Kyrgyz delegation offers collaboration to HEC

Both sides to develop partnership in fields of medicine, engineering

A delegation of Kyrgyz academicians led by Kyrgyzstan National Academy of Science Institute of Philosophy and Legal Research Director Dr Osman Tongusakov visited the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and called on HEC Executive Director Lt Gen (Retd) Muhammad Asghar and senior HEC officers at the Commission Secretariat on Wednesday.

The two sides agreed to develop collaboration in various academic fields including medical, engineering and agriculture.

HEC executive director briefed the delegation about the main objectives, functions and future plans of HEC.

He said HEC is playing its pivotal role for evaluation, improvement and promotion of higher education in Pakistan.

He maintained that the main objectives of HEC included an increase in access to higher education, improvement in quality, and ensuring relevance of education and research to national needs.

He underlined that since its inception in 2002, HEC has marked remarkable achievements in terms of access, quality and relevance.

In his remarks, Dr Tongusakov said Kyrgyz institutions aspire to develop collaboration with HEC in order to improve their education system.

The Kyrgyz delegation comprised International University of Kyrgyzstan Board of Trustees Chairman Dr Asylbek Aidaraliev, Kyrgyz National Agricultural University Vice Rector Dr Almazbek Irgashev, Kyrgyz State Medical Academy Professor of Neurosurgery Dr Keneshbek Erysov and International University of the Kyrgyz Republic Medical Faculty Dean Dmitrii Vashniakov.

The delegation will also visit different Pakistani universities during their stay in Pakistan.

Moreover, the HEC executive director said the number of universities has reached 195 with an increase of up to 9.1 per cent in enrolment ratio.

He added that the number of research publications has reached 14,024 per year as compared to a total of only 800 publications in 2002.

He also shed light on HEC’s major international collaborations including US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor, Pak-UK Education Gateway, and China-Pakistan Intellectual Corridor.

He said HEC follows stringent measures to maintain quality and standards in the higher education institutions, safeguarding their autonomy and improving governance.

He informed the delegation that HEC has streamlined the recognition, verification and accreditation of degree programmes of universities.

HEC extends all-out support to research and innovations through various programmes like Technology Development Fund, Offices of Research, Innovation and Commercialisation, Business Incubation Centres, and Patent Support Programme, he informed.

He said HEC has set up 66 ORICs, 30 BICs and 184 Quality Enhancement Cells in universities. 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 29^th, 2019.