practices in France. HEC,

French Embassy and Campus France have been

celebrating Pakistan Week and French Week in

France and Pakistan respectively for the last three

years to build institutional academic collaboration

among both countries.

French Ambassador Calls on Chairman HEC

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) and Pink rdRibbon recently held the 3 Annual Youth Awards

ceremony to announce the award winners under the

PINKtober Youth Awareness Programme 2017. The

awards for PINKtober Youth Awareness Programme

are a sign of recognition to all the universities which

have shown their best performance in creating

awareness about the hazards of breast cancer.

Mrs. Shaheen Khan, Adviser, Learning Innovation

(LI) Division, HEC was chief guest of the ceremony,

while Mr. Fida Hussain, Director General, LI, HEC, Mr.

Omer Aftab, CEO, Pink Ribbon and other notables

attended the event.

stFatima Jinnah Dental College Karachi secured 1

position in the category of universities, followed by

Kinnaird College for Women University, Lahore and nd rdthe University of Lahore with 2 and 3 positions

respectively. Government Postgraduate College for stWomen, Satellite Town, Rawalpindi secured 1

position, while College for women DG Khan ndclinched 2 position and Government Postgraduate

rdCollege for Women, Shad Bagh, got 3 position in

the category of colleges.

In his message on this occasion, Dr. Arshad Ali said

HEC hopes that this programme will keep benefiting

the society by saving thousands of lives. He

underlined that HEC will continue to serve as a

bridge between Pink Ribbon and higher education

institutions to increase awareness about breast

cancer among the youth of Pakistan.

Addressing the ceremony, Mrs. Shaheen Khan

admired the efforts of HEC and Pink Ribbon for

creating awareness among the youth of Pakistan.

She urged women to never ignore breast cancer

symptoms and approach healthcare facilities as

soon as possible. She said the HEC-Pink Ribbon

efforts have helped sensitise the masses about the

significance of early diagnosis of the disease.

In his opening remarks earlier, Mr. Omer Aftab

appreciated the support of HEC in reaching out to

hundreds of universities across the country to

create awareness about breast cancer. “The

incidence of breast cancer is increasing in young

girls of Pakistan and awareness is the only key to

survival,” he asserted, adding that, “we need to

prepare our generation to be health- conscious so

they can have a better future.” He said Pink Ribbon

has successfully started the construction of

Pakistan’s first dedicated breast cancer hospital.

The construction is expected to be completed

within two years, he informed. He said owing to the

joint efforts of HEC, one million youth have been

reached so far to create awareness about breast

cancer among them.

Creating Awareness about Breast Cancer

HEC, Pink Ribbon Announce Winners of PINKtober Youth Awareness Programme 2017

15

The Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan

recently organised a consultative meeting of the

working group of 15 universities to deliberate on UI

GreenMetric World University Ranking on the World

Environment Day 2018 to introduce the concept of

Green Campus in Pakistani universities.

The consultative meeting was held to draw

attention of the higher education institutions of the

country to look and self-assess their policies and

direction in relation with efforts to combat global

climate change. The initiative of Universitas

Indonesia (UI) for ranking of universities across the

world was highly appreciated and the need to

maximise the participation of Pakistani universities

in the upcoming rankings was realised. It was

agreed that a National Workshop will be organised

on July 9th, 2018 in collaboration with UI

GreenMetic World University Ranking and all the

universities of Pakistan will be invited to participate.

Dr. Arshad Ali, Executive Director, HEC chaired the

workshop, while Dr. G. Raza Bhatti, Member,

Operations and Planning, HEC, Dr. Manzoor

Soomro, President, Economic Cooperation

Organisation Science Foundation (ECOSF) and

other senior HEC officers were also present.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Arshad Ali

appreciated the concept of Universitas Indonesia

with a focus of sustainability at campuses. He

stressed the need for adopting the concept in

Pakistani higher education institutions. He said HEC

will set up Green Office, the main coordinating unit

that will coordinate with the higher education

institutions of Pakistan. He maintained that the

concept may help sort out solution to water crisis

prevailing in Pakistan and other climate change

challenges.

In his remarks, Dr. G. Raza Bhatti highlighted the

significance of the theme of World Environment Day

2018 i.e., “Beat the Plastic Pollution”. He said the

hazards of plastic use in daily life need to be

disseminated so that the young generation may not

only refuse the use of plastics, but can also influence

their families to stop the use of plastic for safer and

healthier living beings on the planet.

