The apex regulator of higher education in the country on Tuesday unveiled a new, competency-based undergraduate education system that pushes varsity to design courses beyond just the goal of successfully acquiring jobs while allowing students the liberty to change subjects per their strengths in the middle of their courses.
The revamped undergraduate curriculum and the "competency-based education" for universities and affiliated colleges were revealed by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) on Tuesday.
The commission said that the new curriculum was designed over 18 months and after consulting with over 143 universities including from Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B). Over a 1,000 people were included such as vice-chancellors, rectors, faculty members from universities and colleges along with other officials of the higher education department and professional bodies.
HEC Chairman Dr Tariq Banuri stated that the purpose of education is to enable students to succeed in their lives and not only in their jobs. But this has not been the case.
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He added that universities must work through their undergraduate degree programmes - the flagship of any higher education system - to maximise the probability of success in professional, social, political, and personal pursuits.
Hence, he said, a new system based on "competencies", has been designed. Dr Banuri outlined the HEC’s definition of ‘competencies’ as a combination of knowledge, skills, behaviour, and interpersonal characteristics which enable individuals to succeed in their lives.
“This shift will have long-lasting positive impacts on educational achievement and future success,” he said, adding, “The new system will be rolled out over the coming year.”
Noting that the old curriculum does not provide students with essential skills such as critical and creative thinking, problem-solving, effective communication, quantitative analysis, team building, or research methods, the new curriculum will specifically resolve them.
Every student must complete general education (GE) courses in the major domains of human knowledge, such as arts and humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, quantitative reasoning, and expository writing early in their educational careers along with Pakistan studies and Islamic or religious studies.
Then, students will learn about their areas of specialisation. This sequencing, he explained, will allow students to choose their area of specialisation, choosing to graduate with a single or a double major.
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To address concerns expressed by potential employers, the new curriculum will make practical experience mandatory for graduation.
Moreover, students will have to choose an additional real-world life skill, such as entrepreneurship and business development, civic engagement and network building, or participation in sports and competitions, and register for corresponding extracurricular activities in business incubation centres (BICs), student clubs, green clubs, sports, or university magazines.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 15th, 2020.
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