pakistan to cooperate with saarc universities on covid
TRANSCRIPT
October-December 2020
HEC Forms Transition Body for PMC Act 2020
Hybrid Education Vital to Build Non-Elitist
Society: President Alvi
HEC Awards 10 Projects worth Rs. 150m for
Research on COVID-19
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SAARC VCs Meet Online
Pakistan to Cooperate with SAARC Universities on COVID Response
Pakistan to Cooperate with SAARC Universities on COVID Response
Graphic Designer Raja Ahmad Nadeem
Reporter Syed Muhammad Ittifaq
EditorAayesha Ikram
Higher Education Commission, Pakistan
News & Views is published after every
three months. No part of this publication
may be reproduced in any form without
prior written permission of the publisher.
The views expressed by authors in the
articles are their sole responsibility and
not of HEC. The Commission would like
to thank all the institutions and
individuals who contributed information
and photographs for this Magazine.
contentNews & Views (October-December 2020)
Pakistan to Cooperate with SAARC Universities on COVID Response
HEC Forms Transition Body for PMC Act 2020
Hybrid Education Vital to Build Non-Elitist Society: President Alvi
Dr. Shaista Sohail Joins HEC as Executive Director
HEC Offering Multiple Opportunities for Students of Balochistan
HEC Issues New Policy Guidance for Universities’ Online, Hybrid Operations
VCs Committed to Deterring Disruption in Education as COVID-19 Resurges
HEC Awards 10 Projects worth Rs. 150m for Research on COVID-19
91 Sri Lankan Students Win Scholarship to Study in Pakistan
HEC Formulates, Upgrades Policies on Basis of Evidence: Chairman
HEC Wins 15 Medals in Weightlifting Championship
NAHE holds Capacity Building Trainings for HEC Employees
HEC, Oxfam Join Hands for Implementation of Policy on Sexual Harassment
NTC Committed to Improving Quality of Technology Education
President Alvi for Joint Efforts to Curb Drug Use, Facilitate Differently-abled Students
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Chairman Higher Education
Commission (HEC) Tariq Banuri
has said that all the SAARC
Member States have similar
experiences in terms of the use
of different applications and
software for online education,
governance of e-learning
system, capacity building of
faculty, poor internet
connectivity, and power
breakdowns and need for
technological infrastructure.
“All of the SAARC Member
States have addressed different
issues with different degrees of
success and all of them will
benefit from sharing of
information, pooling of
resources and collaboration in
capacity building as well as
research. Pakistan is fully
committed to regional
cooperation and would be
happy to arrange capacity
building programmes for
regional partners and support
collaborative research and
exchange.”
He said this while chairing a
meeting of the Vice
Chancellors and
representatives of HEC,
University Grants Commissions
(UGCs) or equivalent entities of
the SAARC Member States.
HEC Pakistan hosted the two-
day online meeting. It
discussed in detail the issues
and challenges pertaining to
the online mode of learning
amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
During the meeting, delegates
from all the SAARC States,
including Afghanistan,
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India,
Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and
Sri Lanka shared how the
universities and other higher
education institutions in their
respective countries are
functioning in the current
situation, and what solutions
are being adopted to cope
with the multifaceted
challenges posed by the
COVID-19 pandemic.
The sessions of the meeting
covered topics such as the
technological infrastructure for
online learning, effective
teaching through online mode,
quality assurance for online
Pakistan to Cooperate with SAARC Universities on COVID Response
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SAARC VCs Meet Online
education, and evaluation
and assessment for online
education. The delegates
presented their respective
national statements on all
the topics.
The participants noted that
online education is
altogether different from
conventional teaching.
There was a consensus
that sharing of
experience of the shift to
online education will be
highly beneficial for all
the Member States.
The Vice Chancellors also
discussed various
approaches being
adopted to make sure
that the quality of education
is not compromised, besides
ways and methods for
proper monitoring of online
examination and evaluation.
During the meeting,
Director Education, Security
and Culture, SAARC
Secretariat, Ms. Varuni
Muthukumarana said that
education has always been one
of the core areas of
cooperation among SAARC
member countries. She
stressed the need for
harnessing the efforts to
ensure the quality of online
learning.
Mr. Banuri appreciated all the
participants for their
commitment to enhancing
cooperation among higher
education institutions of
SAARC countries, especially
with regard to Covid-19
situation. He thanked the
SAARC Secretariat and other
participants for their valuable
insight and recommendations
for overcoming different
challenges of online education.
“I would like to reflect the
collective feeling of participants
that there is a need for
immediate cooperation in all
the areas discussed. Though all
the countries are making
a varying level of
progress in different
categories, we will all
benefit from the sharing
of spheres, including
technology usage,
bringing efficiency in
blended teaching and
learning, online
assessment and
evaluation of students,
and quality assurance
mechanisms.”
He further added that the
‘content of new pedagogical
enterprise’ needs to be pooled,
while curating the courses,
giving the students an easy
access to education, lowering
the cost of online e-learning,
and developing content and
making it easily available to
students.
The ‘content of new pedagogical enterprise’ needs to be pooled, while curating
the courses, giving the students an easy access to education, lowering the cost of online e-
learning, and developing content and making it easily
available to students.
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Pursuant to the promulgation
of PMC Act 2020, the uniform
minimum standards of basic
and higher medical education,
training and recognition of
qualifications in medicine and
dentistry will be formulated
and implemented.
PMC and the HEC will work
together and closely
HEC Forms Transition Body for PMC Act 2020coordinate to define the
regulatory scope. The
Transition Committee has
been constituted to ensure
that there will be gradual
transition in terms of setting
standards, devising
mechanisms/policies
regarding curriculum, faculty
and inspection of medical and
dental colleges.
The Higher Education
Commission (HEC), Pakistan
has constituted a Transition
Committee with
representation of relevant
stakeholders for a smooth
transition to the regulatory
framework governing medical
and dental education under
the Pakistan Medical
Commission (PMC) Act 2020.
(HEC) and the British Council.
Minister for Federal Education
and Professional Training Mr.
Shafqat Mahmood and
Chairman HEC Tariq Banuri
also attended the session.
The three days of conference
brought together scholars and
higher education experts from
the UK and Pakistan to share
how universities in both the
countries have responded to
COVID scenario, and discussed
further strengthening of
strategic transnational
education partnership
between the two countries.
Various sessions of the
conference focused on
building a sustainable future
for international higher
education, role of higher
education leadership during
COVID, international
collaborations and
internationalisation
of higher education,
future of distance
learning, and
mobility
programmes.
The President
appreciated the
HEC-BC
partnerships, which
have led to
development of
Pakistan’s first
Open and Distance Learning
Policy. He emphasised that
COVID, besides its
catastrophic impacts on all the
spheres of life, will leave
strong imprints on the
education system, and that the
situation has created
President of Pakistan Dr. Arif
Alvi has said that Pakistan is
moving towards developing a
non-elitist society and in this
pursuit the hybrid mode of
learning can play a vital role.
He said that Pakistan is quickly
transitioning into an era,
wherein hybrid
education is
changing the whole
spectrum of society
by opening new
possibilities and
opportunities. It has
made knowledge
dynamic and non-
static.
He made these
remarks while
addressing the
closing session of the 3-day
Pak-UK Education Gateway
virtual conference entitled
“Rethinking and Reshaping a
Resilient Higher Education
System.” The conference was
jointly organised by the
Higher Education Commission
Hybrid Education Vital to Build Non-Elitist Society: President Alvi
Pak-UK Education Gateway Virtual Conference
Various sessions of the conference focused on building a sustainable
future for international higher education, role of higher education
leadership during COVID, international collaborations and
internationalisation of higher education, future of distance
learning, and mobility programmes.