At initial level in Pakistan, a working group of 15

universities was constituted from all over Pakistan

and nominations were received for representation

of respective institutions.

Sustainability at universities and greening the campuses

HEC Deliberates on Implementation of Green Campus Framework in Pakistani Universities

Dr. Ian Willis, Educational Development (EdD) on

Internationalisation Research, University of

Liverpool and Prof. Arif Khawaja, Programme

Director, International Centre of Innovation and

Learning and Teaching, Global Institute of Human

Development (GIHD) recently held a meeting with

Dr. Arshad Ali, Executive Director, Higher Education

Commission (HEC), Pakistan and senior HEC

management at the Commission Secretariat.

The meeting brought under consideration the need

for developing a framework for raising standards of

HEC Deliberates on Raising Standards of Teaching in HEIs

16

teaching with an aim to enhance quality standards

in all universities.

It also deliberated on how to advance national plans

regarding improvement in standard through

educational technologies and frameworks. Future

plans including development of international

certification in university education, training

educational technologists, and integration of

project plans were also discussed in the meeting.

The meet ing observed that educat iona l

technologists must bridge the space between ICT

specialists and teaching staff. They must be familiar

with basic educational or learning theory and

practical technological tools to help learning. They

must have good knowledge of higher education

sector. The meeting participants also underlined the

need for building digital capability among faculty

members so that technology enhanced learning

may become a core teaching skill.

The meeting participants emphasised encouraging

institutional change by formulating policies and

strategies for standards in learning and teaching,

evolving specific action on Technology Enhanced

Learning, taking action on standardised evaluation

systems, and conducting research in learning and

teaching practices.

Prime Minister’s Laptop Scheme is one of the

flagship schemes of Prime Minister's Youth

Programme including Prime Minister's Interest Free

Loan Scheme, Prime Minister's Youth Business

Loans, Prime Minister's Youth Training Scheme,

Prime Minister's Youth Skills Development Scheme,

and Prime Minister's Fee Reimbursement Scheme

for Students from Less Developed Areas. The main

objective of these schemes is to enhance scope of

research and quality education in the country and to

increase access to information technology.

Prime Minister’s Laptop Scheme has now entered in

its Phase-IV & V in which a total of 200,000 laptops

would be distributed whereas 48,000 laptops have

already been delivered to more than 100

universities and colleges.

In Phase IV & V, up till now 2,973 laptops have been

distributed among students in Sindh, 2,333 in

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 452 in Balochistan, 3,708 in

Punjab, 4,160 in Federal Capital and 166 in Azad

Jammu Kashmir.

HEC, Coursera International Signs Agreement

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) recently

signed an agreement with Coursera International to

procure 8000 single courses. These 8000 courses

will be provided to all the recipients of Prime

Minister’s Laptop Scheme on First Come First

Served (FCFS) basis.

The objective of the project is to provide an

opportunity to the students to secure certifications

from world’s renowned universities which will

enhance their learning capabilities and skills for

professional career.

HEC, Microsof t Offer Microsof t Office

Specialisation

Under Prime Minister Laptops Scheme, HEC in

collaboration with Microsoft is providing university

students an opportunity to become Microsoft

Office Specialists. HEC would distribute 400,000 free

vouchers among Prime Minister’s Laptop Scheme

recipients to appear in tests which will be conducted

in more than 100 universities all over Pakistan.

Laptops Distribution Kicks Off under PM Laptop Scheme Phase IV & V

17

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) in

collaboration with University of Engineering &

Technology, Lahore (UET) and Lahore College for

Women University (LCWU), organised 2-day All

Pa k i s t a n I n t e r - Va r s i t i e s Wo m e n K a r a t e

Championship at UET Lahore. Nine teams

participated in the championship and final match

was played in between teams of the University of

Lahore and University of the Punjab. The University

of Lahore won the All Pakistan Inter-Varsities Girls

Karate Championship 2017-18. Dr. Zulfiqar Ali,

Convener Sports Committee, UET Lahore

distributed medals and trophies among the winning

team and runner-up.

thMoreover, University of Central Punjab won 36 All

Pakistan Inter-varsity Water Polo Championship

2017-18 beating University of Engineering and

Technology, Lahore. Dr. Zulfiqar Ali, Chief Guest

Convener Sports Committee distributed the cash

prizes and trophies among the winners and runner-

ups.

