Higher Education Reforms in Pakistan

Atta-ur-Rahman, FRSPh.D.(Cambridge), Sc.D.(Cambridge)

Former Federal Minister of Science & Technology, IT/Telecom and Higher Education (2002-2008)

COMSTECHPakistan

Requirements for Rapid Progress

Human capital with knowledgewith knowledgeand skillsand skills

Science & Science & Technology

Innovation/Entrepreneurship Infrastructure Infrastructure and incentives to innovateand incentives to innovate

2

Pakistan---An Exciting Beginning- Political Will !

My appointment as Federal Minister of Science & Technology (2000), Federal Minister responsible for Higher Education (2002-2008)

6000% increase in budget of Science & Technology

2400% increase in budget of higher education during last 4 years

44

Key Challenges in Higher Education

Quality

• Standard of Education, Faculty & Research

Access

• Enrollment in higher education

Relevance

• Addressing the needs for Socio-Economic Development of Pakistan

Financing Reforms

STRATEGY1) BASIC SCIENCES

Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology)Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology)2) APPLIED SCIENCES

(Engineering, Agricultural sciences, (Engineering, Agricultural sciences, Biotechnology, Information Technology, Biotechnology, Information Technology, Pharmaceuticals, New Materials, Pharmaceuticals, New Materials, Communications, Renewable Energy) Communications, Renewable Energy)

3) SOCIAL SCIENCES

4) ECONOMICS, FINANCE, MANAGEMENT

5) LINKAGES WITH INDUSTRY

Challenge: How do we attract our brightest to Education/Research

? Pakistan has 85 million below age 19

(54% of population) !

Both a Challenge and an OpportunityBoth a Challenge and an Opportunity

It is the brightest among them who must It is the brightest among them who must provide the leadership in all fieldsprovide the leadership in all fields------education, S&T, Governmenteducation, S&T, Government

HOW ??HOW ??

Attracting the Brightest ! 11) Excite young minds about the wonders

that science ! 2) Select and train the Brightest in top

universities abroad 3) Attract them back--- by creating an

enabling environment : Salaries Research Funding Access to Literature/ Instrumentation Critical Mass—create clusters !

Attracting the Brightest ! Change in Salary Structures/Benefits

Under new “Tenure Track” system salaries of Professors raised to over US $ 5,000 per month(equal to US$ 7,000 per month after tax concessions)---several times more than Federal Ministers in Government !

Performance based system

75% Tax waiver for University Teachers (maximum 5%)

Attracting the Brightest !Science is Fun !!!Science is Fun !!!

Rewarding Talent Rewarding Talent ::Young Productive Scientists have Young Productive Scientists have

higher emoluments than more “senior” higher emoluments than more “senior” professors (Research Productivity)professors (Research Productivity)

Reversing the Brain Drain !

Under Under Foreign Faculty Hiring ProgramForeign Faculty Hiring Programover over 600 600 eminent scientists and eminent scientists and educationists have been attracted backeducationists have been attracted back------after living most of their lives in the Westafter living most of their lives in the West

ClusteringClustering------45 45 mathematicians, mostly mathematicians, mostly from Eastern Europe, all clustered in one from Eastern Europe, all clustered in one institutioninstitution------Govt. College/Univ., LahoreGovt. College/Univ., Lahore

Training the BrightestTraining the Brightest!! Massive Foreign scholarship programs

Nearly 4,000 awarded to date (Mostly for Europe)Nearly 4,000 awarded to date (Mostly for Europe) World’s largest Fulbright Scholarship program for World’s largest Fulbright Scholarship program for

the USthe US

Over Rs US$ 1 Bln being spent on 8,000 Foreign Scholarships

National Competitions --- Selection by Foreign Teams

International LinkagesInternational Linkages US$ 100,000 research grant to each US$ 100,000 research grant to each

returning scholar returning scholar ------ conditional : 3 conditional : 3 -- year year collaboration with foreign university collaboration with foreign university (potentially 4000 Linkages)(potentially 4000 Linkages)

Strong Joint Research Initiatives with USAStrong Joint Research Initiatives with USA

Linkages established with top Western established with top Western Institutions Institutions ------ 50 with British Universities, 50 with British Universities, many othersmany others

Training the Brightest!Training the Brightest!