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opportunities by making
institutions adopt new
highways towards progress.
Dr. Alvi asserted that the
hybrid learning has made it
easier for women to get
educated and empowered,
adding that it is one of the
Government’s priorities to
make education less expensive
and less-elitist.
He said that the Pakistani
universities are providing
virtual and open learning
much cheaper, compared to
the rest of the world, and
stressed the need for teachers
to adapt themselves to the
new teaching requirements.
“The faster we move, the
sooner we will make it easier
for people to acquire
education in the prevailing
situation.”
He also highlighted the need
for development of a
certification system to
examine and assess students.
He also underlined the
significance of the Pakistani
diaspora in the UK and across
the world, especially
professionals, in terms of their
role in the uplift of systems in
the country.
Minister Shafqat Mahmood
said that 1.5 million Pakistani
youth are critical asset of the
country, and the Government
is committed to investing in
youth development to
position them in the global
market.
Acknowledging the
paramount importance of UK’s
education system, he said that
Pakistan is also putting
strenuous efforts to make its
higher education system
compatible with the best
higher education sectors of
the world. “In this pursuit, the
contribution of partners like
Pak-UK Education Gateway was launched in 2018, with an aim to
further enhance partnership between the higher education
sectors of Pakistan and the UK under a structured programme
jointly sponsored by the Government of Pakistan and the British
Council Pakistan.
Under the programme, the key areas of collaboration include:
innovative and collaborative research, higher education
leadership, quality assurance and standard setting, distance
learning, international mobility, community engagement and
transnational education.
During the first year of execution, 21 travel and exploratory
grants have enabled 50 plus faculty to meet relevant partners,
seven large scale projects between UK and Pakistan have been
shortlisted to embark upon crucial research ventures, strategic
relationships have been developed between National Academy
of Higher Education (NAHE) and Advance Higher Education UK
to help enhance the governance systems and Quality Assurance
Agency of the UK is closely working with HEC to help establish
quality mechanisms for the higher education sector of Pakistan.
Pakistan-UK Education Gateway
the UK Government and the
British Council, who are
consistently lending their hand
to us, are highly valuable.”
The Minister said that Pakistan
appreciated the openness of
the British people towards the
Pakistani diaspora. He said the
programmes like Pak-UK
Education Gateway can prove
to be very helpful in rethinking
anniversary of Pakistan-UK
Education Gateway. He
emphasised that it is high time
to strengthen international
collaboration to share not only
the best practices but also the
challenges the entire world is
facing in the wake of COVID-
19 outbreak. “We have to learn
from each other and advance
our educational agenda
forward.” He said that as the
and reshaping a resilient
higher education sector. He
admired the role of this
programme in developing the
Pakistan’s Open and Distance
Learning Policy.
Chairman HEC Tariq Banuri
congratulated the conference
participants on the second
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COVID has changed the world,
including the higher education
sector, the HEC adopted an
eight-component approach to
mitigate the disruption. He
also dilated on the measures
taken for technology
preparedness, teacher
preparedness, student
preparedness, course
development, laboratories and
libraries readiness,
examination and evaluation
mechanism, and student
access to higher education.
In his remarks, Minister for
South Asia, Foreign,
Commonwealth and
Development Office, Tariq
Mehmood Ahmed said the
HEC-BC partnership has
ushered a new era of bilateral
engagement and productive
outcomes. He said that the UK
Government attaches high
importance to supporting
education in Pakistan. He
informed the participants that
35000 Pakistani students have
completed their degrees in the
past few years in the UK
universities, while 60,000
students are currently pursuing
their degrees. “These numbers
will continue to grow, as we
building on the success of the
bilateral partnership.”
During the sessions, Dr. Fateh
Marri, Member Operations &
Planning, HEC, briefed the
panelists about the HEC’s
efforts to mitigate the
disruption caused by COVID-
19. He said that HEC
established three different
committees to deal with
medical, technological and
infrastructural, and content
related issues in order to
mitigate the disruption in the
education process. He also
apprised the conference
participants of challenges and
outcomes of the Learning
Management System adopted
by higher education
institutions in Pakistan. He also
shed light on the HEC
guidelines with regard to the
efforts to continue with the
educational process.
Mr. Alison Johns, CEO Advance
HE, UK dilated on the
challenges faced by the UK
higher education sector and
the response of the leadership
during the COVID-19
pandemic.
Vivienne Sterm, Member of the
steering committee on
Pakistan-UK Education
Gateway, shared the
experience and responses from
the UK higher education sector
to the COVID-19 crisis,
highlighting a number of good
practices adopted in the said
time.
Ms. Shahnaz Wazir Ali,
President, SZABIST, stressed
the need for universities to be
responsive to the rapidly
changing environment of the
day, not just locally but also
globally.
Tahir Abbas Zaidi, Director
Attestation & Accreditation
HEC Pakistan shares his
thoughts on Transnational
Education, and how
international collaborations
are beneficial for providing
access to quality education to
students.
Dr. Mike Winter, Director
Global Engagement, University
of London International said,
“I'm inspired by the herculean
efforts of all stakeholders to
offer some continuity to the
delivery of the curriculum in
the face of this pandemic."
Mr. Matthew Foster, Director
International Development
Office, Open University UK
shared the idea behind the
establishment of the Open
University which was to
provide access and
opportunity to anyone seeking
to pursue higher education.
Dr. Zia-ul-Qayyum VC, Allama
Iqbal Open University spoke
about the various model of
distance learning in Pakistan.
And emphasised the
importance of creating
bespoke online learning
systems for students, shaped
to meet their unique needs.
On the occasion, Deputy High
Commissioner, British High
Commission, Mike
Nithavrianakis said that the
higher education sector is of
enormous importance for the
two countries, and the two
countries can make
remarkable achievements by
continuing and further
promoting the partnership.
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The Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan
requests all the provinces to earmark special
allocations for students from Balochistan. In a
statement, Chairman HEC Tariq Banuri said the
special allocations by provinces will build upon
the HEC’s dedicated programme of support for
Baloch students as well as students from remote
and less developed regions of the country.
In addition to the quota allocated for the students
from Balochistan in HEC’s all general scholarship
schemes, special progammes have also been
initiated. These initiatives have resulted in award
of 4523 need-based scholarships, 3000 Ehsaas
scholarships, 227 overseas scholarships, 332
indigenous scholarships and placement of 300
students in medical colleges every year.
In May 2020, a special package of Rs. 285 million
was separately allocated for universities of
Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan, over and above
their normal allocation for the upcoming financial
year 2020-21. The special programmes also
include Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan Package
for Master’s Leading to PhD Scholarship
Programme (Indigenous and Overseas). Since its
launch in 2012, 143 students have received
overseas scholarships, 159 students have availed
indigenous scholarships.
Similarly, 1000 undergraduate and 294
postgraduate scholarships were awarded under
the “Provision of Higher Education Opportunities
for Students of Balochistan & FATA (Phase-II)”
project, and 44 students under the “Law Graduates
Scholarship Programme for Balochistan for Study
Abroad” project. Students from Gwadar are also
being supported under a CPEC project. Since 2017,
50 students have completed their Chinese
language course in China, 19 BS (four-year)
students are studying in various institutions, and
cases of 31 students are under process.
Furthermore, a total of 30941 students from
Balochistan have benefitted from the Prime
Minister’s Fee Reimbursement Scheme for Less-
Developed Areas since 2012-13. HEC will continue
to undertake its mission of equipping the students
from Balochistan with international level of
education.
