Speakers call for transforming higher education on modern lines
ISLAMABAD: Speakers at the 3rd Chancellor’s Conference held here on Saturday emphasized the need to transform higher education on modern lines, following the technological advancements and trends practiced internationally.
The conference was organized by the Association of Private Sector Universities of Pakistan (APSUP) in collaboration with COMSTECH, the Higher Education Commission, the Punjab Higher Education Commission, the Superior University and the Inter-University Consortium along with partner institutions.
More than 80 Vice-Chancellors/Rectors of public and private universities from across Pakistan and Islamic universities from Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania and Kazakhstan participated in the conference.
The Ambassador of Kazakhstan and diplomats from different OIC member states also graced the occasion.
In his welcome speech, the President of Preston University, prof. Dr. Abdul Basit highlighted the idea, aim and purpose of the conference.
He said that today we are marking a paradigm shift by bringing together public and private universities to join hands for the single cause of education in Pakistan.
The coordinator general COMSTECH, prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary in his keynote speech said that this conference is important for education in Pakistan.
He said the theme of the conference “education for economic development” is relevant and important.
Prof. Choudhary expressed his gratitude to the Chairman of HEC for leading the re-institutionalisation of Pakistan’s education system.
He emphasized the need for introducing international education culture in Pakistan.
Rector of the Superior University, dr. Sumaira Rahman, said the mission of Superior University is to produce job creators, not job seekers.
She said that we have found that the self-esteem of the students is very low and we have started a program to boost the self-esteem of the students.
She informed me that in a short period of two years, our students have created 120 businesses, 1,240 new jobs and 800 million in income.
She shed light on Superior University’s programs and methods of delivering education.
The Vice-Chancellor of the Al-Istiqama University, Nigeria, Prof. Salisu Shehu addressed the gathering on behalf of all participating African universities.
He expressed his gratitude for the invitation and said that this participation not only gives us an opportunity to get to know the institutions, but also an opportunity to experience the international education system.
Rector, of the KAZGUU University Dr. Sergey Pen Provost, expressed his gratitude and said that we strive to connect central Asian universities with the rest of the world.
Chairman HEC, prof. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, in his keynote speech said that things change, systems change, and something in the past was important but became history in a few years.
He said that if we do not adapt to the changing environment, we will not be able to survive.
He suggested that if we want to be successful tomorrow, we must make an effort today.
Dr. Mukhtar said that in today’s world there are fewer students who tend to join universities, why do we build such huge buildings for universities?
He suggested that you don’t follow buzzwords, and be prepared for future technologies.
Dr. Mukhtar pointed out that grades will be less important in the days to come.
He said skilled people make more money than those with degrees, and this challenge must be considered by the university’s leadership.
The Chairman HEC informed us that we will soon start cloud computing, data center and super computing projects.
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Sargodha VC, Dr. Qaisar Abbas, during the conference emphasized the need to align and connect tertiary education provision with the socio-economic needs of an economy. He emphasized on HEIs to develop high level human resources for economic and social development, drive innovation, increase employability, improve skills of existing workforce, increase earning power of graduates and strengthen collaboration between higher education and industry.
The development of high-level human resources with the necessary knowledge and skills for economic and social development was the most important role of higher education, he said, adding that the higher education sector was crucial in delivering training to people at all stages of their careers.
Dr. Qaisar Abbas emphasized that the important role of higher education institutions is to drive innovation, with the aim of finding solutions to societal challenges, such as challenges in the field of health care, environmental protection, agriculture, international development and population trends. etc. The wider economy benefits from university research and innovation as it boosts investment, both local and global, boosts exports and makes the economy more balanced, he added.
“Universities need to be proactive in arranging opportunities for students to develop industrial expertise through work experience and internships, as universities are ideally placed to offer employability training to people looking to change careers or apply for new roles,” an update from require their existing skills,” Dr Abbas said.
