January - March 2020

Higher Educat ion Commiss ion - Pakistan

Prime Minister Awards Ehsaas Scholarships

NUST Team Wins Imagine Cup 2020 National Finals

Conference on Building Primary Care Capacity

Establishment of Centre of Asian Civilization & Culture Discussed

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HEC to Fund Research to Address

Covid-19 Crisis

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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

articles 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

EditorAayesha Ikram

Higher Education Commission, Pakistan

contentNews & Views (January - March 2020)

Education Minister, Vice Chancellors

Discuss Challenges of Higher Education

Sector

US Varsities Admission Directors Visit

HEC

HEC Organises Speech Competition on

Kashmir Solidarity Day

st HEDP’s 1 Steering Committee Meeting

held at HEC

HEC Organises Series of Awareness

Seminars on Grand Challenge Fund

UAF Training for Officials of Agriculture

Department Punjab

Seminar on Alternate Business Model

of Sustainability

PIEAS Int’l Workshop on 2D Materials

UVAS Organises International Buffalo

Congress

VU, Madives Civil Service Commission

Sign MoU for Academic Cooperation

PU, Iranian Varsity Sign MoU to

Cooperate in Pharma

Workshop for Focal Persons of Pakistan

Citizen Portal

International Conference on Climate

Smart Agriculture

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PM Awards Ehsaas ScholarshipsEhsaas Scholarship is the biggest ever need-based programme focusing the

Undergraduate Studies. HEC has completed the first phase of the process for awarding scholarships for 2019-20, the next phase would commence in June.

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020 Prime Minister Imran Khan

distributed certificates among

students from different areas

of the country who have been

selected for scholarship under

the Ehsaas Undergraduate

Scholarship Programme.

The award distribution

ceremony was held at the

Prime Minister's House, in

which a large number of

students from different parts

of the country, including the

Federal Capital, the four

provinces, Azad Jammu and

Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan

were awarded certificates of

the scholarships.

Addressing the audience, the

Prime Minister said that the

Ehsaas Programme is part of

the Government's roadmap to

the Madina Model, the most

successful model in world

history, under which it is the

state's responsibility to uplift

the weakest. The programme is

aimed at eliminating the “elite

capture” of resources and

facilities, and is an opportunity

for students from low-income

families to move their families

and the country forward.

In her remarks, Special

Assistant on Poverty Alleviation

and Social Safety Dr. Sania

Nishtar said the initiative was

the biggest-ever need-based

programme focusing the

undergraduate studies. HEC

has completed the first phase

of the process for awarding

scholarships for the year 2019-

20. The next phase would

commence in June, she added.

She informed that a total of

132,000 students applied for

the scholarships.

Minister for Federal Education

and Professional Training

Shafqat Mahmood

congratulated all the

stakeholders for the first award

distribution ceremony under

the programme. He stressed

the need for concerted efforts

to make the programme a

success.

Chairman HEC Tariq Banuri

termed the Ehsaas

Undergraduate Scholarship

Programme a ‘game changer’,

as it is based on a need-blind

admission policy, enabling all

the students to pursue their

educational targets.

He underlined that education

is a bridge towards prosperity.

We are trying to facilitate the

students, ensuring that no

student is deprived of

education. He urged the

universities to ensure

implementation of the new

funding formula, under which

all the universities will earmark

five per cent of their funds to

provision of scholarships.

He advised the students to

benefit from the Ehsaas

Scholarship Programme to the

fullest extent. “Your success is

our success,” he concluded.

Education Minister, Vice Chancellors Discuss Challenges of Higher Education Sector

constraints. HEC had requested Rs. 20 billion to

help ease the difficulty and the Finance Division

has already approved Rs. 5 billion. The moot

appreciated the Government’s Rs. 5 billion grant

for higher education institution facing financial

difficulties.

Ms. Maleha Hussain, Executive Director

Mehergarh briefed the Vice Chancellors about

the gravity of sexual harassment challenge. She

said sexual harassment is considered a taboo in

Pakistani society, which is why many of cases are

suppressed due to stigmas associated with it.

Coordinator PIMS Prof. Dr. Naseem Akhtar

shared a detailed presentation on preventive

measures to deal with COVID-19 by creating

awareness among faculty and students. She said

the virus spreads due to respiratory droplets

released when the patients sneeze or cough as

well as through contact with the virus-infected

patients and things.

All the Vice Chancellors took part in the

discussions, expressing their views on the issues

pertaining to restoration of student unions,

funding formula, access and quality, university

autonomy, and sexual harassment. They also

deliberated on the steps needed to prevent

spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) and address

sexual harassment challenge.

The Vice Chancellors discussed various issues pertaining to higher education, including restoration

of student unions, funding formula, access and quality,

university autonomy and sexual harassment as well as the situation arising out of

Coronavirus (Covid-19).

Intensive measures are required to improve the

quality of higher education so that the graduates

are skilled enough for employability. This was

stated by Minister for Education and Profession

Training Shafqat Mahmood while addressing the

Vice Chancellors Committee meeting.

The meeting was presided over by Chairman

Vice Chancellors Committee Dr. Muhammad Ali

and attended by Chairman HEC Tariq Banuri and

the heads of all public and private universities,

either in person or through video-conference.