Similarly, All Pakistan Inter- Varsities Women

Football Championship 2017-18 was held at UET

Lahore in which Syed Raza Ali Gillani, Provincial

Minister for Higher Education and Dr. Fazal Ahmed

Khalid, Vice-Chancellor inaugurated the opening

ceremony. In the Championship 14 teams

participated.

University of the Punjab, Lahore won All Pakistan

Inter-Varsities Women Football Championship

2017-18 beating Lahore College for Women

University. Ms. Humaira Mughal, Director Sports

Lahore College for Women University and President

Veteran Football Association distributed cash

prizes, medals and trophies among the winners and

Runner up teams.

HEC organises All Pakistan Inter-Varsities Sports Competitions

The Academics Division, Higher Education

Commission (HEC) recently organised a series of 2-

day training workshops for editors of HEC

recognised social science research journals at its

regional centres.

stThe 1 workshop of the series was held at Lahore nd rdwhile 2 workshop was held at Karachi, 3 workshop

that Quetta, 4 workshop at Peshawar and last

workshop of the series was held at Islamabad.

The resource persons included Dr. Hafeez Ur

Rehman, ex-Chairman Economics Department,

University of the Punjab, Lahore and Dr. Athar Azim,

Dean Business Management department ,

University of Central Punjab, Lahore.

The workshops aimed at enhancing quality of

research journals while making editing process

more contemporary, at par with international

standards. In this connection the workshop

i m p a r t e d t r a i n i n g o n m o d e r n r e s e a r c h

methodologies in editing, emerging trends in

editing and code of ethics for editors. A particular

aspect of the training was to apprise the editors

regarding recent notification issued by HEC

pertaining to journal recognition, up-gradation and

funding.

The workshop also provided viable solutions to the

issues and chal lenges confronted by the

participants relating to indexing, abstracting, peer-

reviewing and publication of their journals.

HEC Organises Workshop for Editors of Social Science Research Journals

18

The HEC Web TV recently broadcast a live session on

Entrepreneurship in collaboration with Virtual

University, Lahore and Riphah International

University, Islamabad.

In the live session, Mr. Tahir Mehmood Chaudhary,

CEO, Pakistan Institute of Entrepreneurship,

Consultant, National Computing Education and

Accreditation Council (NCEAC) and Mr. Barkan

Saeed, Chairman, Pakistan Software Board

Association (P@SHA) were invited along with

students of various universities.

D u r i n g t h e s e s s i o n , g u e s t s i n t r o d u c e d

entrepreneurship and discussed different aspects of

entrepreneurship. The guests urged to create

awareness among students and faculty about

entrepreneurship to minimise gap in between

Academia and Industry.

The queries from students and Twitter users were

also entertained. The students were of the view that

the live session paved new way of exploring ideas of

entrepreneurship for them.

In another l ive session, the HEC Web TV

broadcasted a talk show on Prime Minister’s laptop

Scheme.

Ms. Romina Khurshid Alam Member National

Assembly and Chief Coordinator for Prime Minister

Youth Programme and Mr. Syed Fauad Haider

Naqvi, Programme Manager were invited.

Ms. Romina Khurshid Alam gave an introduction on

Prime Minister Youth Programme. She said that

Prime Minister Youth Programme not only aims to

provide the Laptops to the youth but also to enrich

the youth with modern technology tools.

HEC Web TV holds Live Sessions on Entrepreneurship & Prime Minister ’s Laptop Scheme

Dr. Syed Abdul Ghaffar Bukhari, Associate

Professor, Department of Islamic Studies, National

University of Modern Languages recently

presented his research paper on The Role of

Mosques in Human Development during an

International Religious Conference 2018 entitled

Sacred Sites/Sacred Stories in Global Perspectives

organised by Australian National University, (ANU)

Canberra, Australia under the travel grant scheme

of the Higher Education Commission (HEC).

.

In his research paper, Dr. Syed Abdul Ghaffar

focused on the role of mosques as Islamic

institution in enhancing welfare of the Muslims,

minimising discriminations and providing

opportunity to bring harmony, brotherhood and

tolerance among the universal religions.

He emphasised on significance of the mosques as a

platform for the guidance of the Muslims in all

aspects of life.

He also uncovered role and importance of

mosques as bridge of harmony, cooperation and

mutual understanding among various religions

and schools of thoughts.

The researcher also proposed framework to

enhance capacity of mosques in order to bring

positive changes in the society.

