‘Quality of education, research must benefit society’
Plagiarism, misrepresentation of research findings key factors behind poor quality
PHOTO: FILE
The quality of higher education and the researches produced by such education must have a view to benefiting the society at large.
This was stated by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Institutional Reforms and Austerity Dr Ishrat Hussain while addressing the closing ceremony of a two-day International Conference on Quality Assurance System, Standards and Policies: Issues and Challenges. The conference had been organised by the Higher Education Commission (HEC), in collaboration with United States Educational Foundation Pakistan (USEFP) in Islamabad.
Dr Hussain, who once served as the governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, appreciated HEC’s initiative to open international discourse on quality in higher education.
“The best scientists, especially Nobel Prize winners, receive recognition because of the contribution they make to society,” Dr Hussain said, adding, “They used their knowledge and expertise to address larger issues of public interest.”
He went on to say that quality assurance processes by the HEC and other bodies should result in the enhancement of both quality and relevance.
“On the one hand, research outputs should display more academic rigour, on the other, they should benefit the society,” he said.
Dr Hussain further stressed the need to translate ideas from the conference into action and implementation. These ideas should help the country address the major gaps in quality assurance systems, including in issues such as plagiarism, misrepresentation of research findings, and the poor quality of scholarly journals.
“It is high time to reflect upon and overcome these problems,” he exhorted.
Dr Hussain hoped that National Academy of Higher Education (NAHE) will fill in the intellectual vacuum between teaching and research.
Students, he said, need qualified teachers to guide them, but they also want teachers with whom they can have meaningful interactions, who respond to their questions, and have constructive dialogues.
HEC Chairman Tariq Banuri said that the apex higher education regulator intends to compile the lessons and recommendations of the conference for the benefit of the main programmes of the institutions, specifically improving the quality of regulatory policies, ensuring that HEC financing resulted in greater success of the universities, and the enhancement of the quality and relevance of education and research.
“HEC’s capacity-building efforts are targeted towards emerging needs,” he said, acknowledging that there is a need to link research and teaching frameworks to the financing framework.
The HEC chairman appreciated the generous support from USEFP and Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) for the conference.
“We look forward to learning from the experience of other countries, and sharing the lessons of our own experience with them to collectively enhance the quality of education.”
He said that one of the objectives of the conference was to bring together a ‘quality community’.
United States Council for Higher Education Accreditation President Dr Judith Eaton observed that all partner countries may have different obstacles in terms of quality assurance, hence such conferences provide a platform to share experiences mutually.
USEFP Executive Director Rita Akhtar termed the conference an opportunity to engage with quality assurance experts and renew the commitment to quality in the higher education sector.
“The conference helped us come up with ideas for building our future together and responding to challenges,” she said, hoping that multilateral cooperation and conversation on quality of education will continue to help increase the effectiveness of quality assurance measures.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 7th, 2019.
This was stated by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Institutional Reforms and Austerity Dr Ishrat Hussain while addressing the closing ceremony of a two-day International Conference on Quality Assurance System, Standards and Policies: Issues and Challenges. The conference had been organised by the Higher Education Commission (HEC), in collaboration with United States Educational Foundation Pakistan (USEFP) in Islamabad.
Dr Hussain, who once served as the governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, appreciated HEC’s initiative to open international discourse on quality in higher education.
“The best scientists, especially Nobel Prize winners, receive recognition because of the contribution they make to society,” Dr Hussain said, adding, “They used their knowledge and expertise to address larger issues of public interest.”
He went on to say that quality assurance processes by the HEC and other bodies should result in the enhancement of both quality and relevance.
“On the one hand, research outputs should display more academic rigour, on the other, they should benefit the society,” he said.
Dr Hussain further stressed the need to translate ideas from the conference into action and implementation. These ideas should help the country address the major gaps in quality assurance systems, including in issues such as plagiarism, misrepresentation of research findings, and the poor quality of scholarly journals.
“It is high time to reflect upon and overcome these problems,” he exhorted.
Dr Hussain hoped that National Academy of Higher Education (NAHE) will fill in the intellectual vacuum between teaching and research.
Students, he said, need qualified teachers to guide them, but they also want teachers with whom they can have meaningful interactions, who respond to their questions, and have constructive dialogues.
HEC Chairman Tariq Banuri said that the apex higher education regulator intends to compile the lessons and recommendations of the conference for the benefit of the main programmes of the institutions, specifically improving the quality of regulatory policies, ensuring that HEC financing resulted in greater success of the universities, and the enhancement of the quality and relevance of education and research.
“HEC’s capacity-building efforts are targeted towards emerging needs,” he said, acknowledging that there is a need to link research and teaching frameworks to the financing framework.
The HEC chairman appreciated the generous support from USEFP and Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) for the conference.
“We look forward to learning from the experience of other countries, and sharing the lessons of our own experience with them to collectively enhance the quality of education.”
He said that one of the objectives of the conference was to bring together a ‘quality community’.
United States Council for Higher Education Accreditation President Dr Judith Eaton observed that all partner countries may have different obstacles in terms of quality assurance, hence such conferences provide a platform to share experiences mutually.
USEFP Executive Director Rita Akhtar termed the conference an opportunity to engage with quality assurance experts and renew the commitment to quality in the higher education sector.
“The conference helped us come up with ideas for building our future together and responding to challenges,” she said, hoping that multilateral cooperation and conversation on quality of education will continue to help increase the effectiveness of quality assurance measures.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 7th, 2019.