ISLAMABAD: Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal on Thursday directed the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to develop a thorough framework for a cutting-edge performance management system in the public sector universities aimed at imparting advanced education and producing quality workforce playing a due role in socio-economic growth of the country.
He passed these directions while chairing a meeting to review the progress of the framework for an institutional performance audit of public sector universities, a news release said.
The meeting was attended by the officials of HEC, Member Science & Technology, Planning Commission and other stakeholders.
The minister directed HEC to ensure quality standards in the higher education sector in light of the seven parameters including academic quality (teaching and learning) and curricula, research, innovation, and entrepreneurship, academia-industry linkage, technology infrastructure and enablement, corporate governance, audit & finance, community service & engagement and graduate quality and employability.
The development of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for each standard was another point made by him.
He underlined that the institutional initiatives should be focused on fostering effective community service and involvement by modifying their teaching and learning methods so that students and teachers could participate in helping to address the urgent local and global concerns and difficulties.
He said the universities should provide opportunities for students to develop soft skills such as communication, teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving. “Soft skills are essential for success in the workplace and can help graduates stand out to potential employers.”
Furthermore, he said universities should establish partnerships with industry players to promote collaboration and knowledge exchange, adding universities should establish sound financial management practices that ensure the responsible use of financial resources. “We must help our universities catch up to the top institutions worldwide.”
In another meeting, the minister reviewed the progress of IT training and certification programs run by the HEC. The major objective of the meeting is to improve certification programs by developing a comprehensive structure.