International Religious Conference 2018

Scholar Presents Research Paper at ANU

19

The Quality Enhancement Cell of Ziauddin

University recently hosted a Symposium on

Managing Quality of Assessment in HEIs. The

purpose of hosting the symposium was to share

best practices in field of students’ assessment, to

highlight problems and issues that universities face

in managing quality in examinations and to discuss

solutions and make recommendations to the HEC.

The representatives from twelve public and private

sector universities attended the symposium.

Dr. Arshia Samin Naqvi , Director Qual ity

Enhancement Cell, Ziauddin University in her

welcome address said that we know that accrediting

bodies provide us with the minimum requirements

for assessment of students but i t is our

responsibility as seats of higher education in

Pakistan, to take deliberate steps to improve the

quality of our exams.

Dr. Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui, Vice Chancellor,

Ziauddin University said that nowadays, every

university has its own Quality Enhancement Cell and

these Cells are working enthusiastically for quality

higher education. He informed that teaching

methodologies are always important and we should

work on this aspect as well. We should increase

interactive teaching methodologies and bring some

new teaching techniques in higher educational

institutions, he added.

Major issues which were identified by the

participants during the discussion were regarding

credit transfer system of students from one

institution to another, different grading systems for

different disciplines as per the requirement of the

respective accrediting bodies and unavailability of

semester system in most of medical programmes

which becomes a problem when students send their

transcripts showing no credit hours or CGPA, for

attestation purposes.

At the end of Symposium it was unanimously

recommended that all accrediting bodies need to

collaborate with Higher Education Commission

regarding grading system and semester system.

Ziauddin University hosts Symposium on Managing Quality of Assessment in HEIs

20

The University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (UAF) and

Federal University of Lavras, Brazil recently inked a

memorandum of understanding to develop

cooperation in education, scientific research and

related fields of common interest.

The MoU was signed in between Dr. Muhammad

Iqbal Zafar, Vice Chancellor, UAF and Prof. Gustavo

H. Denzin Tonoli, Faculty Member of Brazilian

University. It was agreed upon in the agreement that

both sides will exchange undergraduate and

UAF Inks MoU with Federal University of Lavras, Brazil

graduates students, scientific information,

academic materials and publications. It was decided

that both partners will also exchange faculty

members for short and long term, collaborate

researches, educational programmes and arrange

in te rnat iona l seminars , workshops , and

conferences. Research areas of cooperation in value

addit ion, b iofuel , energy, agr i-res iduals ,

malnutrition, nano-technology and vaccination

production for different diseases in veterinary

sciences were also discussed.

National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS)

recently celebrated International Nurses Day at

NUMS Secretariat, Rawalpindi to acknowledge and

appreciate role of nurses in delivering quality

healthcare services and their tireless commitment

to the patients’ recovery.

In her welcome note, Dr. Raffat Jan, Dean of Nursing,

NUMS recalled purpose of celebrating International

Nurses Day every year all around the world, and

shared that importance of contributions made by

nurses in healthcare delivery system cannot be

denied. The theme of the day, A voice to lead -

Health is a Human Right was enunciated and Dr.

Raffat Jan maintained that we should realise

importance of nurses to promote healthcare,

prevent illness and achieve optimal recovery.

Lt. Gen. Syed Muhammad Imran Majeed, Vice

Chancellor NUMS, appreciated efforts of nurses in

complete patient care and emphasised importance

and need for continuous education for nurses.

Society should provide due place and honour to the

nurses, he concluded.

NUMS Celebrates International Nurses Day

The Office o f Research , Innovat ion and

Commercialisation (ORIC), National University of

Medical Science (NUMS) invited Prof. Dr. Joachim

W. Herzig, Johannes Gutenberg University,

Germany to share his expertise on Biologics and

Biosimilars and Biologic Drugs.

Dr. Joachim W. Herzig explained the phenomena of

Biologics, Biosimilars, and Biologic Drugs. Dr. Herzig

also discussed presumed complexit ies in

manufacturing Biologics. He stressed that Biologic

medicines cannot be duplicated since they are

highly complex molecules. He also provided a

glimpse of revolution that Biologics could introduce

into healthcare and treatment of diseases, disorders

and conditions.

He maintained that Biosimilars are similar to

reference biologic product but not exactly the same.

Legislations and patient safety regulations

pertaining use, test and prescription of Biosimilars

and Biologics were also discussed during his talk.

Technicalities, legal complications, administrative

procedures of producing Biologics, Biosimilars and

Biobetters, specifically in the context of Pakistan

were also explored. The speaker argued that mass

production of Biologic drugs will result in reduced

price of the product for the end user. Proposition of

substituting Biologics with Biosimilars was also

highlighted.

