The Higher Education Commission of Pakistan

The commission was established by the Government in 2002 to develop a comprehensive programme to uplift Higher Education in Pakistan. The mission of the Higher Education Commission is to facilitate institutions of higher learning to serve as conduits for the socio-economic development of Pakistan.

The major national issues identified by the commission and which need to be addressed within the next five years are: -

• The poor standard of faculty (scholarship and educational attainment) of teaching staff.

• To increase the low numbers of students enrolled in higher education, and improve access.

• Lack of relevance of higher education to national needs and non-compatibility to international standards.

• Low quality of research and lack of its relevance to national requirements.

• Poor governance of Universities.

Higher Education Commission:  2005

The Role of the Higher Education Commission is to evaluate, improve and promote higher education and research and development. It formulates policies, guiding principles and priorities for the promotion of socio-economic development in Pakistan.

It aims to increase the accessibility of education and intends to propose mechanisms to provide opportunities for students from under-represented group (mainly those from low-socio economic background) access to higher education based on individual merit.