In recognition: HEC awards best university teachers

Board confers awards on 45 professors from public, private universities

ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission on Tuesday conferred Best University Teacher Award 2012-13 on professors of 45 public and private sector universities from across the country.

Federal Minister for Interprovincial Coordination Committee Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada as a chief guest lambasted the radical narrative in the country. “It is time to open our eyes, come out of the hell and heaven perception and do what the world is doing,” he said.

This year, around 85 nominations were received from 45 public sector universities and 18 from 11 private sector universities. The data was placed before the awards committee which shortlisted 45 teachers for the Best University Teacher Award 2012-2013.

Among Tuesday’s awards to teachers of 45 universities 35 were from public sector institutions and while the other 10 were from private sector. From eight public sector varsities in federal have been selected for the award which include AIOU, Bahria University, Comsats Institute of Information Technology, IIUI, Numl, Nust, Pieas and QAU.

As many as 11 university teachers were nominated from Punjab, seven from Sindh, six from Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa, two from Balochistan and one from Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Among the private sector of federal a teacher from National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences and another from Riphah International University have been finalised for the award.

Besides, two teachers from Punjab, three from each Sindh and KP universities have also been shortlisted.

Dr Nowshad Khan, who is chairperson and dean of the Department of Agriculture Sciences at AIOU, felt jubilant upon receiving the award. “In my 34 years academic career this is in which I take pride in,” he said.

Comsats Institute of Information Technology Department of Pharmacy Associate Professor Dr Taous Khan termed the award a morale boosting for teachers as he was nominated among over 2,000 teachers from all the campuses of the university by a board which later sent to HEC.

The award was commenced in 2004 for a period of five years i.e. 2004-2009. Later, the project was extended further for one year till June 2010 in May 2009.

During the nine years, 368 awards have been conferred on assistant professors, associate professors and professors under the said project.

The teachers now onward every year are conferred upon an award comprising of a cash prize of Rs100,000 each and a certificate for their outstanding contribution.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 24^th, 2014.