Engineering varsities urged to modernise curriculum

Minister wants students equipped with technical knowledge, skills

ISLAMABAD:

Federal Minister for Planning Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal has urged engineering universities to reform their curriculum keeping in view the challenges of the fourth industrial revolution and the market demands of the country.

The minister made these remarks while chairing a meeting with vice-chancellors of the country’s engineering universities, representatives of the engineering industry, the Higher Education Commission, the Pakistan Engineering Council and the Institution of Engineers Pakistan.

The meeting aimed at formulating a plan of action to review the curriculum of engineering universities and modernising teaching methodology bringing engineering education on a path with the global competition.

“Mere degree-based education doesn’t mean anything but it’s the skill set and the skill-based education, our universities impart to the students. Today’s world values skilled human resources more than mere armchair scientists or degree holders, hence, it’s imperative especially for the engineering universities to equip students with the modern-day technology and accustom them with the technical knowledge and skills”, maintained the planning minister.

We need to break “ego-systems” and instead create “eco-systems” of innovation in our universities, remarked the minister. It was decided that a task force comprising a representation of the VCs of the engineering universities, officials from the HEC, PEC, IEP and the engineering industry.

The task force after its thorough review and expert-level extensive deliberations would give its recommendation and overall implementation strategy to modernise engineering education in Pakistan.

It is noted that since the government came into power in April last year, the planning minister has been conducting such reviews and reassuring his resolve to keep higher education as one of the top priorities.

The federal government since it assumed last year had been funding the HEC and the universities for the improvement of higher education programmes and upgrading the education and the infrastructure of the public sector universities despite the acute financial crunch.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 30^th, 2023.