Faisalabad: Director General Quality Assurance of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) Nasir Shah has called on universities across Pakistan to transform quality assurance from a regulatory obligation into a deeply embedded institutional culture and said that sustainable academic excellence can only be achieved through leadership, ownership and continuous improvement rather than periodic compliance.
Addressing a national conference on ‘National Higher Education Leadership Engagement Series on Pakistan Standards and Guidelines (PSG-2023)’ at The University of Faisalabad (TUF), he said that the country’s higher education institutions must embrace the new Quality Compact framework, which promotes institutional responsibility, evidence-based decision-making and long-term quality enhancement to build globally competitive universities.
Nasir Shah said that Pakistan Standards and Guidelines (PSG-2023) represent a paradigm shift from conventional compliance-driven quality assurance towards institutional ownership, strategic governance and sustainable quality culture.
He stressed that universities should integrate quality assurance into every aspect of academic governance, teaching, research and administrative decision-making.
The HEC official also introduced Performance Review Meetings (PRMs) as a key component of the revised quality assurance framework, explaining that the mechanism is designed to promote continuous institutional reflection, strategic planning, performance monitoring and evidence-based improvement instead of periodic inspections.
Highlighting another important aspect of higher education, he underscored the need to promote multicultural diversity on university campuses, describing inclusive learning environments as an essential pillar of academic excellence and institutional development.
Recognizing The University of Faisalabad’s contributions to higher education, Nasir Shah announced that the HEC intends to organize a future National Conference on ‘Industry-Academia Linkages’ at TUF in acknowledgement of the university’s significant role in strengthening collaboration between academia and industry.
He also appreciated the TUF management for successfully hosting the national conference, with special praise for the leadership of Vice Chairman Board of Governors Dr. Muhammad Hamza Amin.
The conference, organized jointly by TUF’s Center of Executive Learning (CEL) and Quality Enhancement Cell (QEC), was held under the theme “The Quality Compact: From Conformity to Ownership – Empowering Institutions, Building a Resilient Quality Ecosystem”.
It brought together nearly 70 participants, including vice chancellors, rectors, deans, registrars, directors of Quality Enhancement Cells and senior academic leaders from universities across Pakistan.
Earlier, TUF Vice Chairman Board of Governors Dr. Muhammad Hamza Amin, Rector Prof Dr Aman Ullah Malik, Registrar Dr Zahida Maqbool and Director Quality Enhancement Cell Dr Zahir Ahmad Zahir welcomed the distinguished guests and delegates.
In his welcome address, Prof Dr Aman Ullah Malik reaffirmed TUF’s commitment to academic excellence and continuous quality enhancement, emphasizing that resilient universities require visionary leadership, innovation and collective institutional responsibility to meet evolving national and international standards.
The conference also featured a technical session titled “From Compliance to Institutional Ownership and Maturity,” conducted by HEC quality assurance expert and Fulbright Fellow Agha Muhammad Raza.
He discussed the evolution of quality assurance systems, emphasizing leadership commitment, stakeholder engagement, strategic planning, data-driven governance and self-sustaining quality mechanisms as the foundations of institutional maturity.
The participants explored practical strategies for developing robust internal quality cultures through interactive discussions and case studies before the conference concluded with a question-and-answer session focusing on the implementation of the PSG-2023 framework and the future direction of quality assurance in Pakistan’s higher education sector.