HEC Offering Multiple Opportunities for Students of Balochistan
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Dr. Shaista Sohail, a BPS-22 officer of
Pakistan Administrative Service has
joined the Higher Education
Commission (HEC), Pakistan as its
Executive Director.
With a doctorate in International
Relations from Geneva School of
Diplomacy, Switzerland and Masters
in Economics from University of the Punjab, Dr.
Shaista Sohail brings with her a diverse
experience of serving at national and
international levels.
She started her career as a Lecturer of Economics
at Government College for Women Okara. She
joined the Civil Service of Pakistan in 1985 with
her first assignment as Assistant Commissioner,
Karachi South. Her key postings
include Joint Secretary, Policy and
Planning, Ministry of Industries;
Member Estate CDA; Joint Secretary,
Debt Management/ Japan EAD;
Additional Secretary to the President
of Pakistan; Special Secretary Cabinet;
Secretary Statistics; Secretary Poverty
Alleviation and Social Safety Division,
Deputy Secretary Commerce WTO, Economic
Counsellor to WTO, Geneva.
In WTO Geneva, her abilities were recognised
internationally when she was made the
consensus Chairperson of the Working Party on
GATS Rules from amongst 150 countries. She
also won the “Best Contributor” Award from ITC
Geneva in 2007 Chamonix France.
Dr. Shaista Sohail Joins HEC as Executive Director
of students should not exceed 30 per cent of
the design capacity of the hotels (or a small
number if so dictated by health considerations).
“All SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) shall
be implemented strictly and diligently. The
universities will put in place appropriate
measures including isolating hostel residents
(i.e., treating the hostel as a safe bubble) to
protect them from external infection. Besides,
the universities shall draw up rules regarding
the presence of faculty members or staff on
campus,” it further said.
“All the VCs and heads of institutions shall
ensure that the flexibility granted by the
government is exercised in a judicious manner,
authorised at the highest level, and monitored
and managed effectively and efficiently,” read
the new Policy Guidance. HEC has also released
Rs. 10 million each to all public sector
HEC Issues New Policy Guidance for Universities’ Online, Hybrid Operations
Second Wave of COVID-19
examinations, such as MDCAT, other entrance
exams, recruitment exams, or prescheduled
small examinations (e.g., less than 30 students).
These could be conducted, if absolutely
necessary, with strict observance of all health
and safety protocols.
As for hostels, the new Policy Guidance said
that the VCs have the authority to allow limited
occupancy of hostels, subject to the instructed
restrictions. Only the students in the “essential”
categories would be allowed. The total number
All the VCs and heads of institutions shall ensure that the exibility granted by the government is exercised in a judicious manner, authorised at the highest level, and monitored and managed
effectively and efciently,
may be allowed on campus. These categories
may comprise low income students who may
have connectivity problems at home because of
lack of access to the Internet or the availability
of proper devices, foreign students, those PhD
or MPhil students (or final year students) who
need to use the laboratories to complete their
thesis work, or third year or higher medical
students who need to obtain clinical training.”
Universities were told that the total number of
the students permitted to come to campus
should not exceed 30 per cent of the total
enrollment, or a lower number if dictated by the
campus conditions.
Similarly, as the VCs might require the faculty
members to come to campus for delivering or
preparing their online lectures. All the large
examinations planned for December 2020 were
postponed, with exception of assessment
The Higher Education Commission (HEC),
Pakistan has announced a new Policy Guidance
for the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs),
following the Government’s decision regarding ndcontinuation of education during the 2 wave of
COVID-19.
In the light of the Government directions, the
VCs were authorised to allow small groups of
“essential” individuals on campus, subject to
implementation of scrutiny mechanisms or
safeguards. “Only certain categories of students
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universities to help them establish any
supportive arrangements needed to improve
the quality of the online education process.
Besides, the universities may recruit senior,
tech-savvy students to assist faculty members
in technology related problems involved in
online education.
Furthermore, HEC has constituted a COVID
Response Oversight Committee to collaborate
with the Vice Chancellors in their respective
regions, clarify questions or concerns, share
best practices, and oversee implementation.
The Committee is headed by Dr. Niaz Akhtar,
The Vice Chancellors (VCs) of all universities
across the country have reiterated their
commitment to ensure adherence to the SOPs
and government guidelines in view of the
situation evolving out of the COVID-19 thresurgence in the country. The 34 VCs
Committee meeting held online was attended
by a large number of Vice Chancellors and
Rectors.
The university heads reviewed the situation on
campuses with regard to the COVID-19,
especially in the perspective of the second wave
of the pandemic. They said that the universities
have taken a number of steps to cope with the
situation, including strict enforcement of SOPs
on campuses, reducing the numbers of students
in classrooms and hostels, and shift to hybrid
modes of instruction.
“In fact, while the adherence to SOPs has
dropped significantly in most other public
places, universities have tried hard to maintain
their level of vigilance and provide good
examples for others,” said the Vice Chancellors.
They expressed their total commitment to
adhering to the guidelines issued by the NCOC
Vice Chancellor Punjab University, and
comprises Dr. Tabassum Afzal (for ICT), Vice
Chancellor COMSATS University Islamabad, Dr.
Aslam Uqaili, Vice Chancellor Mehran University
of Engineering and Technology (for Sindh), Dr.
Abid Ali, Vice Chancellor Peshawar University
(for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Engr. Farooq Bazai,
Vice Chancallor BUITEMS (for Balochistan), Dr.
Kaleem Abbasi, Vice Chancellor AJK University
(for AJK), and Dr. Naeem Khan, Vice Chancellor
Baltistan University (for Gilgit-Baltistan).
The Committee will also interact with the
respective provincial governments to ensure
synchronised and cooperative action.
VCs Committed to Deterring Disruption in Education as COVID-19 Resurges
(National Command and Operation Centre) and
the health authorities. Majority of the VCs said
that they can switch to online or hybrid
instruction mode, and limiting those who are
allowed to enter the campus, in case the re-
emergence of the virus requires curtailment of
public interaction.
The meeting also discussed other options for
action, including enhancing counselling services
for students as well as the general public,
sharing of information and technical resources,
and mutual learning from best practices. They
also demanded that PTA (Pakistan
Telecommunication Authority) arrange better
data packages for students and faculty members
in order to facilitate online interaction and
instruction.
During the meeting, Chairman HEC Tariq Banuri
apprised the university heads of the decisions
made in the last NCOC meeting. He emphasized,
“We need to do the best we can to deter any
disruption in the education system being caused
by the situation evolving due to the COVID-19
recurrence.” He stressed that the universities
need to prepare and look ahead as to how they
can deal better any evolving situation.
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The Higher Education Commission (HEC),
Pakistan has finalised 10 project proposals for
funding under the Rapid Research Grant (RRG)
launched in response to COVID-19 crisis. The
grant is aimed to encourage academic research
to strengthen clinical management or public
health response against this virus.
The HEC launched the focused RRG in April 2020
to engage academia in research around the
clinical management of this epidemic. Under the
specialised research initiative, potential project
proposals were invited to contribute to the
much-needed understanding of coronaviruses --
the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and COVID-19.
Considering the time-crunch, a specialised panel
was constituted and tasked to complete the
shortlisting in 3-4 weeks. More than 300
applications were received for this grant. After
independent reviews, 58 proposals were
shortlisted based on already announced
eligibility criteria and other necessary
requirements. Later, these proposals were jointly
reviewed by experts of Medical and Biological
Sciences, Engineering and Technology and finally
10 quality projects made it to the last stage after
rigorous scrutiny.