Massive Massive postdoctoral trainingpostdoctoral training program program launched launched for all local PhD.s

ALL local PhD students now have ALL local PhD students now have opportunities to study abroad on opportunities to study abroad on sandwich sandwich PhD programs

Strong Quality Assurance

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Distribution of Approved Project CostDistribution of Approved Project Cost

Using Technology to Leap-Frog!

Pakistan Educational Research Network

Digital Library Program

PAKSAT 1 (Pakistan’s Educational Satellite)

Pakistan’s International Video-conferencing Network

Spread of Internet Services in Cities & Towns of Pakistan

Information Technology

1050

2000

580

290

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

Year

Internet user growth

Internet users

-

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

Jan-9

5

Jan-9

6

Jan-9

7

Jan-9

8

Jan-9

9

Jan-0

0

Jan-0

1

Jan-0

2

Internet users

Start point

Today

June 2000: 130,000 Oct 2006: >12 million

Actual users more than 12

Million!

Dial up

Plummeting costs….

Cost /E1

-

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

Mar-00

May-00

Jul-0

0Sep

-00Nov

-00Ja

n-01

Mar-01

May-01

US

$

Cost /E1

Start point

Today

June 2000: US$ 87,000/E1 August 2001: US$ 6,000

October 2004 : US$ 3,800

Now US$ 950 per month/2 Mb/s !

PERN PERN Pakistan Education & Research NetworkPakistan Education & Research Network

Jamshoro Tandojam

Nawab Shah

D.I.Khan

Topi

Khairpur Khuzdar

Abbottabad

Core Network Nodes 03Total Universities 56(16 OFS, 22 DXX, 17 DRS, 1 VSAT)

Digital Library

25,000 full text journals—nation-wide,free-of-charge!!!

OverOver 11..22 millionmillion articlesarticles downloadeddownloaded inin 20062006 !! AlmostAlmost 300300,,000000 endend usersusers trainedtrained nationwidenationwide One Window Search Engine developed with One Window Search Engine developed with

Lund UniversityLund University Web of Science, Web of Science, ScifinderScifinder Scholar, EMBASE, Scholar, EMBASE,

IEEE, IEEE, ChemChem//Biol.AbstractsBiol.Abstracts etc.etc.

Digital Library Pakistan’s Pakistan’s National E-Books Program

launched in September 2007launched in September 2007

Provides free nation-wide access to over 40,000 text books and monographs

Over 220 international publishers

DownDown--loadable and key wordloadable and key word--searchablesearchable

Paksat 1

Ku Band

C-Band

Virtual University

4 Digital Satellite (PAKSAT4 Digital Satellite (PAKSAT--1) TV 1) TV Channels for content delivery (License Channels for content delivery (License for 2 granted)for 2 granted)

Satellite Earth Station Satellite Earth Station 2 Recording Studios2 Recording Studios Potential for providing high quality Potential for providing high quality

training in remote areas of Pakistan training in remote areas of Pakistan

International Video-lecturing Program / Distance Learning

High quality video-conferencingequipment installed

Series of international lectures (nation-wide) by top professors from leading universities in USA, Europe, Japan etc.

MIT Mirror Website for access to Open Source materials established ((http://mitocw.pern.edu.pkhttp://mitocw.pern.edu.pk))

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Quality Enhancement Cells

Quality Enhancement Cells are presently Quality Enhancement Cells are presently functioning in 30 public sector universities.15 functioning in 30 public sector universities.15 QECs will become functional in the public sector QECs will become functional in the public sector universities in the year 2009universities in the year 2009--10.10.

Internal Quality Assurance System (IQA)Self Assessment ManualSelf Assessment Manual Higher Education Commission (HEC) has Higher Education Commission (HEC) has

developed methods for assessing the quality developed methods for assessing the quality of academic programsof academic programs

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External Quality Assurance (EQA)

Quality Assurance Agency (QAA)Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) QAA regulates and facilitates the Quality QAA regulates and facilitates the Quality

Enhancement Cells (QECs) established in Enhancement Cells (QECs) established in Universities Universities

QAA arranges capacity building training QAA arranges capacity building training seminars and workshops on regular basis seminars and workshops on regular basis

QAA develops policies and guidelines to QAA develops policies and guidelines to assure that the quality of higher education assure that the quality of higher education

