The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has constituted a 16 -member National Committee on International Rankings to improve the global standing of Pakistani universities and degree awarding institutions (DAIs).
According to an official notification, the committee will formulate recommendations to ensure effective participation and improved performance in leading international ranking systems, particularly the Times Higher Education (THE) and QS World University Rankings.
In a letter issued in this regard, HEC Chairman Dr Niaz Ahmad Akhtar said participation in international rankings not only promotes transparency and comparative assessment of academic standards but also enhances the international credibility, research impact and student outcomes of Pakistani universities. He also encouraged those institutions that have so far remained outside the global ranking frameworks to actively consider participation.
Under the notification, Dr Muhammad Usman Awan of the Institute of Quality and Technology Management, University of the Punjab (Quaid-i-Azam Campus), Lahore, has been appointed as the convener of the committee, while Dr Bashir Khan, incharge of the Higher Education Data Repository at HEC, will serve as its secretary.
Other members include Dr Habib Ullah Magsi, chairman, Department of Agricultural Economics, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam; Dr Samir Farooq, dean, Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute; Dr Muhammad Abdul Wahid Usmani, director, Quality Enhancement Cell, Jinnah Sindh Medical University; Muhammad Anwar, chief librarian, Institute of Business Administration, Karachi; Dr Ejaz Ullah Cheema, vice rector, University of Management and Technology, Lahore; and Dr Asif Ali Shah, director, Institute of Science, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro.
The committee also includes Dr Syeda Asiya Bukhari, director, Quality Enhancement Cell, Khyber Medical University, Peshawar; Dr Asif Sajid, director, Quality Assurance, University of Balochistan; Syed Faizan Haider, director, Quality Enhancement Cell, University of Lahore; Dr Maysam Abbas Naqvi, chief executive officer, NaqCoDE Technologies, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad; Dr Shahid Khattak, professor, COMSATS University; Dr Muhammad Ishaq Ali, chairman, Department of Microbiology, Quaid-i-Azam University; Dr Syeda Zia Batool, director general, Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority; and Nasir Shah, director general, Quality Assurance, HEC.
The terms of reference of the committee include a comprehensive analysis of the current international rankings of Pakistani universities, formulation of a strategic plan to achieve significant improvement in rankings, and the design of training programmes for university officials to strengthen institutional performance in future ranking cycles.
