Zubair Qureshi
A regional rectors’ round table dialogue on “Transforming Higher Education Institutes to Produce 21st Century Graduates” discussed existing practices and proposed strategies and recommendations regarding improving the quality of graduates.
The regional interactive session was organized by Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) in collaboration with Superior University and Inter-University Consortium for Promotion of Social Sciences held here on Thursday.
The panelists deliberated on seven thematic areas including Institutional Governance, Skill-Based Curriculum Development, Teaching Pedagogies, Instilling Leadership in Faculty, Monitoring, Reflection & Evaluation, Innovation Ecosystem and Internationalisation of Higher Education & SDGs.
While addressing the participants Vice Chancellor Quaid-i-Azam University Prof Dr Muhammad Ali said a university must play the role of technology and knowledge hubs for the economic growth.
He said in order to produce employable graduates Higher Education Institutions had to understand the job market and national needs. Dr Muhammad Ali also supports the idea to promote the interdisciplinary research through establishment of technology clusters.
Prof Dr Masoom Yasinzai, Rector International Islamic University (IIUI) said that trust deficit between the academia and industry must be bridged to achieve the objective of socio economic uplift of the country. Dr. Syed Tahir Hijazi, Vice Chancellor, Muslim Youth University emphasized the need for collaborative efforts by public and private sector higher education institutes to achieve the objective of producing quality graduates.
The experts stress the need for continuous interaction with the industry to develop the curriculum that would meet the demands of the market. Establishment of Venture Capital Fund for startups and platforms for interdisciplinary research by HEC were also recommended.
Prof Dr Muhammad Mukhtar, Vice Chancellor National Skills University, Prof Dr Tanveer Khaliq, Vice Chancellor Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University, Prof. Dr. Mujaddad ur Rehman, Vice Chancellor Abbottabad University, Dr. Zulfiqar Gilani, Consultant, Academics, HEC, Nadeem Akbar, Director , American Institute of Pakistan Studies, Prof. Dr. Abdul Hameed, Director, ORIC, IIUI, Dr. Ayesha Zahid, Executive Director ORIC, Superior University, Dr. Muhammad Tayyab, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS), Talat Khurshid, Ex Advisor, HEC, Dr. Ishtiaq Ali, Director Academics, QAU, Murtaza Noor, National Coordinator Consortium for Promotion of Social Sciences also addressed the audience.