The meeting aimed to reflect upon academic,

administrative, and financial issues facing the

higher education institutions in the country.

Addressing the meeting, Mr. Mahmood said

there is a need to ensure that the faculty is

qualified and the curriculum is up-to-date. He

also stressed the relevance of education to make

the graduates skilled for employability. Mr.

Mahmood underlined that the education

imparted in the higher education institutions

must also be aligned with the market needs to

make the graduates employable.

In his opening remarks, Chairman HEC Tariq

Banuri underlined that critical issues, like

harassment on campuses, have emerged in the

higher education scenario.

The Chairman shared with the senior academic

management that the Prime Minister was

sympathetic of the situation created by financial

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The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has

sought proposals from universities, institutes,

and researchers on ideas to address the Novel

Coronavirus crisis. This was decided in a special

video meeting of HEC’s senior management.

The research initiative, with the support of the

World Bank, is entitled the RAPID Research and

Innovation Fund programme. It aims to mobilize

the research capacities of universities in support

of national efforts to address COVID-19 crisis.

Under the initiative, a rapid assessment and

review mechanism has been established to

analyze research and innovation proposals

urgently. Each applicant seeking funding

through the RAPID Research and Innovation

Fund can propose an idea based on one of the

priority themes.

Funding will be provided to selected research-

intensive institutions for analysis of data, testing

of specimens, access to facilities or equipment,

or development of essential products or services.

Besides the research initiative, HEC has also been

working with universities to minimize the impact

of the lockdown of universities on academic

activities. To this end, three specialized

committees have been established to help

arrange IT facilities, software, tech support, and

curate substantive online content. The objective

is to enable faculty members to (virtually)

continue teaching their courses from where they

left off at the time of closure of universities.

Individual faculty members will share their

course outline/s and required reading materials

with their students through online learning

management systems. Universities will develop

repositories of online courses. HEC will facilitate

access to an extensive digital library of lectures

and courses.

HEC to Fund Research to Address Covid-19 Crisis

HEC's COVID-19 Technology Support Committee

has prepared a working paper to assist the

senior leadership of Universities in easing the

transition to virtual instruction. The paper

provides the minimum technology requirements

and recommendations on the choice of digital

platforms for the University.

For collaboration and video conferencing, all

public sector Universities have been provided

free access to Microsoft Teams software. HEC

and Microsoft have been working together to

ensure smooth introduction of this platform.

Chairman HEC, Tariq Banuri reiterated that all

stakeholders should be sensitized to keep

abreast of the latest information about the

coronavirus and share it with other people in

their communities. Necessary guidelines and

instructions have already been circulated among

universities and are available at the HEC website.

HEC management is continuously monitoring

the developing situation arising out of Covid-19

and is in contact with the university leadership

for further planning so that all possible support

is extended to minimize academic disruption and

safeguard faculty and students’ academic and

research interests to maximum possible extent in

the prevailing situation.

The bulk of HEC staff has been directed to work

from home, following the directives of the

Health Ministry, so all the work of the

Commission is conducted electronically.

Applications are received online or through

courier, meetings are conducted by video link,

and all papers and files are handles

electronically. These arrangements have been

out in place in order to ensure that all major

services of the Commission continue to be

provided without interruption during the current

emergency.

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The Higher Education

Commission (HEC) and

Microsoft Pakistan announced

Flowlines, team of National

University of Sciences and

Technology (NUST), Islamabad

as the winner of the Imagine

Cup 2020 National Finals.

NUST team’s idea to use

augmented reality to connect

it’s users to the physical world

outclassed 60 finalist teams

from across the country. The

Flowlines will now represent

Pakistan in the regional

semifinals in Amsterdam,

Holland, to compete among

global teams for a prize of over

US $ 20,000. The top two

teams of the semifinals will

advance to the 2020 Imagine

Cup World Championship.

Imagine Cup is a global

competition for students over

16 years of age. For nearly two

decades, students from around

the world have been

participating in the Microsoft’s

global technology competition,

bringing their unique

technological solutions to life.

For the Imagine Cup 2020, HEC

and Microsoft Pakistan

reached out to more than 100

campuses this year through

multiple outreach campaigns

in a bid to create awareness

about the competition and

effectively market it to the

audience. This effort resulted

in record breaking project

entries, i.e., more than 600, in

this competition.

Special Assistant to Prime

Minister on Youth Affairs Mr.

Usman Dar visited the stalls set

up by the participating teams,

displaying their projects, at

Pak-China Friendship Centre.

He appreciated the

participating students for their

innovative project ideas. He

said the ideas generated by

the students, especially on

climate change and waste

management, are brilliant and

need to be marketed.

Talking to participants of the

competition, Chairman HEC

Tariq Banuri said Imagine Cup

is all about innovation,

transformation and what

comes next. He observed that

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.

Senior Education Director for

Microsoft Middle East and

Africa Harb Bou-Harb said

Microsoft strives to bring the

right set of tools and

technology to students to

expose them to the skills

required for the future of work.

Imagine Cup is one of

Microsoft’s efforts to transform

skill development, nurture

budding technologists and

foster collaborative and

innovative spirit. This global

technology competition is

characterised by several

success stories, as it is a great

platform to innovate, get

recognised and eventually be

able to bring about a positive

change.

