Caretaker Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Madad Ali Sindhi, on Thursday, terming quality education as key to the development of any nation assured that the government will take every possible measure to further enhance the quality of teaching and research in universities.
The federal minister was chairing a meeting with vice-chancellors of public sector universities of Sindh at the Higher Education Commission’s Regional Office Karachi. Chairman HEC Dr Mukhtar Ahmed was also present at the occasion. In the brainstorming session on the improvement of the quality of higher education, vice chancellors of universities spoke in length on the performance of their universities, financial and other issues being faced and measures taken to deal with them and also presented suggestions for enhancement of quality of teaching and research in the higher education institutions.
Madad Ali Sindhi, addressing the occasion said that Prime Minister Anwar ul Haq Kakar has directed him to visit educational institutions to look into their issues and take measures for their resolution. The minister said that he had conducted visits to schools in Islamabad and issued directives for resolving issues and now he was having a meeting with vice-chancellors of universities of Sindh. All the issues including quality of education and shortage of resources were discussed in detail in the meeting and a series of engagements would continue he would also pay visits to the universities to review the situation and find solutions, the minister added.
Inviting suggestions from the vice-chancellors for improvements in higher education institutions, he said that universities were the highest places of learning and it was his basic responsibility to resolve the issues being confronted by them. Chairman HEC, speaking at the occasion, said that universities in the country had complete autonomy in administrative and educational affairs but concepts of responsibility and accountability were also attached to it. HEC is responsible for setting and ensuring minimum standards for education and research in higher education institutes and providing guidance and resources for the purpose while it was also ensured that universities get their share in resources on the basis of prescribed criteria.
He said that universities could forward their recommendations for updating the curriculum and HEC would extend cooperation in this regard. Vice-chancellors of different universities suggested that measures should be taken for the training of newly inducted teachers, improving teaching methodology, starting foundation semester for new students, establishing academia-industry linkage, focusing on ethical education, technology transfer, exchange programs of academia and scholars with foreign universities and preventing external pressures on university administration.
Later, talking to the media, the caretaker minister said that quality education and research play a significant role in the development and prosperity of any nation and Pakistan has no other option except the promotion of education for dealing with the confronted challenges. He said the HEC was providing funds from available resources to the universities across the country besides providing guidance and regulatory support to the higher educational institutions and measures would be taken to resolve the issues. Chairman HEC and VCs of universities also presented souvenirs to the federal minister at the occasion.