During the session, current research proceedings in

Biologics and Biosimilars in the context of Pakistan

were also discussed. Dr. Herzig also discussed

bioequivalence, absolute and relative bioavailability

in his talk. He explained these topics through use of

cases, graphs and numerical data. The criteria,

guidelines and legal formalities of Food and Drug

Administration (FDA) of USA and European

Medicine Agency (EMA) regarding bioequivalence

testing were also delineated in the end.

Scholar Speaks on Biologics, Biosimilars & Biologic Drugs

21

The ground breaking ceremony of Centre for

Mathematical Sciences (CMS) was recently held in

Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied

Sciences (PIEAS).

Mr. Ahsan Iqbal, Federal Minister for Interior graced

the ceremony as chief guest whereas Prof. Dr.

Arshad Ali, Executive Director, HEC and Mr.

Muhammad Naeem, Chairman, Pakistan Atomic

Energy Commission (PAEC) were also present.

In his address, the Minister said that knowledge,

technological base and stability are pillars for the

progress of nation. He hoped that the Centre would

be completed within the 18 months and would start

providing positive synergy required to beat

gravitational forces hindering the progress of the

country. He maintained that the need of hour is to

promote inquisit iveness and curiosity for

knowledge among students.

Dr. Nasir Majid Mirza, Rector, PIEAS, in his welcome

speech, elaborated strategy for encouraging

students to collaborate with researchers within the

campus and beyond for building strong ties with

industry, which is the main idea behind the

formation of CMS.

The CMS includes establ ishment of high

performance computing facility which will enable

scientists and engineers from all over Pakistan to

carry out high quality research.

Ground Breaking Ceremony of Centre for Mathematical Sciences at PIEAS

The Institute of Space Technology (IST) recently thorganised 11 IST Youth Carnival, featured 70

competitions and activities with participation of

1500 students of 40 universities.

Mr. Muhammad Jalil Aali, poet, educationist and

sociologist graced the occasion as chief guest.

While speaking on the occasion, he said that co-

curricular activities in educational institutions are

very important for youngsters as these activities

help them develop an understanding of human

nature, how to lead, the dynamics of working in a

team, motivating people and getting maximum

output from them. He emphasised on importance

of role models and how the virtues of fairness,

politeness, integrity and honesty help in achieving

high standards in professional life.

Dr. Najam Abbas, Head of Department of Student

Affairs, IST, stressed on the importance of co-

curricular activities in building students’ personality

and shaping them up into responsible citizens.

A prize distribution ceremony was also organised to

acknowledge winners of different competitions

during the Carnival.

Youth Carnival at IST

22

The Centre of Professional Excellence (CoPE), NED

Academy, NED University of Engineering and

Technology in collaboration with Sindh Public

Procurement Regulatory Authority (SPPRA)

conducted five-day intensive training of second

batch of over 30 participants of public and private

sector organisations on Certified Procurement

Management Professional.

The objectives of the training were to acquaint

participants about public procurement regulations

and procedures as governed by SPPRA; to develop

adequate skills and exposure to be able to execute

procurement management process for obtaining

desirable performance results for works, services

and goods; to allow participants to be able to

identify and develop key procurement skills that can

be applied in workplace on daily basis; to enable

participants to understand and successfully apply

procurement cycle from need assessment to

contract management; to develop a comprehensive

understanding of the role of procurement

m a n a g e m e n t p r o f e s s i o n a l s t h r o u g h o u t

procurement life cycle with focus on performance

while adhering to rules; to facilitate understanding

of key challenges in the procurement life cycle and

how to overcome these while following rules; to

expose participants to the best procurement

management practices around the globe and how

to adapt those within our work environments.

NED Academy, SPPRA Conducts Certified Procurement Management Professional Training

Dr. Anjum Rehman, Principal, Shaheed Mohtarma

Benazir Bhutto Medical College, Lyari Karachi along

with Dr. Sahar Fatima, renowned gynecologist and

her team successfully performed first gynecologic

laparoscopic surgery at Lyari General Hospital. The

surgery was first of its kind to remove a huge ovarian

cyst from uterus of a female patient in conjunction

with a 2-day laparoscopic workshop held at Lyari

General Hospital, Karachi.

While sharing her views on the occasion, Dr. Anjum

Rehman informed that laparoscopy is an alternative

to open surgery. She informed that endometrial or

uterine cancer is one of the most common cancers

in women in Pakistan, adding that removal of such a

large cyst through laparoscopy is one of its kind in

Pakistan.