Pakistan ranks as the top

country in the world with the

highest number of project

submissions and competitors

in the Imagine Cup. Students

were initially evaluated in

regional finals held in different

cities, while the best teams

competed in the national

finals.

NUST Team Wins Imagine Cup 2020 National Finals Pakistan ranks as the top country in the world with the highest number of project submissions

and competitors in the Imagine Cup.

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Dr. Mirza said that there are,

on average, only three Family

Physicians to cater to the

needs of about 10,000 people.

He said the numbers need to

be enhanced and the ‘bulk of

General Practitioners’ need

additional training and

incentives. He stressed the

need for measures to promote

Family Medicine by faculty

development, medicine

development, policy reform,

and targeted research. “This is

hard for the poor to pay for

healthcare services at private

hospitals. Pakistan is

unfortunately near the top of

the list of countries with

negative health indications.”

HEC, APPNA Conference on Building Primary Care Capacity

A large number of local and

foreign medical practitioners,

medical providers, educators,

administrators, and policy

makers attended the

conference, where the experts

shared their views about the

actionable items needed to

enhance life expectancy and

health outcomes in the

country.

Panel discussions and working

groups also discussed how to

foster training programmes

and improve policies for

comprehensive development

of Family Medicine, while

promoting investment in

public health and healthcare

systems.

Pakistan needs to enhance

primary healthcare to improve

the poor health statistics. This

was stated by Dr. Zafar Mirza,

Special Assistant to the Prime

Minister on Health.

He was speaking during the

opening ceremony of the two-

day conference on Family

Medicine entitled “Building

Primary Care Capacity:

Pakistan’s Critical Need,”

organised by the Higher

Education Commission (HEC)

in collaboration with the

Association of Physicians of

Pakistani Descent of North

America (APPNA) and

Rawalpindi Medical University

(RMU) at RMU’s main campus.

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The conference covered a large number of topics pivotal for the development of healthcare system, including Family Medicine Policy Framework Including Career Planning; Family Medical

Curriculum and Training Models; Healthcare Systems and Role of Technology; Preventive Care in Family Medicine; Public-Private

Partnerships; and, Strengthening Nursing Care.

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The Conference was also

consistent with the steps taken

recently by the HEC to

enhance the quality and

relevance of the system of

education in the country.

APPNA experts including

Family Medicine faculty from

the US/Canada training

programmes and the

Residency programme

directors presented the

curriculum and structure of

Family Medicine training in

US/Canada and participated in

workshops to help Pakistan’s

participating teaching

institutions develop primary

care training. The conference

also provided an array of

recommendations for the

development of Family

Medicine, as the Family

Medicine doctors are

considered to be the backbone

of primary care.

In his remarks, Chairman HEC

Tariq Banuri said that HEC is

committed to the quality of

medical education, while

enhancing access. Highlighting

the importance of the

Conference, the Chairman said

there is a need for an

integrated approach towards

investing in the healthcare

system, including family health

as well tertiary care in addition

to environmental health,

community health, and

nursing.“The healthcare system

needs to reach the people,

putting the people first instead

of merely infrastructural

growth.”

Addressing the ceremony,

President APPNA Dr. Naheed

Usmani stressed the

importance of healthcare for

the achievement of health

related goals. For this, Pakistan

needs to train primary

healthcare through a Family

Medicine residency module

and standard examinations.

She pointed to Pakistan’s low

health indicators which are

worse than other South Asian

countries. Life expectancy in

men is 66 and in women 67

years, while the mortality rate

under five is 69 by 1000 and

the maternity mortality rate is

140 by 100,000. She said

Pakistan spends only 2.7 per

cent of its GDP on the health

sector. She stressed the need

for effective childcare medical

facilities to decrease the child

mortality rate, and promotion

of public education on

communicable diseases.

Addressing the closing

ceremony, Vice Chancellor

RMU Prof. Muhammad Umar

said the conference gave voice

to the stakeholders and

generated a healthy dialogue

on Family Medicine. He said

the recommendations

presented by the experts will

be presented to the policy

makers so that they may be

implemented to strengthen

the primary healthcare system.

Prof. Umar said the conference

will prove to be a launching

pad for the uplift of the overall

healthcare system in the

country. He said that the policy

framework and the training

model for Family Medicine

proposed in the conference

will prove to be a guiding

pathway for the future.

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Dr. Fateh Marri, Executive Director HEC,

recently led a four-member delegation to

Sri Lanka to initiate dialogue with various

stakeholders for establishment of a Centre

of Asian Civilization and Culture under

Pak-Sri Lanka Higher Education

Cooperation Programme.

HEC has launched a comprehensive

educational and professional cooperation

Programme to support Sri Lankan higher

education sector. The Programme

includes scholarships, professional

trainings, faculty exchange, educational

expo, and establishment of a Centre of

Asian Culture and Civilization.

Dr. Yaqoob Khan Bangash, a seasoned

modern historian from Information

Technology University Lahore participated

in the dialogue as area specialist. Mr.

Naveed Shah, Director, Monitoring and

Evaluation and Dr. Arshad Bashir, Project

Manager, Academic Linkages and

International Collaborations participated

from HEC.

During their visit, the delegation met Maj.