The budget for each of RRG award is up to a
maximum of Rs. 15 million (USD 100,000) with a
maximum project duration of 12 months. These
research projects offer a variety of pragmatic
solution-oriented research, ranging from early
detection diagnostic kits to immune response
and understanding the virus behaviour.
University of the Punjab has won two grants --
one for an indigenous, low-cost production of
ultra-pure Taq Polymerase and PCR mix for
COVID-19 clinical diagnostic kits, and the other
for development of a reliable, economical and
high throughput serodiagnosis method for early
detection of COVID-19.
COMSATS University Islamabad has won the
grant for development of RT-LAMP Assay for
early detection of COVID-19, while National
Textile University, Faisalabad research will focus
on development of bioactive hospital textiles
and protective suits against viruses and bacteria
by immobilisation of nanomaterials. The
University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences,
Lahore has won the research grant for
epidemiological disease modelling and
molecular surveillance of SARS-CoV-2, while
DOW University of Health Sciences, Karachi will
be working on IVIG production from
convalescent plasma of COVID-19 survivors, a
low risk, high efficiency passive immunisation
strategy against SARS-CoV-2. Interestingly, the
test results of DOW university research are
already very promising.
Other project winners include the University of
Health Sciences, Lahore (Immunological Virology
and Genetic Basis of COVID-19 Patients), Lahore
University of Management Sciences (Mapping
Immune Response to SARS-COv2 using a
multidisciplinary approach), Aga Khan University,
Karachi (Phylo- and immuno- dynamics of SARS-
CoV-2 infection in Pakistan: relating COVID 19
disease severity in with viral diversity) and Health
Services Academy (HSA), Islamabad
(Computational Modelling for COVID-19
Epidemic in Pakistan: Predictive Modelling of
Disease Morbidity, Mortality and Assessment of
Demands on the Intensive Care Units).
With provision of RRGs, HEC hopes that
academic researchers will come forward to
contribute to better health systems coping with
the real-life challenges.
HEC Awards 10 Projects worth Rs. 150m for Research on COVID-19
HEC Awards 10 Projects worth Rs. 150m for Research on COVID-19
10
Pakistan High Commission
(PHC) Colombo and
University Grants Commission
(UGC), Sri Lanka.
A total of 172 applicants were
shortlisted for interview, out
of which 91 students have
been finally selected.
Spread over five years,
Allama Iqbal Scholarship
provide an excellent
opportunity for 1000 Sri
Lankan students to visit
Pakistan and pursue
undergraduate,
postgraduate, and doctoral
degree programmes in
Engineering Sciences, Basic
and Natural Sciences, and
Social Sciences.
The scholarship aims to
promote an effective
exchange of knowledge and
better understanding of
cultures and tradition
between Sri Lankan and
Pakistani students. Allama
91 Sri Lankan Students Win Scholarship to Study in Pakistan
Iqbal Scholarships are part of
HEC's internationalization
initiative to encourage
international students to study
in Pakistan.
The Sri Lankan students will
study in their respective
programmes in COMSATS
University, Islamabad; Fatima
Jinnah Women University,
Rawalpindi; Government
College University, Lahore;
Hazara University, Mansehra;
Islamic International
University, Islamabad; Institute
of Management Sciences,
Peshawar; Mehran University
of Engineering and
Technology, Jamshoro; NED
University of Engineering and
Technology, Karachi; National
University of Sciences and
Technology, Islamabad; Quaid-
i-Azam University, Islamabad;
Sukkur IBA University, Sukkur;
University of Engineering and
Technology, Taxila; and
University of the Punjab (UoP),
Lahore.
The Higher Education
Commission (HEC), Pakistan
has awarded Allama Iqbal
Scholarship to 91 Sri Lankan
students for Fall-2020/Spring-
2021 sessions to pursue
higher education in Pakistani
universities, under Pak-Sri
Lanka Higher Education
Cooperation Programme.
The selected students have
started arriving in Pakistan
and so far 27 students have
reached Islamabad, Lahore,
Karachi and Sukkur to join
their respective universities.
As many as 525 Sri Lankan
students had applied for
Medical, Engineering, BS, MS,
and PhD programmes in
response to HEC
announcement for Fall
2020/Spring 2021 admissions.
A selection board was
constituted for online
interviews, which comprised
officials from HEC Pakistan,
11
Chairman Higher Education
Commission (HEC) Tariq Banuri
has said that HEC always
protects the rights of teachers
and students with the goal of
continuous enhancement in
the quality of education.
“We are reviewing all the past
policies for flaws or
redundancies in order to
improve, modify, amend, or
revoke, as needed, but all this
has to be based on evidence,
analysis, and a proper
rationale, not random
observation. That is the
approach we have established
at HEC.”
These remarks were made after
the Chairman met with a few
representatives of a university
teachers’ association. He said
that HEC has been
continuously devising and
developing policies for all the
stakeholders, after due
consultation with experts from
all across Pakistan and nothing
is prepared or finalised in
haste.
“Every policy has gone through
a number of phases, namely
identification of a problem
(often by aggrieved persons),
collection of evidence, in-
house analysis, review by
external experts, and thorough
consultation with faculty
members, university leaders,
and other professionals from
all across Pakistan. This leads
to drafting of detailed
proposals, with proper
justifications, for the
consideration of HEC’s
governing body. The
Commission then takes
appropriate decisions after
considering all aspects of the
issues, and on the basis of the
best interest of students,
teachers, and the society in
general,” the Chairman said.
The main concerns raised by
the delegation pertained to
the service conditions and
benefits of university teachers.
It was also emphasised that
these matters had long-term
implications, and policies and
structures could be modified
only after due deliberation,
and never in haste. The
university teachers were urged
to make constant
improvement in teaching and
research their foremost cause.
The faculty members were
informed that one of the
fundamental principles of
HEC's policy reform was that
no change would be applied
retroactively, and that all
benefits achieved by anyone
on the basis of an old policy
would be respected under the
new policy. Only their future
actions will need to conform to
the new policy. This principle
was introduced to protect the
interests of the faculty.
It was explained that the policy
could be reviewed only on the
basis of proper evidence, and a
justifiable rationale that
relaxation of the policy would
not affect the quality of
education. In May 2020, HEC
had requested FAPUASA to
provide such evidence.
The faculty representatives
offered to collect the statistical
data and evidence and submit
a written rationale.
A deadline of March 31, 2021
was agreed for the policy
review on the basis of evidence
and rationale.
The Chairman HEC said that
HEC, as a regulatory authority,
was equally mindful of the
concerns of BPS as well as TTS
faculty. To resolve the issue of
time scale promotion, it is
necessary to prepare
comprehensive service statutes
for BPS faculty members, after
weighing their full implications.
The TTS faculty members have
been asked to propose their
concrete recommendations
regarding these statutes.
These recommendations will
be reviewed and analysed as
per HEC's procedures and
submitted to the Commission thfor consideration at its 39
meeting scheduled in March
2021.
HEC Formulates, Upgrades Policies on Basis of Evidence: Chairman
12
The Higher Education
Commission (HEC) has secured nd2 position in the Inter-
Departmental Weightlifting
Championship (Junior
Category) in addition to
grabbing 15 medals, including
four gold, six silver, and five
bronze medals. The national
senior and junior Inter-
HEC Wins 15 Medals in Weightlifting Championship
Departmental Weightlifting
Championship was held at
Railway Stadium, Garhi Shahu,
Lahore under the auspices of
Pakistan Weightlifting
Federation.
