Effective measures result in remarkable changes: Dr. Atta
By Muhammad Ali Malik

ISLAMABAD—Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairman Dr.Attaur Rehman said Thursday that effective and consistent measures taken by the government resulted in remarkable changes in higher education sector.
Addressing the meeting of Rectors and Vice Chancellors of private sector universities here, he said that around Rs. 35 billion scholarship programme have been approved and 1,000 students would be availing the scholarships.
“HEC is spending 60 per cent of its funds in scholarship programmes with an aim to improve competence among the faculty members in public and private sector universities,” he said.
Emphasizing the need for quality assurance, he said the public and private sector universities must also set up quality assurance cells which would help check plagiarism.
He said HEC has developed software on plagiarism that could be utilizedby private sector universities. Public and private sector universities would work in close liaison with each other to improve the higher learning, so that shortage of specialized manpower could be overcome, he added.
HEC Executive Director Dr. Sohail Naqvi gave a detailed presentation about the ongoing projects and initiatives of the HEC being carried out in the universities across the country.
He urged the Vice Chancellors to strictly observe the completion of these projects and take measures regarding their new projects to be initiated in their respective universities.
HEC every year holds a meeting of rectors/vice chancellors of public and private sector universities to deliberate upon the initiatives and reforms on how to improve the standard of higher education learning in the country.
Vice Chancellors and Rectors of 52 private universities from all over Pakistan attended the conference. They appreciated the working of HEC and its reforms introduced in the higher learning sector.