Gen. (R) Saad Khattak, High Commissioner

of Pakistan in Sri Lanka, Mr. Anura

Dissanayake, Secretary, Ministry of Higher

Education, Sri Lanka, Prof. Sampath

Amaratunge, Chairperson, University

Grants Commission, Sri Lanka, Prof.

Chandrika N Wijeyaratne, Vice Chancellor,

University of Colombo, Prof. Upul

B.Dissanayake, Vice Chancellor, University

of Peradeniya, Prof. D. M. Semasinghe,

Vice Chancellor, University of Kelaniya,

Prof. K.C. Perera, Vice Chancellor,

University of Moratuwa, and Prof.

Sudantha Liyanage, Vice Chancellor,

University of Sri Jayewardenepura.

The High Commissioner assured full

support for execution of the project. The

Pak-Sri Lanka Higher Education Cooperation Programme

Establishment of Centre of Asian Civilization & Culture Discussed

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Chairperson of University Grants

Commission suggested to

engage multiple universities for

broader setup of the proposed

center, and showed his support

to play a mediating role with the

Sri Lankan universities. Similarly,

the Secretary Ministry of Higher

Education of Sri Lanka gave

suggestions to implement the

project while giving full support

for coordination and promotion

of the project.

All universities, that the

delegation visited, took keen

interest in establishing the

Centre. Each university in Sri

Lanka is unique in offering

diverse programmes. The

University of Colombo, for

instance, has strong Social

Sciences department including

Law and International Relations.

On the other hand, the

University of Peradeniya is a top

ranked Sri Lankan university

known for its programmes in

Arts and Humanities. The

University of Moratuwa runs

strong departments of

Technology, Design and

Engineering whereas the

University of Kelaniya offers

innovative degree programmes

in Heritage and Culture.

University of Sri

Jayewardenepura has strong

Buddhist Studies department.

Dr. Marri requested all

universities to formulate a

proposal and share with HEC for

further collaborations. Moreover,

it was suggested to convene

another meeting in Islamabad by

inviting the participating

universities for extension of

dialogue with Pakistani

academicians in a workshop

model of engagement.

The Higher Education Commission (HEC), in collaboration with

12 Pakistani universities, participated in a higher education expo

organized by EDEX, the largest Sri Lankan educational exhibition.

A delegation comprising HEC officials, university professors,

administrators, and admission specialists from respective

universities took part in the Expo held in January 2020.

The event was a great opportunity for Pakistani universities to

showcase their academic programmes and attract Sri Lankan

students to study in Pakistan. HEC reserved an exclusive space

called “Pakistan Pavilion” where Pakistani universities presented

details of their respective programmes and research potential.

The High Commissioner of

Pakistan also visited Pakistan

Pavilion and ensured to

extend full support from the

High Commission to

implement Pak-Sri Lanka

Higher Education Cooperation

Programme.

HEC has recently announced

1000 scholarships for Sri

Lankan students in all

academic disciplines at all

academic levels from

undergraduate to doctoral

programmes. Sri Lankan

students showed great

interest in higher education of

Pakistan, and inquired

information about admissions

and scholarship opportunities.

HEC, Universities Attend Education Expo in Colombo

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Director General (Quality Assurance Division)Phone: 051-90801100 Email: fhussain@hec.gov.pk

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Admission Directors of nine US universities

visited the Higher Education Commission and

met Dr. Fateh Marri, Executive Director, HEC and

other senior officers to discuss institutional

agreements for admission and placement of

Pakistani scholars in the US universities under

the US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor.

Talking to the delegates, Dr. Marri introduced

the Admission Directors of visiting US

universities to the US-Pakistan Knowledge

Corridor, urging them to explore the possibilities

of institutional arrangements to facilitate the

potential researchers in securing admissions and

get placed in the US universities.

He revealed that the initiative aims to increase

the number of faculty in tertiary education

institutions with highest academic qualifications

to improve the quality of teaching and research

to prepare self-reliant, problem solving scholars.

He said HEC has been negotiating agreements

with top US universities to achieve the targets of

placement of 1500 Pakistani students in PhD

programmes at ranked US universities under the

US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor (Phase I). He

US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor

US Varsities Admission Directors Visit HEC

said these efforts have resulted in partnerships

and formal Documents of Understanding (DoUs)

between HEC and the US universities to support

this initiative.

In her remarks, Ms. Noor Amna Malik, Adviser

Human Resource Development, HEC hoped that

the meeting would help the two sides

understand each other and decide the working

modalities. She added that it would further help

exercise ‘match-making’ to harmonise the

possible agreements between the HEC and the

visiting US universities with their respective

requirements.

The US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor was

conceptualised in June 2015, as a result of the

US-Pak Education, Science & Technology

working group (ESTWG) under the bilateral

strategic dialogue. As the Government of

Pakistan envisions enhancing enrollment in

tertiary education up to 7.1 million by 2025 and

outreach of higher education institutions at

district level. A total of 99 scholars, including 70

male and 29 female scholars, have so far been

awarded scholarships, while 87 students are on

board with 12 others in the pipeline.

US-Pak Knowledge Corridor aims to provide opportunities for 10,000 Pakistani scholars for doctoral studies enabling HEIs to have highly

qualified PhD faculty. In the initial phase, HEC is focusing on sending 1,500 PhD scholars to the leading US universities starting from Fall-2017.

