The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has constituted multiple committees comprising university vice chancellors to prepare a comprehensive Five-Year Reform Roadmap aimed at strengthening the higher education sector and enhancing academia’s contribution to national development.
The decision was taken during a Vice Chancellors’ meeting held at HEC Islamabad, attended by around 40 heads of universities from Islamabad, Rawalpindi and adjoining areas. The session was presided over by Niaz Ahmad Akhtar, Chairman HEC.
According to officials, the committees will deliberate on short-term, medium-term, and long-term reforms and submit detailed recommendations to the commission. Key focus areas include introducing a comprehensive skills-based curriculum review, enhancing institutional autonomy, and implementing the Triple Helix model to strengthen collaboration between academia, industry, and government.
A major priority is the formation of new accreditation councils for emerging disciplines such as Mental Health and Psychology, Artificial Intelligence, Maritime Sciences, and Renewable Energy. The committees will also examine faculty development initiatives and review the Tenure Track System (TTS), including salary structures, to retain top-tier faculty members and address the issue of brain drain.
During the meeting, Vice Chancellors discussed challenges facing the higher education sector, particularly governance and quality assurance. Participants emphasized the importance of skills-based education, increased research funding, and boosting research output through stronger government-academia-industry linkages and greater internationalisation of universities.
The forum also proposed establishing a central repository to guide students on career pathways, simplifying audit and procurement procedures, promoting dual-degree programmes, and introducing standardized student assessment mechanisms aligned with international benchmarks.
Addressing the participants, Chairman HEC Dr. Niaz Ahmad Akhtar underscored that Pakistan’s future is closely tied to the development of its higher education system. He noted that despite comparatively low per-student public spending, Pakistani universities have demonstrated commendable performance. He urged Vice Chancellors to strengthen graduate employability by setting up systems to track alumni data and equipping students with modern technological skills.
The initiative is expected to lay the groundwork for structural reforms aimed at revitalizing Pakistan’s higher education landscape over the next five years.
