ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has sought a role in the evaluation and selection of vice-chancellors of universities.
Addressing a news conference here on Wednesday, HEC Chairman Dr Javed Laghari said the process should be more transparent and free from political pressure. For this purpose, he said, HEC should also be part of the five-member Search Committee that evaluates and selects vice-chancellors of universities.
“The committee should select three names and forward them to the respective chancellor for appointment on merit,” he said. The VCs must be appointed for one term, with reappointment linked with their performance, he said. During the meeting, the chairman said an MPhil degree would be made compulsory for the appointment of a lecturer in universities and colleges by 2013.
Dr Javed said a four-year bachelor degree programme would also be mandatory in colleges, bringing them at par with international standards. As many as 26 colleges in Punjab have already introduced the four-year bachelor degree programme.
It was also announced that all universities and colleges had been instructed to promote faculty members on the basis of their performance rather then their service, as exercised in the past.
Talking about HEC’s performance, he said the commission has set up Quality Enhancement Cells in 61 universities to maintain a check on education. Since 2003, 3,037 PhDs have been produced in various fields as compared to 3,281 PhDs during the last 55 years. Of them, 450 were in the field of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences, 601 in Biological and Medical Science, 131 in Engineering and Technology, 58 in Business education, 677 in Physical Science,739 Social Science, 377 in Arts and Humanities and four honorary degrees. “There is a revolution taking place in producing PhDs now”, the chairman added.
The chairman mentioned the World University Ranking 2010, according to which two Pakistani universities-- National University of Science and Technology and University of Engineering and Technology-- have been ranked among the top 300 world universities. Pakistani universities were never ranked among the top 500 university in the past, he added. Presently, he said, the HEC emphasises on faculty development, quality assurance, research, innovation and entrepreneurship, improving equitable access, excellence in leadership, governance and management as well as financial management and sustainability. However, he added that no new university would be supported by the HEC because of shortage of funds.
Responding to a question, the chairman said it was a misconception that scholars were not coming back. “To date, more than 600 scholars have returned while more than 7,000 are in the pipeline”.
“Only two percent of Phd scholars have not returned to Pakistan after completing their degrees, while the rest are not only coming back but also serving in various institutions from the day they landed in the country,” he said.
“We are tracking every single graduate. We are taking legal action against those scholars who are not reutning and putting their names on HEC website,” he added.
HEC Advisor Quality Assurance Mahmood Raza said a total of 90 plagiarised cases were found among which 80 have been resolved.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 20th, 2011.
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