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Iqbal from Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali

Bhutto Institute of Science and

Technology, Islamabad

clinched second position and

Kainat Latif from Fatima Jinnah

Women University, Rawalpindi

won the third position.

The winners were awarded

cash prizes worth Rs. 50,000,

Rs. 30,000, and Rs. 20,000,

respectively. Judges for the

competition comprised the

renowned journalist Mr.

Arshad Sharif, Dr. Abdul Aziz

Sahir from Department of

Urdu, AIOU and Makhdoom

Shahabuddin.

In his address, the Minister

stressed that India, under the

ruling Bharatiya Janata Party,

has been gripped by a wave of

fascism and Hindutva ideology

and is committing genocide of

the innocent Muslims. He

appreciated HEC for

highlighting the Kashmir cause

and holding the competition

to provide the youth an

opportunity to express their

sentiments on the Kashmir

issue. He observed that it is

very significant to create

awareness among our youth

about the importance of

Kashmir for Pakistan.

In her remarks, Ms. Wajiha

Akram stressed that every

individual or institution needs

to raise the voice of Kashmiris

in their respective capacities.

She said the world needs to

recognise the struggle of

Kashmiri people for freedom.

She appreciated the students

for their spirit and knowledge

about Kashmir issue and urged

them to keep their sentiments

alive. She said Pakistan stands

by the Kashmiri people in their

struggle to achieve their right

to self-determination.

The Higher Education

Commission (HEC) organised a

speech competition in

connection with the Kashmir

Solidarity Day. Students from

different universities of

Islamabad and Rawalpindi

region participated in the

event. Minister for Federal

Education and Professional

Training Shafqat Mahmood

was chief guest in the opening

ceremony, while Parliamentary

Secretary Ms. Wajeeha Akram

graced the award ceremony.

Chairman HEC Tariq Banuri and

DG Academics HEC Mr. Raza

Chohan and a larger number

of students from universities in

the twin cities were present at

the occasion.

Sher Ali Daim from Allama

Iqbal Open University excelled

among other contestants and

won the competition. Azhar

Students from different universities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi region participated in the competition. Sher Ali Daim from Allama Iqbal Open University excelled among other contestants and won the competition.

HEC Organises Speech Competition on Kashmir Solidarity Day

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HEDP. It was highlighted that

HEC Vision 2025 is based on

Government’s Vision 2025,

which aims at improving

teaching and learning along

with strengthening governance

in the higher education sector.

HEDP has also been

formulated to achieve the

objectives set forth in HEC

Vision 2025.

He said the objectives of the

60-month project will be

achieved through five

components, which involve

different sets of development

activities focusing on teaching,

use of technology, and

collaboration in research.

Later, the component owners

briefed the Committee about

the set of activities planned for

the next 18 months. The Vice

Chancellors appreciated the

efforts of HEC and assured

their active participation in the

project activities.

stHEDP’s 1 Steering Committee Meeting held at HEC

The Committee approved the

work plan and operation

manual with the

recommendation to involve

stakeholders for developing

criteria, policies, and designing

training.

The Executive Director

appreciated the active

participation of the Steering

Committee members and

expected that the project team

would be guided by the

Committee for achieving its

objectives.

In his concluding remarks, Dr.

Sajid Ali Yousifani, Federal

Secretary, Ministry of

Education, and Professional

Training appreciated the

launch of this project by HEC

and underlined the need for

consistent efforts to ensure the

provision of quality education,

through integrating

technology in teaching,

learning, and research.

The first meeting of the

Steering Committee of Higher

Education Development in

Pakistan (HEDP) project was

held at HEC Secretariat,

Islamabad.

The meeting was chaired by

Dr. Fateh Marri, Executive

Director HEC and attended by

members comprising

provincial Higher Education

Departments (HEDs), Vice

Chancellors of different

Universities and

representatives of different

ministries.

Dr. Marri informed the

members of Steering

Committee about HEDP

project objective.

The Steering Committee was

briefed about the background

and details of the project by

Mr. Fazal Abbas Maken,

Consultant Institutional

Reforms and Focal Point for

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The Higher Education Commission (HEC)

organised a series of awareness seminars on

Grand Challenge Fund (GCF) for academia and

industry, especially researchers and faculty

members, at HEC Secretariat and various

universities in the provincial capitals.

Dr. Zain-ul-Abdin, Director General R&D, HEC

and Dr. Athar Osama, GCF Programme Chair,

were the keynote speakers in these seminars.

The seminars were attended by a large number

of faculty members, researchers from universities

across the country as well as the industry

representatives.

Dr. Zain-ul-Abdin shed light on salient features

of the GCF programme, its objectives, eligibility

and requirements for award of the grant, the

GCF themes, and specifications of proposals

submitted under the programme. He said the

GCF aims at stimulating collaborative

interdisciplinary research within the strategic

priority areas of relevance to present or future

Pakistan-based industry and to society. He

maintained that the individual grant value is Rs.

15-225 million under the programme.