The Championship was held
under different senior and
junior categories, 55-kg, 61-kg,
67-kg, 73-kg, 81-kg, 89-kg, 96-
kg, 102-kg, 109-kg and over
109-kg. HEC team won six
medals in senior category
while nine medals in junior
category. For this national
competition, HEC had
conducted open selection trials
for all the Pakistani higher
education institutions at
University of Veterinary and
Animal Sciences, Lahore.
Among other national
institutions, teams of Pakistan
Army, Pakistan Railways, Water
and Power Development
Authority, and police also took
part in the Championship.
It is pertinent to mention here
that HEC will also award prize
money and one year
scholarship to all of its
medalist players.
The National Academy of Higher Education
(NAHE) organised a series of trainings under its
capacity building programme. The trainings for
HEC staff was organised in collaboration with the
National Information Technology Board (NITB).
The trainings covered comprehensive sessions
on E-office procedure. E-office is an electronic
system of office and operational management
which will help make functions more efficient
and improve accountability at HEC.
The programme is being implemented across
various ministries in the government, and has
been approved by the Federal Cabinet and the
National e-Government Council. The capacity
building programme contained weekly
workshops for HEC employees, training more
than 600 individuals.
NAHE is established as a stand-alone,
autonomous institution operating under the
auspices of HEC to improve the quality of
teaching, research and governance in higher
education institutions across Pakistan. It is
envisioned as the premier institution for quality
research and teaching related to all aspects of
higher education in Pakistan. This series of
trainings is one of multiple ongoing NAHE
endeavours at HEC'.
NAHE holds Capacity Building Trainings for HEC Employees
13
The Higher Education Commission (HEC)
Pakistan and Oxfam in Pakistan have agreed to
collaborate for successful implementation of
HEC’s Policy on ‘Protection against Sexual
Harassment in Higher Education Institutions
(HEIs)’ and address the incidents of sexual
harassment in the Pakistani universities.
In this connection, a Letter of Intent (LoI) was
signed by Adviser (Administration and
Coordination) HEC, Mr. Awais Ahmed and
Country Director Oxfam, Syed Shahnawaz Ali
during a ceremony.
The LoI signing ceremony was also attended by
Director General (HRD) HEC Ms. Aayesha Ikram,
Consultant Policy and Legal Affairs HEC Dr. Daud
Munir, Director University Advancement HEC Ms.
Dur-e-Shahwar, Programme Manager (Gender
Justice) Oxfam, Ms. Seher Afsheen and Gender
Specialist Oxfam, Mr. Sartaj Abbasi.
The purpose of this collaboration is to work
jointly and provide technical support to
universities for establishment of an effective
Complaint Response Mechanism to address
incidents of sexual harassment and abuse. The
two sides will oversee the initiatives and capacity
building of the staff of Inquiry Committees
involved in handling complaints of sexual
harassment.
In his remarks, Mr. Awais Ahmed shed light on
the importance of HEC’s Policy on Protection
against Sexual Harassment and stressed that
HEC is committed to ensuring that the university
environment is equally conducive for men and
women. He hoped that HEC-Oxfam collaboration
will prove helpful for HEIs to effectively execute
this policy.
Mr. Shahnawaz Ali appreciated HEC’s efforts to
address abuse and harassment at the academic
institutions. He asserted that it is responsibility
of the State to ensure quality and safe education
for vulnerable segment of the society. “Access to
education equals access to professional settings
and financial independence, which will ensure
greater female participation in all segments of
life,” he observed.
14
HEC, Oxfam Join Hands for Implementation of Policy on Sexual Harassment
As per the LoI, HEC will provide technical
guidance and input to Oxfam in development of
the Complaint Response Mechanism framework
and the training and communication materials. It
will advise universities to extend necessary
cooperation to Oxfam teams for establishment
and strengthening of Inquiry Committees and
capacity building of the relevant staff.
Oxfam will support selected universities for
establishment of Complaint Response
Mechanisms and strengthening of existing
complaint mechanisms to address incidents of
sexual harassment. It will conduct capacity
building training of Inquiry Committee Members
and Focal Persons for effective handling of the
complaints. It will also develop relevant material
for raising awareness as well as capacity building.
Student & Parent
ALERT!Please do not take admission in unauthorised 2-Year BA/BSc or MA/MSc Programmes
However, because of the disruption caused by the
coronavirus, the following flexibility has been
allowed:
• Universities have been given a grace period of
three months to conclude the final BA/BSc exams.
Any exams concluded before March 31, 2021 shall
be considered to be 2020 exams.
• Similarly, the deadline for admission to the final
cohort of the MA/MSc programmes is also
extended to March 31, 2021 so that the final
cohort of BA/BSc students can apply for admission.
• In addition, holders of BA/BSc degrees are allowed
to apply for admission in the third year or 5th
semester of the BS programme, subject to the
completion of a bridging semester or any
additional course requirements that the university
may impose.
• Any student who misses the deadline to get
admission to the MA/MSc programmes can apply thinstead for admission to the third year (i.e., 5
semester) of the BS programme, which is a far
superior option.
• Fresh students can be admitted either directly into
the 4-year BS programme, or in the 2-year
Associate Degree Programmes, offered through
recognized campuses, constituent and affiliated
colleges in place of the old BA/BSc programmes.
In case of admission in illegal and phased-out
programmes, the students will end up bearing all
risks and costs or any associated loss incurred. HEC
cannot recognize degrees of students who enrolled in
conventional BA/BSc programmes after December 31,
2018. Likewise, the last date for admission in
conventional MA/MSc programmes is March 31,
2021.
Students are advised not to waste their time and
money by enrolling in unauthorised degree
programmes, such as 2-year BA/BSc or MA/MSc
programmes. These programmes have been
phased out because of quality concerns.
One or two universities have announced
admission to unauthorised BA/BSc and MA/MSc
programmes. While this will earn money for the
university, it will not be in the interest of the
students. These discarded degrees will not enable
students to apply for jobs or further education.
The decision to phase out the BA/BSc and
MA/MSc programmes, and replace them with a
single, composite, 4-year BS degree was taken in
2004. However, universities were allowed to
continue both systems in a transition period.
In 2011, the Associate Degree (AD) was
announced as an alternative to the BA/BSc
degree. AD is equivalent to 14 years schooling, thand entitles graduates to get admission in the 5
semester of respective BS programmes after
fulfilling the admitting university’s requirements.
In 2016, the transition period was concluded, and
a final decision made to stop admissions in
BA/BSc programmes on December 31, 2018, and
in MA/MSc programmes on December 31, 2020.
It was also decided that the last BA/BSc exam
would be held in 2020, and that the admission to
the last batch of MA/MSc students would take
place before December 31, 2020. These decisions
were confirmed in 2017, and again in 2018, 2019,
and 2020.
15
The National Technology Council (NTC) is
committed to working for the betterment of
engineering technologists and improving the
overall standards of technology education and
curriculum in the light of contemporary
challenges.
This was stated by Chairman NTC Imtiaz Gilani thwhile chairing the 6 NTC meeting held at the
Higher Education Commission (HEC). Chairman
HEC Tariq Banuri also attended the meeting
through a video link. The meeting was attended
by newly appointed members, including Vice
Chairman Dr. Muhammad Mukhtar and other ex-
officio members.
The Chairman NTC said that the significant issues
of engineering technologists needing immediate
attention include approval of their service
structure. “The service structure needs to be
based on a vertical growth, opportunities to
compete for research, and technologically
oriented positions in the country, including
NTC Committed to Improving Quality of Technology Education
entrepreneurship in technologies relevant
domains.”
The NTC meeting participants appreciated the
HEC’s initiative for announcement of 200
scholarships for technologists.
