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ISLAMABAD, Dec 13 (APP):The Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan has initiated a comprehensive quality review of graduate programmes, particularly MS/MPhil and PhD degrees, offered by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across the country.
The decision follows concerns during a comprehensive presentation by the Quality Assurance Agency to the Executive Director HEC regarding academic rigour and implementation standards of graduate education, especially in cases where PhD programmes are being conducted in part-time formats without meeting essential quality benchmarks, said a press release issued here Saturday.
Despite the introduction of the highly flexible Graduate Education Policy (GEP-2023) and HEC’s extensive outreach sessions including orientation, and capacity-building workshops, conducted both physically and online, serious gaps remain in the quality, supervision, governance, and delivery of graduate programmes in several institutions.
Taking strong notice of these concerns, Prof. Dr Zia-Ul-Haq, Executive Director HEC, has mandated an immediate, sector-wide evaluation of graduate programmes in line with the Programme Review for Enhancement and Effectiveness (PREE) standards under the Pakistan Precepts Standards and Guidelines (PSG).
Letters have already been issued to the selected HEIs as part of the first phase of this review. Dedicated HEC teams will begin the evaluation process soon, focusing on Governance and Management of Graduate Programmes; Supervision Quality; Research Integrity and Ethics; Student Support and Grievance Redressal; Research Quality and Culture; Programme Infrastructure, Learning and Assessment; and Outreach and Professional Integration.
The HEC reiterates its commitment to ensure that graduate education in Pakistan meets national and international standards of excellence. The Commission encourages all HEIs to fully cooperate with the upcoming review and to take proactive steps to strengthen their programmes in the best interest of students, research productivity, and the country’s higher education ecosystem.