DG R&D revealed that the GCF requires setting

up a consortium of three to four applicants with

at least one applicant from a research-intensive

university, cross-disciplinary and relevant

complementary scientific expertise, and project

participation from industry, public authorities or

other relevant organisations. He said a three-

stage process is adopted for submission of

proposals, including project outline stage, full

proposal stage, and presentation to high level

HEC Organises Series of Awareness Seminars on Grand Challenge Fund

expert panel. The maximum project duration is

three years, while the expected number of grants

per year is 25. He also elaborated the three-

stage evaluation process of proposals for award

of grant, saying that the project outline is

reviewed at the first stage, followed by full

proposal desk evaluation, and presentation to

high level expert panel. He also described the

procedures followed at the final selection stage.

Sharing a presentation on the history, approach,

thematic areas of GCF, Dr. Osama highlighted

the models adopted to meet grand challenges in

different developed countries. He said Grand

Challenges Canada developed a concept called

Integrated Innovation to describe the

importance and potential impact of combining

scientific, technological, social and business

innovation.

Highlighting the benefits of the Grand Challenge

Approach, he said the Grand Challenges bring

“the best minds to the table” by articulating

important challenges having the potential to

deliver real impact. The Grand Challenges help

build and strengthen communities of innovators

and they can be used as a platform to address

policy and governance issues.

The Programme Chair said a successful GCF

project must clearly demonstrate a solution to a

grand challenge of national importance and may

result in development of a consensus and

coalition for large scale adoption. He further said

that the GCF funded project must create a body

of knowledge available to policymakers and

practitioners seeking to address a problem.

The proposals, submitted under GCF, must be linked to at least one of the strategic priority areas, including food security, water management

and sustainability, sustainable energy, sociology and philosophy, development economics, urban planning, climate change and

environment, IT and telecommunication, and innovative governance and reforms. The purpose is to identify a national problem and solve it.

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Seminar on Alternate Business Model of Sustainability

Isra University, Hyderabad organized Seminar on Alternate

Business Model of Sustainability. Engr. Mehfoze Qazi, Project

Director, Sindh Alternate Energy Project was the resource person.

While speaking on the occasion, he stressed the need of alternate

energy in today’s world as the conventional modes of energy are

quickly exhausting and are becoming very expensive. In the end

certificates among the participants, speakers and the organisers

were distributed.

Office of Research Innovation and Commercialisation (ORIC),

University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF), organised four-week rdtraining workshop for the 3 batch, comprising 87 Research Wing

officials of the Punjab Agriculture Department, on financial and

administrative management and e-governance. The closing

ceremony of the workshop was presided over by Agriculture

Research Punjab Director General Dr. Abid Mahmood while

Director UAF ORIC Dr. Zahir Ahmad Zahir and Dr. Abdul Rasheed

also spoke on the occasion.

Dr. Abid Mahmood said that the training is designed to keep

challenges and latest tools and practices in view in order to

compete with the rest of the world. He said that with the

advancement in the management tools, it will not only improve

efficiency but also help increase agricultural productivity. Dr. Zahir

Ahmad Zahir called for promoting the latest management trends

to enhance productivity.

UAF Training for Officials of Agriculture Department Punjab

PIEAS Int’l Workshop on 2D MaterialsPakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS)

organised a workshop on 2D Materials and Quantum Effect

Devices. Chairman, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC),

Mr. Muhammad Naeem, inaugurated the international workshop.

Speaking on the occasion, he emphasised that excellence in

science & technology is the key to sustainable development. In the

workshop, the 2D materials and quantum effect devices were

discussed. The multidisciplinary workshop was devoted to

fundamental and applied aspects of 2D materials (such as

graphene, MoS2, WS2, MoSe2, etc.) and quantum effect devices.

Follow only the below-

mentioned accounts on social

media for updates from

Higher Education Commission,

Pakistan.

All other accounts on any

forum with HEC’s name or

logo are Fake.

15

@HEC Pakistan

@hec_pk

@hecpkofficial

@HECPakistan2002

Beware of Fake HEC Social Media Pages

www.hec.gov.pk

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A two-day International

Buffalo Congress

recommended transformation

of buffalo production from

population-driven to

technology-driven and from

fragmented to more organised

commercial model.

The Congress was organised

by the University of Veterinary

and Animal Sciences, (UVAS)

Lahore in collaboration with

the Livestock and Dairy

Development

“Transformation of subsistence

to commercial farming needs

input of technology packages

combining breeding, feeding,

disease control, management

and marketing instead of piece

meal approach, so an

integrated approach similar to

the model of Swedish project

in Sri Lanka be adopted,” read

the recommendations of the

congress.

UVAS Organises International Buffalo Congress

It was further recommended

adopting successful methods

of buffalo breeding such as

Fixed Time AI in smallholder

buffalo farms and alternate

non-conventional local feed

resources be explored using

R&D to make these safe for

cost effective use in buffalo

feeding.

The concluding ceremony of

the congress was chaired by

Governor Punjab Chaudry

Mohammad Sarwar. Speaking

on the occasion, the governor

said that livestock has huge

potential which is underused

and we need to increase per

animal yield.

More than 500 delegates from

Pakistan and abroad attended

the congress, which was

spread over one plenary and

14 technical sessions and a

farmer-industry forum, 12

business meetings, seven pre-

congress workshops, 100 each

posters and oral presentations

on 10 different aspects of

buffalo.

