LAHORE – The Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC) made a significant progress in 2017 towards quality higher education and research in the province.

“In a short span of time, PHEC has achieved big milestones with limited resources. PHEC held four Commission meetings. We established various initiatives for public and private sector colleges and universities and for students who want to pursue more skill-based and market-oriented education ,” said PHEC Chairperson Dr Mohammad Nizamuddin while chairing a meeting of senior officers at PHEC Secretariat in Lahore.

According to PHEC , in 2017 the Commission established foreign and indigenous training and scholarship programmes for the staff and faculty of Punjab’s 700 public colleges and universities. A rigorous accreditation system to ensure quality standards for private sector colleges and universities was also established by PHEC . Addressing the demand from students for career counselling and skill-based education , PHEC launched Career Counselling Centres at four public sector colleges and Community Colleges model at four colleges, providing two-year associate degrees (equivalent to a bachelor’s degree) in textile design, information technology, media studies and accounting and finance.  Responding to the need for enhancing effectiveness of teaching and learning in Pakistan, PHEC established the Faculty Development Academy, the first of its kind in Punjab, where more than 400 faculty members from public sector colleges and universities were trained in academics, administration, and finance-related areas.

In addition, PHEC organized training for newly inducted college teachers in each division of Punjab and tailored training for Vice Chancellors and Directors of Student Affairs.

PHEC also initiated several international and national scholarship programmes in 2017, including post-doctoral fellowships and split PhD scholarships. “We are sending our faculty to the best destinations in the world to provide them exposure and experience and equip them with the best learning opportunities in their field,” said Dr Nizamuddin.