The Association of Private Sector Universities of Pakistan (APSUP) plays a crucial role in the policy formulation for the higher education sector, serving as a key advocate for private institutions. By engaging with policymakers, government bodies, and educational authorities, APSUP ensures that the perspectives and needs of private sector universities are effectively represented in policy discussions. The association actively participates in shaping educational regulations, promoting fair and transparent practices, and addressing issues that impact the academic and operational environment of private universities. Through its strategic advocacy efforts, APSUP contributes to the development of policies that foster innovation, enhance educational standards, and support the growth of higher education in Pakistan.
A series of round-tables were held to identify and address the multifaceted challenges faced by higher education institutions in Pakistan. They explored strategic solutions to enhance institutional effectiveness and resilience in the face of evolving demands. Six roundtables have convened a diverse array of strategic thinkers and education leaders from across Pakistan to engage in comprehensive discussions on critical aspects of the higher education landscape.
The findings from these roundtables are detailed below, reflecting the collective wisdom and expertise of the participants. APSUP has synthesized these insights to formulate strategic policy recommendations aimed at guiding the future development of the higher education sector. By sharing these recommendations with regulators, policymakers, and other key stakeholders, APSUP underscores its commitment to advancing academic policy and contributing to the evolution of higher education in Pakistan.
RISING TO CHALLENGES:
PAKISTAN’S HIGHER EDUCATION AND GLOBAL CHALLENGES
This discussion examined the impact of global trends and international standards on Pakistan’s higher education system, highlighting opportunities for growth and alignment within a global context.
The Key Policy Recommendations emerged from the consultative sessions are:
Enhance Pakistani remittances to $100 billion annually by addressing the global workforce shortage, collaborating to export human capital through efforts by the Higher Education Commission, Ministry of Education, universities, and Pakistani embassies, and strengthening international university offices.
Advance educational diplomacy and quality education for the Pakistani diaspora by facilitating the establishment of offshore and international campuses, easing inward student mobility to attract more international students and enhance Pakistan’s global image, and providing affordable, high-quality education to expatriates.
Increase annual revenue to over $1 billion through medical education reforms by allocating 50% of seats in medical colleges to overseas Pakistani and international students and preventing the outflow of $70 million per year for medical education.
Advance academic development and collaboration by establishing Centers of Excellence in public and private universities with HEC support, increasing partnerships between national and international universities to modernize teaching, implementing distance learning and foreign educator involvement, integrating technology through university technology parks, and facilitating global collaborations through APSUP while ensuring equal policies.
Advance academic development and collaboration by establishing Centers of Excellence with HEC support, fostering partnerships between national and international universities, implementing distance learning and foreign educator involvement, creating technology parks for innovation, facilitating global collaborations through APSUP, and ensuring regulatory parity.
Improve teaching and curriculum by fostering innovation and entrepreneurship, recruiting skilled faculty to bridge academia-industry gaps, segregating teaching and research facilities, promoting hands-on learning, facilitating robust student exchange programs, and enhancing overall quality. Strengthen industry-academia linkages and innovation by developing faculty through industry collaboration, creating strategic plans with SWOT analysis, providing financial support and fostering industry partnerships, engaging stakeholders in policymaking, ensuring stable HEC policies, and promoting market-oriented education.
Enhance curriculum and skills development by bridging the gap between IT education and global standards, encouraging applied research and strengthening industry-academia linkages, improving assessment systems, and aligning curriculum outcomes with industry needs. Additionally, focus on enhancing language and communication skills by incorporating conversational English and integrating IT skills across disciplines. Grant universities the autonomy to revise their curricula in response to industry demands and ensure that digital learning resources are readily accessible for students.
CREATING IMPACT:
STRATEGIES FOR INTEGRATING ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND RESEARCH COMMERCIALIZATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION
This session explored strategies for embedding entrepreneurial thinking within higher education frameworks, integrating research initiatives, and addressing the commercialization of academic research. It emphasized approaches for fostering innovation and bridging the gap between academia and industry to maximize societal impact.
The Key Policy Recommendations emerged from the consultative sessions are:
Advancing research commercialization and entrepreneurship by fostering faculty spin-offs, initiating joint research projects, enhancing IPO office support, elevating Ph.D. programs, and transforming research findings into commercial success.
Integrate practical learning by incorporating indentureship into curricula, fostering hands-on experiences, and encouraging students to acquire real-world skills during their studies.
Achieve success in commercialization by establishing robust industry partnerships, building comprehensive innovation ecosystems, implementing clear intellectual property management policies, cultivating an entrepreneurial culture through specialized programs, and utilizing tech transfer offices to manage patents and industry collaborations.
Bridge academia and industry by facilitating the transfer of research-based knowledge to the commercial market, enhancing employability through practical experiences, and aligning academic research with industry demands for economic growth.
IMPACT OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES AND AI ON HIGHER EDUCATION:
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
This theme assessed how technological advancements, particularly artificial intelligence, are transforming higher education. It covered both the challenges and opportunities presented by these technologies, including their influence on teaching, learning, and administrative processes.
The Key Policy Recommendations emerged from the consultative sessions are:
Enhance faculty and training initiatives by implementing capacity-building programs on AI/Chat GPT, introducing structured teacher training programs at universities, designating specialists to train educators in less developed areas, and extending the tenure for Curriculum Review Committee members.
Explore the impact of emerging technologies by encouraging research forums on AI in higher education, develop initiatives to study AI’s role in reshaping educational paradigms, and establish committees to address challenges and opportunities associated with AI integration.
Evaluate AI’s impact on decision-making processes, strategic planning, and daily life by conducting studies and discussions on how AI enhances data-driven insights, strategic recommendations, and integration into various industries.