A delegation of Civil Service

Commission (CSC) Maldives

visited Virtual University of

Pakistan and discussed the

possibility of developing

bilateral cooperation in the

academic sector. The two sides

signed a Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) to

promote academic

cooperation.

The delegation held a meeting

with Rector, Virtual University,

Mr. Naeem Tariq.

VU, Madives Civil Service Commission Sign MoU for Academic Cooperation

The delegation, headed by

President CSC Dr. Aly

Shameem, comprised Mr.

Zakariyya Hussain, Member,

CSC Maldives; Ms. Fathimath

Habeeba, Director, CSC

Maldives; Mr. Shahumeel

Ahmed, Senior Finance

Executive, CSC Maldives; and,

Ms. Aishath Hameeda, Senior

Administration Executive, CSC

Maldives.

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there is need to introduce new

academic courses in

pharmaceutical sciences with

mutual cooperation. As per

MoU, both the universities

would exchange faculty

members and students for

sharing knowledge and

experience of each other and

organise other academic

activities.

PU, Iranian Varsity Sign MoU to Cooperate in Pharma

The ceremony was also

attended by VC IUMS Prof.

Behrooz Kelidari, Pro-VC Dr.

Muhammad Saleem Mazhar,

Director Information Affairs

IUMS Prof. Dr Hamid Mir

Mohammad Sadeghi, Director

International Medical

Education IUMS Dr. Marjan

Mansourian Gharakoziou, and

other senior officials.

The University of Punjab, (PU)

Lahore and Isfahan University

of Medical Sciences (IUMS),

Iran signed a Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) to

promote mutual cooperation in

various fields of pharmacy as

well as other scientific subjects.

The MoU signing ceremony,

chaired by Vice Chancellor PU

Dr. Niaz Ahmad, was held at

Vice Chancellor’s office.

Chancellor IUMS Dr. Tahereh

Changiz expressed her interest

to launch joint research

projects and publish joint

research papers. She said that

Higher Education Commission organised a series

of workshops with focal persons of universities

across the country, where approximately 130

focal person of Pakistan Citizen Portal in

universities were trained across the country.

The chief guest of the opening ceremony of the

workshop at HEC RC Peshawar was Prof. Dr.

Naushad Khan, the Vice Chancellor Islamia

College Peshawar. He appreciated the role and

efforts of HEC to train the focal person of PCP.

In these workshops, the participants were guided rdabout the 3 edition manual guidelines issued by

Prime Minister Delivery unit. The participants

were also informed about the new features of

the portal and they were also guided about the

hidden and unhidden profiles of the

complainants.

The complaints categories, reasons for dropped

complaints, obstacles for complainants and

Workshop for Focal Persons of Pakistan Citizen Portal

manual dealing of the complaints were some of

the other areas discussed in the workshop.

New features of the dashboard incorporated in rd3 edition like review complaints, add to watch

list, review request by the citizens, security alert

to dashboard users and list of focal persons on

Pakistan Citizen Portal were discussed at length.

The profiling, privacy and conduct of the

complainant were also discussed in detail. As rdenvisaged in the 3 edition, the participants were

also trained about the efficiency and follow up

mechanism of the portal.

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The Department of Agronomy,

Muhammad Nawaz Sharif

University of Agriculture

Multan, (MNS-UAM) in

collaboration with Hochschule

Geisenhelm University,

Germany, organised an

international conference

entitled Climate Smart

Agriculture: The Way towards

Sustainability.

The conference was held under

the framework of DAAD

funded project to mitigate

climate change for food

security with technical

cooperation of Food and

Agriculture Organisation of

United Nations.

Vice Chancellor, MNS-UAM,

Dr. Asif Ali gave a

comprehensive overview of the

conference and said that

research work on climate

change is our top priority. He

underlined that MNS-UAM is

well-aware of the

environmental challenges

facing the world.

The conference also covered

nine technical sessions on the

thematic areas of climate

smart agricultural innovations,

climate smart management of

surface and ground water,

climate smart soil and fertilizer

management, global warming

impacts and mitigation,

climate smart farming systems,

modeling for climate change,

food diversification for future

food security, socio-economic

perspectives and policy

innovations for CSA and

modified Integrated pest and

disease management for CSA.

As many as 60 scientists

presented their work. The

event provided a platform to

discuss practical innovative

solutions for adoption of

climate smart agriculture

system in Pakistan.

It helped discover smart

strategies including ICT,

support farmers through

technology, soil fertility

management, water saving

techniques, mechanisation,

precision farming and

cropping system diversification

to improve productivity of

agricultural systems.

It was decided that findings of

the conference will also be

shared to the farming

community in local languages

under the umbrella of a

seminar entitled Science for

Farmers as farmers are the

main stakeholder of climate

smart agricultural systems.

International Conference on Climate Smart Agriculture

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The University of Sindh (SU),

Jamshoro in collaboration with

Youth Affairs Department,

Government of Sindh, and

Mehran Research and

Development Foundation,

organised a one-day youth

conference entitled Youth for

Future.

Rizwan Jaffer, a notable

electronic media professional,

Syed Juman Shah, Director

Bureau of Students Tutorial

Guidance/Counseling Services

and Co-curricular Activities

(STAGS), Dr. Sumera Umrani

and others shed light on

Youth Conference held at SU

multiple facts of youth activism

in Pakistan. The speakers

highlighted especially the

youth future perspectives,

engagement, issues and

initiatives.

