Universities heads meet at FUUAST to strengthen coordination, address common challenges

ISLAMABAD, Jul 02 (APP): A meeting of the Vice Chancellors’ Forum of universities from Rawalpindi, Islamabad and surrounding areas was held at the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology (FUUAST), Islamabad, to strengthen inter-university coordination, discuss common challenges, and adopt measures to enhance collaboration and improve the quality of higher education.

The meeting was chaired by Vice Chancellor, Professor Dr Zabita Khan Shinwari, and attended by vice chancellors, rectors and campus heads of 21 universities.

Dr Zabita Khan Shinwari presented the agenda of the forum and briefed the participants on its objectives, role and future direction. The participants discussed the financial and administrative challenges faced by universities and reviewed coordination between higher education institutions, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan and the government.

The forum expressed concern over the recent temporary suspension of admissions to Computer Science programmes at several universities. The participants said that the assessment conducted for computing programmes had a different stated purpose, but it resulted in the suspension of admissions.

They emphasized that the concerned universities should have been consulted before such a decision was made.

The forum noted that higher education in Pakistan, particularly in the fields of Medicine, Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences, met international standards. It also stressed the need to introduce certificate programmes in line with changing market requirements.

Vice Chancellor Dr Zabita Khan Shinwari said that universities were autonomous institutions and their autonomy should be fully respected. He also briefed the forum on the history, achievements and mission of the Federal Urdu University.

Vice Chancellor of the University of Baltistan, Dr Masood Akhtar, highlighted communication and internet connectivity issues in remote areas such as Skardu and Gilgit, and urged Higher Education Commission (HEC) and other relevant institutions to consider these challenges during assessment processes.

Rector of NUTECH, Engineer Moazzam Ejaz, said that HEC and government institutions should seek feedback from vice chancellors and faculty members while developing academic policies and curricula.

Director General of NUML, Brigadier Rafiq Khan, said that recommendations of university heads should be given due consideration at the highest level.

Chancellor of Preston University, Dr Abdul Basit, termed such gatherings of university heads a positive step for the promotion of higher education.

Rector of the Virtual University, Arshad Saleem Bhatti shared his views on technical matters related to different academic disciplines, particularly Computing Studies.

The forum also adopted a resolution on matters related to higher education.

Among those who addressed the meeting were Acting Vice Chancellor of Quaid-i-Azam University, Professor Zafar Nawaz Jaspal; Vice Chancellor of the University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Dr Anila Kamal; Vice Chancellor of Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi, Dr Bushra Mirza; Vice Chancellor of Women University Mardan, Dr Razia Sultana; and Vice Chancellor of Kohsar University Murree, Dr Rafia Sultana.

The meeting was also attended by Professor Abdul Waheed, Campus Head of Iqra University; Mr Taha, representative of Northern University; Vice Chancellor of Health Sciences Academy, Dr Shehzad Ali Khan; Vice Chancellor of Air University, Air Marshal (Retd) Abdul Moeed Khan; Vice Chancellor of ABM, Professor Tanveer Khaliq; Khusro Pervaiz Khan from Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST), Islamabad; Professor Raheel Qamar; and the head of the Pakistan Science Foundation.

The forum expressed satisfaction with the productive deliberations and key outcomes of the meeting, and unanimously decided to hold its next session at Air University.