First Gynecologic Laparoscopic Surgery at Lyari General Hospital

The Bacha Khan University, Charsadda recently

arranged a seminar entitled United against

Corruption for Prosperous Pakistan. The seminar

was jointly chaired by Dr. S.M. Saqlan Naqvi, Vice

Chancellor and Mr. Muntazir Khan, Deputy

Commissioner Charsadda. Main Muhammad

Waqar, Additional Director, National Accountability

Bureau (NAB), KPK was also present on the occasion.

The speakers highlighted importance of issue of

corruption, its impact on society and the role of

students and faculty in its prevention of corruption.

The speakers also provided presentation on various

aspects of corruption, its motives and reasons in the

society. During the seminar, achievements of NAB in

minimising corruption in society were also

discussed.

Awareness Campaign against Corruption

23

In order to address the issues of climate change and

possible impact on our resources, Office of

Research, Innovation and Commercialisation

(ORIC), Bacha Khan University, Charsadda

organised one-day capacity building training

workshop in collaboration with Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA), Forestry, Environment and

Wildlife Department, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa.

The officials from the EPA delivered lectures on

various aspects of climate change and their possible

impact on the environment of the country with

special emphasis on agriculture and other natural

resources. They also suggested a number of

technical interventions for minimising the adverse

effects of the climate change.

One Day Capacity Building Training Workshop on Climate Change

The Office o f Research , Innovat ion and

Commercialisation (ORIC), Bacha Khan University,

Charsadda and Emergency Rescue Services,

Peshawar, arranged one-day training workshop for

creating awareness about the emergency rescue

services.

During the workshop, Rescue 1122 service, medical

first aid in case of emergency and fire safety

measures were discussed.

The instructors briefed the participants and

highlighted the role of civil society in minimising

casualties in case of various incidents. They stressed

that participants should play their role for increased

cooperation.

Bacha Khan University Holds Workshop on Emergency Rescue Services

The Nat ional Defence Univers i ty , (NDU)

Department of Leadership and Management

studies recently organised national seminar on

leadership.

Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Ex-Chairman HEC was chief

guest of inauguration ceremony whereas guest

speakers were Dr. Muhammad Zia-ur-Rehman,

Assistant Professor, NDU, Mr. Yasir Masood Afaq,

CEO, Mymacom and Mr. Abid Iqbal Khari, President,

Positive Pakistan.

The speakers urged leaders to acquire technical

knowledge to bring about change and leaders

should involve their fellows in generating,

managing, organising and monitoring the process

of change. They maintained that leaders are desired

to take active part in enhancing appropriate cultural

and social context for the institution and to serve as

mediator in the process of change.

National Seminar on Leadership at NDU

24

Dr. Muhammad Naveed, Associate Professor,

Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and

Technology (SZABIST), Islamabad was recently thawarded with Research Medal during 6 Asia Pacific

Conference on Advanced Research (APCAR) held in

Melbourne, Australia. He received this award in

recognition of his research work on Customized

Corporate Investment Modeling: A Nested Testing

Analysis of Pakistan and US Non-Financial Sectors.

The strands of research work will provide

implications to US and Pakistani Non-Financial

Sectors to develop optimum corporate investment

models customised according to distinctive

importance of sectors in line with different

economic conditions.

In the conference, research experts, academicians

and industrialists from 44 countries exchanged their

v iews and showed the i r commitment to

establishing knowledge partners in line with

research and exchange policies, strategic research

collaborations and organising international

conferences.

Scholar Wins Research Medal in th

6 Asia Pacific Moot

Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi recently

organised an awareness seminar entit led

Adolescent Health and Life Skill Based Education.

Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho, Chairperson, Coasted

Implementation Plan for Family Planning 2020

talked about importance of family planning for

improving the development indicators of Pakistan,

improving women and children health and

reducing maternal and child mortality.

She advised medical students to not just counsel

the patients about family planning and plan

parenthood but also inform them to take care of

their own lives. She said that education is the only

Youth Seminar on Adolescent Health & Life Based Education

way to empower women and to raise their status in

society.

Dr . Sadia Pal , Vice President , Society of

Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Pakistan talked

about population overload in Pakistan. She said that

we need to promote family planning, counselling

and services to improve health of women and

children.