QAA serves as master trainer to build QAA serves as master trainer to build capacity in professionals in QECs capacity in professionals in QECs

QAA is a monitoring and regulatory body to QAA is a monitoring and regulatory body to focus on quality focus on quality

2727

Accreditation Councils

Accreditation Councils Established by the Accreditation Councils Established by the HEC:HEC:

1.1. National Computing Education Accreditation National Computing Education Accreditation Council (NCEAC)Council (NCEAC)

2.2. National Agricultural Education Accreditation National Agricultural Education Accreditation Council (NAEAC)Council (NAEAC)

3.3. Accreditation Council for Teachers Education Accreditation Council for Teachers Education (ACTE)(ACTE)

4.4. Pakistan Business Education Accreditation Pakistan Business Education Accreditation Council (PBEAC)Council (PBEAC)

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Quality Criteria developed by HEC

Eligibility criteria for appointment of Eligibility criteria for appointment of Faculty membersFaculty members

Criteria for award of Criteria for award of M.PhilM.Phil/PhD/PhD Institutional Affiliation CriteriaInstitutional Affiliation Criteria Tenure Track System (Faculty Tenure Track System (Faculty

Appointments)Appointments) Plagiarism PolicyPlagiarism Policy QA FrameworkQA Framework Criteria for recognition of JournalsCriteria for recognition of Journals

Glowing International ReviewsGlowing International Reviews------A Silent RevolutionA Silent Revolution

World BankWorld Bank USAIDUSAID British CouncilBritish Council

“Nature“Nature””----2727thth November 2007November 2007-------- “The “The Paradox of Pakistan”Paradox of Pakistan”

““NatureNature”” ----2828thth August 2008August 2008------ “After “After Musharraf”Musharraf”

Results 600% in ISI abstracted publications and 600% in ISI abstracted publications and

1000% increase in citations over last 4 1000% increase in citations over last 4 yearsyears

Young men and women have started Young men and women have started opting to adopt careers in S&T subjects opting to adopt careers in S&T subjects as first choiceas first choice

Landscape of Universities has begun to Landscape of Universities has begun to changechange

010002000300040005000

2001 2003 2005 2007 2008

Publications

Publication

10 Year Citation Trends of Pakistan

2Source: ISI Web of Science (Databases=SCI-Expanded, SSCI, A&HCI)

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

16000

18000

20000

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

OIC Rising Stars

33

Sr. No. Country Field1 Tunisia Agricultural Sciences

2 Nigeria Biology & Biochemistry

3 Iran Clinical Medicine

4 Pakistan Computer Sciences

5 U Arab Emirates Economic & Business

6 Pakistan Engineering

7 Iran Environment / Ecology

8 Nigeria Immunology

9 Pakistan Material Sciences

10 Pakistan Mathematics

11 Tunisia Microbiology

12 U Arab Emirates Pharmacology & Toxicology

13 Pakistan Plant & Animal Sciences

Source: Science Watch.Com sciencewatch.com/dr/rs/08sep-rs

Ph.D. Output Growing by 50% annually !!

Investment in HRD Pays Back a Million fold !

12 Students trained under our scholarship 12 Students trained under our scholarship program formed an IT company in Islamabadprogram formed an IT company in Islamabad

------won a contract of US $ 250 million (Rs 20 billion) in competition to major international in competition to major international companiescompanies

Innovation determines ProgressInnovation determines Progress--------but you but you must create and nurture the Innovation must create and nurture the Innovation Workers ! Workers !

Expert Assistance Expert Assistance Needed Needed

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CurrentlyCurrently implicationsimplications ofof BolognaBologna ProcessProcessareare underunder nationalnational levellevel consultationconsultation

InternationalInternational bestbest practicespractices areare beingbeingreviewedreviewed && underunder processprocess ofof implementationimplementation::11.. QualityQuality AssuranceAssurance SystemSystem22.. DiplomaDiploma SupplementSupplement FormForm33.. AccreditationAccreditation SystemSystem44.. QualificationQualification FrameworkFramework55.. EstablishmentEstablishment ofof DirectorateDirectorate ofof DistanceDistance

EducationEducation66.. CrossCross BorderBorder EducationEducation77.. PhDPhD CountryCountry DirectoryDirectory

Progress at HEC

Higher Education

Science

Technology

THANK YOUTHANK YOU