Important decisions were made with regard to
streamlining academic and governance activities
at NTC. A committee was constituted to make
the technology education in line with the HEC’s
Undergraduate Education Policy 2020. It was also
decided to recommend the inclusion of one
representative of technologist associations as
the Council Member.
The NTC Chairman and members expressed a
resolve to take tangible measures for betterment
of engineering technologists in the country. The
meeting concluded with a resolve that NTC must
go with its broader dimensions in emerging
technologies benefitting humanity and boosting
the national economy.
16
President of Pakistan Dr. Arif
Alvi has stressed the need for
collective efforts to root out
the growing menace of drug
addiction on university
campuses, and to extend all-
out facilitation to differently-
abled students.
He was addressing an online
meeting with the Vice
Chancellors (VCs) of all public
and private sector
universities on the
issues regarding
differently-abled
students as well as
drug addiction.
The meeting was
also attended by
Federal Minister for
Education Shafqat
Mahmood, Federal
Minister for
Narcotics Control
Mr. Muhammad
Azam Khan Swati,
Federal Minister for Human
Rights Dr. Shireen M. Mazari,
Chairman HEC Tariq Banuri,
and Director General Anti-
Narcotics Force Major General
Muhammad Arif Malik.
During the first session on
proliferation of drug use on
campuses, the meeting
deliberated on measures to
curtail drug use through
student counselling services,
creation of a hotline, formation
of a whistler-blower
mechanism, penalisation of
President Alvi for Joint Efforts to Curb Drug Use, Facilitate Differently-abled Students
elements involved in use and
supply of drugs, constitution of
parent-teacher coordination
bodies, student counselling,
creation of a hotline, and
coordination with
rehabilitation facilities. Steps
necessary for supply reduction,
demand reduction, progress
review, and de-stigmitisation
of institutions were also
brought under consideration.
Mr. Azam Swati briefed the
meeting about various
initiatives for drug control
taken by his Ministry, and the
Ministry’s desire to work in
close coordination with the
universities to curb this
increasing menace. He
suggested a number of steps
to be taken and implemented
by the universities.
It was decided that all the
relevant stakeholders will
coordinate and come up with a
concrete policy on curtailing
use of drugs on campuses,
latest by March. The President
directed HEC to develop
appropriate policy guidelines,
in consultation with all the
stakeholders, to support
universities address this issue
in an effective manner.
Dr. Alvi stressed that
universities must take every
step necessary to make their
campuses safe from
drugs. “This is not
only a moral
imperative.
Universities have a
legal responsibility
too to implement all
the relevant
national laws.”He
said that the
academia must
utilise the services
of psychologists
and psychiatrists,
social workers, and
non-government
organisations in issues
pertaining to drug usage.
The VCs of the Punjab
University, Peshawar University,
Haripur University, BUITEMS
Quetta and SZABIST Karachi
along with others shared how
they are dealing with this
challenge at present, and gave
suggestions to strengthen
these efforts with coordination
of all the stakeholders.
During the second session on
differently abled students, the
The meeting deliberated on measures to curtail drug use
through student counselling services, creation of a hotline, formation of a
whistler-blower mechanism, penalisation of elements involved in use and supply of drugs, constitution
of parent-teacher coordination bodies, student counselling, creation of a hotline, and coordination with
rehabilitation facilities.
17
participants pondered upon
measures to bring such
students to mainstream and
facilitate them in every
possible manner.
Different
suggestions by
participants
included age
relaxation for
differently-abled
students,
wheelchair friendly
buildings,
scholarship and
fee waivers, and
special transport
facility within
campuses.
Minister Dr. Mazari informed
the gathering that ICT Rights
of Persons with Disability Act
2020 has already been passed.
She said it extends to the
whole of ICT territory and it is
also binding on universities in
this area. She added that
provinces may also adopt this
Act through passage of
resolutions from the respective
constituent assemblies. She
asked HEC to review its
existing policy for differently-
abled students in the light of
this Act.
Chairman HEC Tariq Banuri
highlighted HEC’s initiatives to
facilitate differently-abled
students, including
promulgation of HEC policy on
the subject, distribution of
wheelchairs, establishment of
Well Being Centres and
formation of Student Clubs
under Prime Minister’s Kamyab
Jawan Programme.
The President appreciated the
HEC’s efforts to mainstream
such students in the higher
education sector. He observed
that special
attention needs to
be paid to
students with
visual impairment,
hearing disabilities,
or mobility
challenges. He said
that he himself has
taken the task for
defining categories
of differently abled
students so that
there should be a
clear distinction among
students with different needs.
He expected that the VCs will
take lead in implementation of
policies on both the issues of
drug control as well as
facilities for differently abled
students.
Conference on Applied Zoology Government College University, Faisalabad,
Department of Zoology, in collaboration with
Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad jointly rdorganized a two-day thematic, virtual 3
International Conference on Applied Zoology
2020 (ICAZ 2020) under the platform of the
Applied Zoological Society of Pakistan (AZSP).
The purpose of the conference was to address
motivational inspiration of Applied Zoological
Society in the age of uncertainty.
Speakers from 20 universities of Pakistan, Turkey,
Malaysia, Spain, Chile, Italy, Iran, Iraq, and the UK
delivered lectures and shared presentations on
200 abstracts on emerging research and new
challenges in multidisciplinary fields of Applied
Zoology. Through this conference, the AZSP
provided a forum for exchange of information
and experiences with zoologists, encouraging
researchers to make significant research
contributions to their respective fields.
During the conference, a special session was
conducted on COVID-19, wherein experts shed
light on the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on
the higher education sector.
They also underlined the research-oriented
activities carried out amidst the uncertain ndcircumstances due to the 2 wave of the
pandemic.
The President said that he himself has taken the task for dening categories of differently abled students so that there
should be a clear distinction among students with different needs. He
expected that the VCs will take lead in implementation of policies on both the issues of drug control as well as facilities
for differently abled students.
18
The Higher Education Commission (HEC),
Pakistan has finalised 10 project proposals for
funding under the Rapid Research Grant (RRG)
launched in response to COVID-19 crisis. The
grant is aimed to encourage academic research
to strengthen clinical management or public
health response against this virus.
The HEC launched the focused RRG in April 2020
to engage academia in research around the
clinical management of this epidemic. Under the
specialised research initiative, potential project
proposals were invited to contribute to the
much-needed understanding of coronaviruses --
the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and COVID-19.
Considering the time-crunch, a specialised panel
was constituted and tasked to complete the
shortlisting in 3-4 weeks. More than 300
applications were received for this grant. After
independent reviews, 58 proposals were
shortlisted based on already announced
eligibility criteria and other necessary
requirements. Later, these proposals were jointly
reviewed by experts of Medical and Biological
Sciences, Engineering and Technology and finally
10 quality projects made it to the last stage after
rigorous scrutiny.
The budget for each of RRG award is up to a
maximum of Rs. 15 million (USD 100,000) with a
maximum project duration of 12 months. These
research projects offer a variety of pragmatic
solution-oriented research, ranging from early
detection diagnostic kits to immune response
and understanding the virus behaviour.
The University of the Punjab has won two grants
-- one for an indigenous, low-cost production of
ultra-pure Taq Polymerase and PCR mix for
COVID-19 clinical diagnostic kits, and the other
for development of a reliable, economical and
high throughput serodiagnosis method for early
detection of COVID-19.