Dr. Nusrat Shah, General Secretary, Society of

Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Pakistan said

that 60 per cent of Pakistan’s population is

adolescent and youth and this segment is weak and

vulnerable due to lack of information.

25

Dr. Sajid Iqbal, Assistant Professor, Department of

Mechatronics & Control Engineering, University of

Engineering and Technology (UET), Lahore has won

Young Investigators Award at 2018 Sage Assembly:

Algorithms and the Role of the Individual in Seattle,

Washington by Sage Bionetworks.

The award is given to young investigators and early

career researchers who make an impact in their

respective fields. Dr. Sajid Iqbal was the only

Pakistani researcher amongst the 19 international

young investigators chosen for the award.

Dr. Sajid Iqbal went to China under HEC project

entitled HRD Initiative-MS leading to PhD

Programme of Faculty Development of USTEPs and

earned h is PhD degree in Mechatronics

Engineering from Harbin Institute of Technology

(HIT), China.

He is also a member of the Institution of Electrical

and Electronics Engineers Pakistan (IEEEP),

Institution of Engineers Pakistan (IEP), Pakistan

Engineering Council (PEC), and Pakistan Association

for Advancement of Science (PAAS).

S U C C E S S S T O R Y

Young Investigators Award at 2018 Sage Assembly

The Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology,

University of the Punjab, Lahore has won two

technology awards along with three poster awards that 7 invention to innovation summit held at

University of the Punjab, Lahore Pakistan on two

innovative projects on transgenic cotton and edible

vaccines.

The poster awards were granted to Ms. Sana

Shakoor and Mr. Tahir Samiullah for edible vaccines

against bird flu. Ms. Ambreen Gul was awarded for

development of sucking insect resistant cotton

while Ms. Abida Shahzadi received award for

population based in-silico epitope prediction of

HCV 3a.

Also, Dr. Tayyab Husnain, Director, Centre of

Excellence in Molecular Biology (CEMB) won South

Asia Triple Helix Association (SATHA) Award 2018

for Innovation.

CEMB Scientists Receive Technology Awards th

at 7 Invention to Innovation Summit

The Department of Management Sciences and Isra

Economics and Finance Society, Isra University,

Hyderabad recently organised a two-day workshop

on Financial Accounting and Peachtree.

Dr. Vivake Anand, Assistant Professor, Department

of Management Sciences, Isra University conducted

first session on Financial Accounting. The activity-

based session was on basic accounting cycle and it

was attended by more than 100 participants from all

over Sindh.

On the second day of the workshop, Mr. Narvind

Kumar, Director Institute of Finance and Technology

highlighted benefits of using accounting software

and illustrated in detail about functioning of

peachtree Software.

Use of this Software for the development of

financial statement was highlighted during the

session and it was aimed that young aspirants

should know how to be able to use this Software in

their potential businesses.

Two Day Accounting Workshop at Isra University

26

The University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences,

(UVAS) Lahore organised a weeklong training

entitled, “Mapping of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

(DVM) Curriculum for OIE Compliance and

In tegrated Learn ing In tervent ions” . The

Government of Punjab funded the training under

the project of In-service Training Facility of Advance

Ve t e r i n a r y E d u c a t i o n a n d P r o f e s s i o n a l

Development for Veterinary Professionals.

Dr. Masood Rabbani, Pro Vice-Chancellor, UVAS

presided over the inaugural session of the training

while Dr. Habib-ur-Rehman, Associate Professor,

Dean Faculty of Biosciences, Dr. Hafsa Zaneb,

Associate Professor and a number of participants of

training were present on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Masood Rabbani said

that our young veterinarian must know how to work

in practical field with livestock farmers and how to

work on commercial farm houses on exotic animals

by adopting latest methods and skills for the

treatment of animals. He maintained that Punjab

Livestock Department is providing all possible

clinical services to poor livestock farmers at their

door steps for the development of livestock sector.

The week-long training covered areas related to

DVM curriculum, local wisdom and global

compliance requirements, curricula relevance with

field challenges, curricula alignment through

blueprinting, case-based learning (CBL), stress

management and academic publishing in veterinary

science, and ethical issues.

Training on Mapping of DVM Curriculum for OIE Compliance & Integrated Learning Interventions

The University of Sindh, (SU) Jamshoro recently storganised a three-day 1 International Conference

on theme Contemporary Sociology, Social Sciences

and Sustainable Development 2018.

Dr. Shaikh Tanveer Ahmed, Chief Executive,

HANDS, Pakistan was chief guest of the event. In his

address during the inaugural session, he said that

sociology was essentially all about social

development through sensitive and improved

understanding of social dynamics of any given

society.