The programme also featured

social awareness theatre

entitled Peace and Tolerance,

followed by an animated

theme-related quiz

competition.

how the Strategic Orientation

is being exploited through ICT

proposition within the global

perspectives and then how this

phenomenon can be further

exploited through the research

paradigms pertaining towards

the philosophy of Strategic Fit.

He further engaged the

audience by inculcating the

urge leading to the holistic

pedagogical articulation at the

workshop and the much

needed emphasis element of

Global Perspective was

registered by defeating the

apprehensions of Developed

and Developing Countries

research practices anomalies.

Epistemology paradigms were

reinforced by elucidating in-

conformity with Capacity

Building and then how these

Knowledge Management

perspectives to be envisioned

through Knowledge Economy

paradigms with special

reference to Research Methods

and Statistical Techniques.

The quagmire of Ontology

within research paradigms

were further explained at

length by simplifying the

difference between ground

realities and then how these

ground realities shape and

lead to future research

paradigms at a Global

Perspectives with probabilities

to be confronted with possible

proactive approach resolution

at least at minimum level

definitely in line with Research

Methods and Statistical

Techniques.

The Dortmund University of

Applied Sciences and Arts,

Germany invited Prof. Dr.

Kashif ur Rehman, Vice

Chancellor, City University of

Science and Information

Technology (CUSIT), Peshawar

for a workshop to impart

training pertaining to

quantitative research

paradigms with special

emphasis on intuitional

context driven perspectives

entrenched within the scope of

“Research Methods and

Statistical Techniques”. The

workshop was attended by

PhD/MS scholars and

researchers from various

European and Scandinavian

countries.

Dr. Kashif ur Rehman started

with the pivotal concept that

Lecture on Research Methods and Statistical Techniques

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The University of Narowal,

(UoN) organised a seminar to

mark 550th birthday

celebrations of Baba Guru

Nanak. The seminar consisted

of two sessions. In the first

session, speech and essay

writing competitions were held,

focusing on Baba Guru Nanak's

teachings. Around 92 students

from different institutions of

Narowal participated in the

competition.

In the second session,

prominent Sikh leader Sardar

Ramesh Sing Arora, former

Member Punjab Assembly,

Sardar Narandan Singh,

Chairman Sikh Intellectual

Forum from Indian Occupied

Kashmir and Sardar Samaran

Kour from India addressed the

audience. Vice Chancellor UON

Dr. Tariq Mahmood chaired the

sessions.

The speakers highlighted Baba

Guru Nanak's concept of

universal brotherhood, love

and tolerance. In his address,

Dr. Mahmood announced the

establishment of Baba Guru

Nanak Chair in the university.

He said that the University will

hire renowned researchers to

conduct extensive research on

Baba Guru Nanak's teachings

and the university will provide

all the necessary facilities for

the research and publications.

UoN to Establish Baba GuruNanak Chair

Khadim Ali Shah Bukhari Institute of Technology (KASBIT) in

collaboration with Institute of Health & Business Management and

Social Sciences, Jinnah Sindh Medical University (JSMU), Karachi

holds its annual Research Conference under the theme Challenges

& Opportunities in Changing Business Environments.

The conference was inaugurated by Chief Guest Dr. Abuzar Wajidi,

Director, Institute of Health & Business Management and Social

Sciences, JSMU.

More than 150 research papers were presented in different

sessions of the conference. The scholars presented their research

papers in conference were associated with different universities of

Pakistan.

KASBIT Organises Conference on Changing Business Environments

Career Development Centre under the Office of Research,

Innovation & Commercialisation, Isra University, Hyderabad

organises Career Counselling and Recruitment Session in

collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline Pakistan (GSK).

The Facilitators of the session were Ms. Ensherah Khan,

Recruitment Specialist – GSK, Ms. Sara Iqbal FLP Pharm D - GSK &

Mr. Mazhar Shakeel (FLP GMS Industrial Engineer - GSK. The

objectives of the session were to inform the students and

graduates to seek career at GSK as Management Trainee Officers.

Isra holds Career Counselling, Recruitment Session

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NEWS & VIEWS

NOTE

Students and parents are cautioned not to get admission in the universities/DAIs wherein admissions are banned due to various irregularities as mentioned on HEC website.

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) recognises degrees of chartered universities/institutions from public and private sector in Pakistan along with their approved campuses as mentioned at following website links.

List of Recognised Universities/Institutions

hec.gov.pk/site/HEIs

List of Recognised Campuses of Public and Private Sector Institutions

hec.gov.pk/site/recognizedcampuses

List of Illegal/Fake Institutions

hec.gov.pk/site/Illegal-DAIs

@HECPakistan2002 @hecpkofficialwww.hec.gov.pk

Any other university/institution which is not listed among HEC recognised universities or campuses available at HEC website will not be considered a recognised institution.

Students and their parents are advised to verify legal status of the university/institution or its campus from the above-mentioned links. Students are advised NOT to take admissions in those institutions which are not listed among HEC recognised universities/institutions/ campuses. Degrees obtained from non-recognised institutions/campuses will not be recognised.

hec_pk