COMSATS University Islamabad has won the
grant for development of RT-LAMP Assay for
early detection of COVID-19, while National
Textile University, Faisalabad research will focus
on development of bioactive hospital textiles
and protective suits against viruses and bacteria
by immobilisation of nanomaterials. The
University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences,
Lahore has won the research grant for
epidemiological disease modelling and
molecular surveillance of SARS-CoV-2, while
DOW University of Health Sciences, Karachi will
be working on IVIG production from
convalescent plasma of COVID-19 survivors, a
low risk, high efficiency passive immunisation
strategy against SARS-CoV-2. Interestingly, the
test results of DOW university research are
already very promising.
Other project winners include the University of
Health Sciences, Lahore (Immunological Virology
and Genetic Basis of COVID-19 Patients), Lahore
University of Management Sciences (Mapping
Immune Response to SARS-COv2 using a
multidisciplinary approach), Aga Khan University,
Karachi (Phylo- and immuno- dynamics of SARS-
CoV-2 infection in Pakistan: relating COVID 19
disease severity in with viral diversity) and Health
Services Academy (HSA), Islamabad
(Computational Modelling for COVID-19
Epidemic in Pakistan: Predictive Modelling of
Disease Morbidity, Mortality and Assessment of
Demands on the Intensive Care Units).
With provision of RRGs, HEC hopes that
academic researchers will come forward to
contribute to better health systems coping with
the real-life challenges.
As many as six more faculty members of
University of the Punjab have been ranked
among the best researchers in another
evaluation sheet of the top two per cent
researchers of the world prepared by Stanford
University, California. The total number of PU
teachers making to the list reaches nine.
The list has been compiled by Prof. John
Ioannidis of Stanford University and his team.
The list has 159,683 persons from all scientific
disciplines from higher education institutions
across the globe. In the evaluation of life-time
research work, three PU Professors were figured
in top two percent researchers of the world while
in the evaluation of one year research work,
another six teachers of Punjab University have
been ranked among top two percent researchers
besides the three.
The nine PU professors include Prof. Dr.
Muhammad Sharif, Dean, Faculty of Science
(ranked in the field of Nuclear & Particle Physics),
Prof. Dr. Khalid Mahmood, Dean, Faculty of
Economics and Management Sciences (ranked in
the field of Information & Library Sciences), Prof.
Dr. Muhammad Akram, Department of
Mathematics (ranked in the field of Artificial
Intelligence & Image Processing), Dr. Hafiz Azhar
Ali Khan, Assistant Professor, Institute of
Agricultural Sciences (ranked in the field of
Biology/Entomology), Dr. Zeeshan Yousaf,
Department of Mathematics (ranked in the field
of Nuclear & Particle Physics), Dr. Muhammad
Younis, Punjab University College of Information
Technology (ranked in the field of Optics), Dr.
Saima Arshad, Department of Mathematics
(ranked in the field of Optics), Dr. Abdul Rehman,
Department of Microbiology & Molecular
Genetics (ranked in the field of Zoology), and Dr.
Nauman Raza, Department of Mathematics
(ranked in the field of Optics).
It is pertinent to mention here that Prof Dr.
Khalid Mahmood is the only professor of
library/information sciences in South Asia who
has been ranked in the list.
The life-time research work evaluation list
includes 81 professors while one-year research
work evaluation list includes 243 teachers from
the higher education institutions in Pakistan.
PU Vice Chancellor Prof. Niaz Ahmad and Pro
Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Saleem Mazhar have
congratulated the PU Professors for achieving
this prestigious rank.
The VC said that the incumbent administration
has taken several initiatives for improvement in
international ranking of the university due to
which PU’s subject-wise and overall ranking has
improved manifold. He said that the PU
administration would provide full support to the
faculty members and researchers who were
doing research having positive socio-economic
impact and making efforts for improvement in
international ranking of the university.
6 More PU Professors in Stanford University’s Best Researchers’ List
6 More PU Professors in Stanford University’s Best Researchers’ List
19
4 PIEAS Faculty Members in Stanford University’s Top Scientists’ ListFour members of Pakistan Institute of
Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS) faculty
have been included in the world’s top two per
cent scientists list published by the Stanford
University, Stanford, California, United States of
America.
The eminent scientists’ list includes two
categories, segregating the career long and
single year (2019) -rankings of the scientists
worldwide. The list consists of around 160,000
researchers and standardises citation metrics
across all researchers and scientific disciplines
worldwide. The year 2019 list names 243
scientists from Pakistan. However, the career-
long-list includes 81 Pakistani researchers. This
study was carried out at the Stanford University,
USA, and was published in October 2020, under
the title “Updated science-wise author databases
of standardised citation indicators”.
The four eminent scientists of PIEAS included in
the Stanford list categorised for the year 2019
research publications are Dr. M. H. Saleem, Dr.
Asifullah Khan, Dr. Muhammad Tufail, and Dr.
Muhammad Rehan.
The research areas of Dr. M. H. Saleem were
Medicinal & Biomolecular Chemistry, Plant
Biology & Botany, Chemistry, while the research
areas of Dr. Asifullah Khan were Artificial
Intelligence & Image Processing, Networking &
Telecommunications, Information &
Communication Technologies. Likewise, the
research areas of Dr. Muhammad Tufail were
Networking & Telecommunications, Nuclear
Medicine & Medical Imaging, Information &
Communication Technologies. And, Dr.
Muhammad Rehan researched on Industrial
Engineering & Automation, Networking &
Telecommunications, and Engineering.
490 Degrees Awarded in GIK Institute’s Convocation
President Dr. Arif Alvi
conferred 490 degrees upon
the students of Ghulam Ishaq
Khan Institute of Sciences and
Technology, Topi, as the thuniversity held its 24
Convocation at the President
House. Following the safety
measures in line with the
Standard Operating
Procedures for COVID-19, a
limited number of students
attended the ceremony.
As many as 432 BS degrees, 55
MS degrees, and three PhD
Degrees were awarded. Yet,
only gold medalists of the
graduating batches
participated in person, while
the rest of graduates, their
families, and faculty witnessed
the ceremony live through a
web link.
In his address, President Dr.
Alvi said that e-learning had a
greater outreach with lesser
expense as compared to the
conventional educational
facilities. He urged the GIK
Institute and other universities
to increase the e-learning
content in the online syllabi.
The President congratulated
the GIK Institute graduates for
their hard work and the
parents and teachers for their
contribution to making the
new generation productive
citizens.
20
Virtual University of Pakistan in collaboration with
Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for
Asia (CEMCA) organised a three-day international
online workshop on “Capacity Building
Programme on Open Education Resources
(OER).”
The workshop aimed to discuss Open Educational
Resources and the prevailing practices in the
world. It provided the participants an opportunity
to understand Open Educational Resources, OER
in using Google, Integration of OER to Teaching
and Learning, Creative Commons Licenses, and
Considering Quality Assurance criteria in OER.
Faculty members from Virtual University of
Pakistan attended the workshop.
Rector Virtual University Mr. Naeem Tariq
inaugurated the workshop. He extended vote of
thanks to CEMCA for organising such a thought-
provoking workshop.
Dr. Nantha Kumar Subramaniam from Open
University of Malaysia was the resource person
for this workshop. He delivered a comprehensive
lecture on “Understanding and Using OER”. The
workshop was managed by Dr. Madhu Parhar,
Director (CEMCA) and Dr. Manas Ranjan
Panigrahi, Senior Programme Officer, Education
(CEMCA).
VU holds Faculty Training on Open Education Resources
Problem-solving research on the issues of farming
community will help increase per acre
productivity, alleviating poverty.
This was stated by University of Agriculture,
Faisalabad, Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Iqrar Ahmad
Khan while addressing the Assistant Professors of
UAF. He showed his concern over the decreasing
portfolio of research. He urged the Assistant
Professors to come up with out-of-the-box
solutions, keeping in view the problems of
farming community, industry and general public.