Dr. Fateh Muhammad Burfat, Vice Chancellor

informed that research moots are great learning

opportunity and serve as an excellent platform to

meet new people and develop academic and

profess iona l network ing bes ides adding

knowledge.

International Conference on Contemporary Sociology, Social Sciences & Sustainable Development

Dr. Gul Muhammad Baloch said that human health

depended largely upon sociological setup of

societies inhabited by men. He stressed that every

society cast some particular implications on human

nature, temperament, disposition, attitude and

behavior.

He remarked that understanding such sociological

dimensions was imperative towards understanding

why particular individual or groups behaved the

way they did. Prof. Dr. Sivapalan Selvadurai talked

about economics of sociology.

Dr. Arfana Begum Mallah, President, Sindh

University Teachers’ Association (SUTA) and

Member, SU Syndicate said that research activism

and policy focus on Social Sciences is neglected as

compared to natural sciences though all other

fields emerged from social sciences.

27

Around 70 national and multinational companies

and their representatives participated in the

Industrial Open House and Careers Fair-2018 of

Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering

Sciences and Technology (GIK) Swabi.

Ms. Durdana Achakzai, Chief Digital Officer, Telenor

was chief guest at the ceremony. Mr. Shakil Durrani,

Executive Director of Society for the Promotion of

Engineering Sciences and Technology in Pakistan

(SOPREST), Engr. Jehangir Bashar, Rector GIK

Institute, Dr. Jameel-Un Nabi, Pro-Rector

(Academic), Mr. Ahsan Basir Sheikh, Pro-Rector

(Admin and Finance), Deans, Heads of Departments

(HoDs), faculty members and representatives of the

companies participated in the ceremony.

Ms. Durdana Achakzai said that we need technology

to deliver solutions to our society’s longstanding

challenges in the fields of education, health,

agriculture, administration and energy. Mr. Shakil

Durrani said that these open houses provide an

opportunity to the faculty to exchange views and

share their knowledge and experience with

representatives from the industry.

Industrial Open House and Careers Fair at GIK Institute

City University of Science and IT (CUSIT), Pakistan,

KS Global Research, Malaysia and Prince

Muhammad Bin Fahd University, Saudi Arabia ndjointly organised 2 International Conference on

Emerging Research on Sustainable Economic

Development in Bahrain.

More than 50 research papers were presented on

nd2 International Conference on Emerging Research on Sustainable

Economic Developmentmanagement, economics and quality in higher

education. Prof. Robert Manning, Dean Prince

Muhammad bin Fahd University (PMU) and Dr.

Attaullah Shah, Vice Chancellor, City University,

Peshawar also presented keynote speeches on the

occasion. The aim was to provide a forum for people

coming from different academic backgrounds to

interact and present their researches.

The Greenwich University recently launched Karachi

Research Chair (KRC) to address the city’s issues by

providing a strategic platform for collective

reflection and collaborative action.

Mr. Muhammed Zubair, Governor Sindh was chief

guest of the ceremony and Senator Abdul Haseeb

Khan, Dr. Sirajuddin Aziz and Dr. Sardar Yaseen

Malik graced the occasion as guests of honour. The

Chair aims to institutionalise a culture of research

that promotes evidence based decision making

around key issues of Karachi. Mr. Muhammed

Zubair expressed his gratitude on launching KRC

and offered Greenwich University for collaboration

with Governor House to conduct evidence based

research to cope with city’s problems.

Karachi Research Chair Launched at Greenwich University

28

NEWS & VIEWSNEWS & VIEWS

ILLEGAL CAMPUSES / INSTITUTIONS

It has been observed that a number of universities/institutions/campuses/affiliated

colleges/foreign collaborative arrangements are operating illegally in Pakistan without

permission of the Higher Education Commission (HEC).

All such institutions are hereby to immediately stop their CAUTIONEDoperations, which are functioning.

If such institutions fail to comply, their operations shall be shut down with the

assistance of Law enforcement agencies and provincial governments as per rules.

Students and their parents are also warned that degrees from such non-recognised

and fake institutions/illegal campuses will not be verified by HEC.

Director General(Accreditation & Attestation)

Higher Education Commission, Sector H-9, Islamabad.

Without prior approval/ NOC of HEC

Have opened illegal campuses

Offering foreign collaborative degree programmes without HEC NOC

OR

OR