The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has introduced a quality-based ranking for higher education institutes to achieve international compatibility and directed universities across Pakistan to submit the relevant data, Pakistan Today learnt on Friday.
Per details, HEC Chairman Dr Javaid Laghari has written to all higher education institutes (HEIs), including medical universities, to submit the requisite data by July 15.
The HEC has set QS World Ranking to “build the capacity of HEIs of the country to get more international visibility” through reflection in the international rankings, including QS Ranking.
The ranking will be based on the data submitted by the HEIs.
The QS ranking criteria has also been sent to the institutions and it includes minute details regarding the infrastructure, graduate output, details of students, annual dues for graduate and undergraduate courses, innovation and knowledge transfer, student satisfaction, research productivity, faculty, admission and entry requirements.
The detailed criteria demands institutions also give details such as wireless network coverage, sporting facilities, on campus computers, the number of Phds awarded in the previous academic year, graduate employment, number of male and female students, local and international students and industrial research projects.
Student’s satisfaction about teachers and the overall university experience has also been incorporated. Financial details include alumni donations, research funding from various sources, and dues paid by domestic and international students in graduate and postgraduate programmes.
Another criterion of “internationalisation” has also been included to measure international diversity by gauging the number of students of various nationalities enrolled in the previous calendar year and the number of places of worship available on campus for each “major religious group”.
It further includes inbound and outbound exchange student study agreements with international universities in the global top 500, besides details of international research collaboration. Moreover, the HEC has demanded the universities submit the average entry requirements and the total number of applications.
Education experts say the system will start professional audit of institutions and will promote competitive environment at universities.
“The same practice is observed in the developed world and it will bring the local universities’ standards at par with the international ones,” they said.