He said that UAF is committed to taking the lead
for the uplift of our agricultural productivity. He
said that UAF will observe the World Science Day
to promote a research culture for the benefit of
UAF VC Urges Professors to Promote Problem-Solving Research
humanity. He emphasised on a close liaison
between farmers and researchers, as it would pave
the way for efforts to combat agricultural
challenges. He said that UAF has restored 450
acres of the land, adding that precision agriculture
would be carried out to showcase it before the
farming community.
The Vice Chancellor urged the faculty to submit
their research projects to the funding agencies to
promote practical measures. He said that UAF is
making the system flexible to attain international
funding and improve the education quality.
He vowed to enhance the UAF outreach activities
to enlighten farming community with modern
agricultural trends and practices at their doorstep.
21
Korean Agency to Set up Nutrition Centre at UAF
Meanwhile, Dr. Khan inaugurated a state-of-the-
art animal medical treatment and shelter centre
for stray and domestic small animals such as dogs
and cats established by Tahira Animal Welfare
Foundation at Gutwala, Faisalabad. The cats and
dogs enclosures are ready to accommodate
injured animals of Faisalabad and provide them
food and housing. The Vice Chancellor told the
audience that UAF is also running an animal
hospital, equipped with modern facilities and
highly qualified doctors. He said the Faculty of
Veterinary Science UAF has been playing a
significant role in flourishing livestock and poultry
production in the country since 1962.
improved nutrition knowledge about what is a
balanced diet and how important it is. In
addition to the KOICA grant, $1.99 million will
also be awarded for research under this project.
The project will train 50 government officials
including 15 nutrition-related policymakers and
30 master trainers in addition to developing
nutrition education modules and
teaching/learning materials.
The master trainers will train 12,000 community
nutrition education experts such as lady health
supervisors and dietitians to disseminate
nutrition education to people in the provinces.
The PKNC is expected to develop more than 10
different types of fortified food recipes based on
local agricultural products, SOPs for nutrient &
hazard analysis, and nutrient & hazard analysis
of 350 samples during the project period.
Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA)
has approved a grant of $7 million for
establishment of Pak-Korea Nutrition CentrE
(PKNC) at the University of Agriculture (UAF)
Faisalabad to deal with issues pertaining to
children and women malnutrition in Pakistan.
In this regard, KOICA Pakistan office at the
Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Pakistan has
signed Record of Discussion (RoD) for award of
the grant for the project, "Establishment of PKNC
to Improve Child and Community Nutrition." The
agreement is aimed at uplifting the most
neglected sector of nutrition in Pakistan with
assistance from Higher Education Commission
(HEC), Pakistan and the UAF.
As many as 120,000 people, especially women
and children, are expected to benefit from the
five-year project. Educating people about the
significance of nutrition will help them have an
22
The Institute of Business
Administration (IoBM), Karachi thorganised a two-day 4
International Conference on
Islamic Banking and Finance
(ICIBF -2020).
Dr. Ishrat Husain, Adviser to
the Prime Minister on
Institutional Reforms and
Austerity, was the chief guest
of the Conference, which
virtually assembled a large
number of national and
international speakers from
the USA, UK, Malaysia, UAE,
and other countries.
The ICIBF-2020 observed the
COVID-19 pandemic’s impact
on Micro, Small & Medium
Enterprises (MSMEs) and
deliberated on the way
forward for Islamic Financial
Institutions.
Addressing the Conference,
Dr. Husain shared two distinct
advantages of Islamic
banking.
He said that all the
transactions are based on a
real asset in the Islamic
banking, adding that the
Islamic banking is a risk-
sharing arrangement and not
a risk-shifting plan. He called
upon the Islamic bankers to
replicate pertinent
conventional banking models.
He was confident that
investments in low-cost,
affordable housing schemes
will bring positive results and
that the Government of
Pakistan is promoting this
initiative.
Mr. Talib S. Karim, President
IoBM; Mr. Bashir
Janmohammad, Chancellor
IoBM; Syed Amir Ali,
President, and CEO,
BankIslami Pakistan; and Mr.
Ahmed Shuja Kidwai,
President and CEO, Al Baraka
Bank Pakistan also spoke in
the Conference.
Speakers said that Islamic
banking is progressing in
Pakistan where conventional
banks are setting up Islamic
banking counters.
They shared that the asset
base of Islamic banking grew
21 per cent from July 2019 to
June 2020. The deposits
touched Rs. 3 trillion, while
the share of Islamic banks is
16.9 per cent. They said that
90% of enterprises in Pakistan
are Small and Medium-Sized
Enterprises that provide 80%
of employment outside of the
agriculture sector.
Dr. Shujaat Mubarik, Associate
Dean CBM, IoBM, conducted a
post-conference workshop on
How to Write and Publish for
Impact Factor.
The workshop aimed to equip
the participants with the
essential understanding of
research paper writing
strategies.
It discussed how to write the
introduction, literature review,
and methodologies; how to
become a smart and
professional academic writer;
how to design a research
paper; how to avoid desk
rejections; and, how to target
the impact factor journal.
IoBM Conference Stresses Promotion of Islamic Banking
23
said that luckily, we have not
seen any breast cancer death
cases during the COVID.
Dr. Nida Wahid Bashir,
Consultant Breast & General
Surgeon, Dr. Ziauddin Hospital,
said that cancer in young
females, pregnant females and
in between the tenure of breast
feed are always aggressive and
have ability to spread faster.
“Breast cancer in pregnant
women is the worst kind of
cancer we have come across.”
Ziauddin University held a
virtual seminar for breast
cancer awareness, entitled
“Early Detection Saves Lives!” in
collaboration with Pink Ribbon.
Addressing the seminar, Pro-
Chancellor Ziauddin University
Dr. Nida Hussain said that
breast cancer is one of the
leading causes of deaths and
most common cancer among
women all over the world,
including Pakistan. She stressed
the need for stopping the
cancer at the early stage.
Dr. Nida Hussain suggested the
younger women of age group
20 to 30 to make breast screen
and self-examination a habit at
least once a month.
Talking about the challenges
that oncologists had faced
during COVID-19, Prof. Tariq
Siddiqui, Director Cancer
Centre, Dr. Ziauddin Hospital,
She underlined that whenever
women feel unusual changes in
their breasts, without any delay
they need to get it checked by
a doctor.
Dr. Zubia Masood, Consultant
Breast & General Surgeon, Dr.
Ziauddin Hospital, talked about
the risk factors in breast cancer.
She said that there are two
types of risk factors in breast
cancer, genetic and
environmental factors.
Ziauddin University’s Seminar for Breast Cancer Awareness
need to look towards the West for adopting
everything”. He said that investment made by
parents, society and the government in women education should not be wasted and the country
should benefit from their abilities and skills.
Vice Chancellor Hina Tayyaba Khalil
congratulated the graduating students,
highlighting the hard work and commitment of
the faculty to their efforts to support the
students throughout their education process.
Eleven students won gold medals; 14 won the
Roll of Honour, and 68 others got distinction.
Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design (PIFD) rd held its 3 Convocation, in which 845 Bachelor’s
and seven MPhil degrees were awarded.
President Dr. Arif Alvi was chief guest of the
convocation held under the patronage of Vice
Chancellor Prof. Ms. Hina Tayyaba Khalil. Vice
Chancellors, Government office bearers, officers
of Education Ministry, educationists, industry
experts, and designers also graced the event
with their presence. Addressing the convocation, President Alvi said
that: “We have our own values, so we do not
rdPIFD holds 3 Convocation
24