APSUP’s consultative roundtables on Pakistan Education Policy 2021
Following the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training’s directive to develop the ‘Pakistan Education Policy 2021’ through stakeholder consultations, APSUP took the initiative to organize a comprehensive series of consultative roundtables involving key representatives from the private higher education sector. Through a formal hybrid meeting format, APSUP conducted seven indigenous roundtables at various regional destinations.
One such roundtable took place at The University of Lahore (UOL), organized by Mr. Awais Raoof, Chairman of the Board of Governors (BOG) UOL and President of APSUP (Punjab Chapter).
The objective of this gathering was to deliberate and prepare recommendations for the development of Pakistan Education Policy 2021, under an agenda “To Deliberate and Prepare Recommendations Towards the Development of Pakistan Education Policy 2021”. Participants shared their experiences, viewpoints, and shed light on the education policy of Pakistan.
In the second roundtable, a meeting of private sector universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was held out of which several recommendations and suggestions emerged after thorough deliberations.
Additionally, a regional consultation session was initiated by the Association of Private Sector Universities of Pakistan (APSUP) and the Inter University Consortium for Promotion of Social Sciences, Pakistan (IUCPSS). This session, jointly hosted by Hazara University, Mansehra, and Islamia College University on January 2021, aimed to facilitate discussions among stakeholders. Furthermore, a meeting took place at the Department of Education, Sukkur IBA University.
The purpose of this session was to discuss the overall state of education and gather recommendations from relevant stakeholders regarding the National Education Policy 2021. This document captures the minutes of the session, focusing on the recommendations shared by the participants.
APSUP’s consultative roundtables have played a vital role in contributing to the development of the Pakistan Education Policy 2021 by incorporating diverse perspectives and insights from stakeholders in the private sector higher education domain.
Subsequent to the letter of Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, Government of Pakistan on the subject of developing a ‘Pakistan Education Policy 2021’ through a consultative process, a formal hybrid meeting was held at The University of Lahore (UOL) on Monday, January 18, 2021 at 11:00 AM organized by Mr. Awais Raoof, Chairman BOG UOL/President APSUP (Punjab Chapter) & Mr. Mian Imran Masood, Vice Chancellor, University of South Asia, Lahore/Vice President APSUP (Punjab Chapter), convened by Prof. Dr. Mohammad Nizamuddin (SI), Pro-Rector, Superior University, Lahore (former Chairperson PHEC) to deliberate and prepare recommendations towards the development of Pakistan Education Policy 2021.
Vice Chancellors from 40 universities shared their views.
A regional consultation session, with all the stakeholders was initiated by Association of Private Sector Universities of Pakistan (APSUP) and Inter University Consortium for Promotion of Social Sciences, Pakistan (IUCPSS). It was jointly hosted by Hazara University Mansehra & Islamia College University on January 21, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. at Islamia College University Peshawar.
The consultation session on Pakistan Education Policy 2021 started with recitation from the Holy Quran. The Executive Director APSUP Mr. Murtaza Noor welcomed the participants and thanked the Vice Chancellor ICU Peshawar & Vice Chancellor of Hazara University Mansehra for hosting the session.
Thereafter, Mr. Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani the Additional Secretary, Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training was requested to brief the participants about the Pakistan Education Policy 2021 and the purpose of the consultation. The Additional Secretary highlighted that the National Education Policy 2021 is going to be formulated after consultation with the stakeholders.
Vice Chancellors from 36 universities shared their views.
Vice Chancellors of 12 universities participated in the second day of the high level consultative meeting on Education Policy 2021 in coordination with the Federal Ministry of Education and Vocational Training at the Islamia University of Bahawalpur.
The event was organized by Association of Private Sector Universities of Pakistan (APSUP), the Department of Education, the lslamia University of Bahawalpur and the Inter-University Consortium for the Promotion of Social Sciences, the session agreed to make joint efforts at all levels for development of higher standards in the field of higher education and research. Vice Chancellors from 12 universities shared their views.
A meeting was held in the Department of Education, Sukkur IBA University on 27th January, 2021. The session was attended by Vice Chancellors, Department Heads and faculty members of universities and other higher educational institutions of Sindh and officials of Association of Private Sector Universities of Pakistan (APSUP) and Inter University Consortium for Promotion of Social Sciences Pakistan (IUCPSS).
The purpose of this session was to discuss the overall conditions of education and to collect recommendations from the relevant stakeholders in relation to the National Education Policy 2021. The recommendations shared by the session participants were recorded.
Vice Chancellors from 10 universities shared their views.
The Regional Round Table on Pakistan Education Policy 2021 was held on February 3rd, 2021, at AL-HAMD Islamic University in Quetta. Chaired by Mr. Murtaza Noor, the consultation brought together a diverse group of stakeholders in the field of education to discuss and provide input on the proposed education policy for Pakistan.
The purpose of this consultation was to foster collaboration, gather valuable insights, and shape a comprehensive and inclusive education policy that addresses the current challenges and opportunities in the Pakistani educational landscape. Vice Chancellors from 12 universities shared their views.
The 6th Hybrid Regional Roundtable consultation on Pakistan Education Policy was held on Tuesday, February 2, 2021 at 2:00 pm. Representatives of various public and private higher learning institutions of Pakistan attended the meeting on ‘Higher Education Policy’ at the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi (UoK) in collaboration with Iqra University (IU), Karachi.
Additional Secretary of Education, Federal Ministry Mr. Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani spoke on the occasion. Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary, Director of the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences delivered welcome remarks, while APSUP Executive Director Muhammad Murtaza Noor conducted the seminar.
Vice Chancellors from 23 universities shared their views.