Islamabad: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan has officially reaffirmed its exclusive authority over the development and regulation of the national higher education framework, including the National Qualifications Framework, curriculum development, and faculty standards.
According to Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, a letter was sent to the Chairpersons and Heads of all Accreditation Councils, emphasizing that while discipline-specific councils are crucial for the accreditation of undergraduate programs and professional standards, the overarching regulatory framework is solely the jurisdiction of the HEC, as stipulated in the HEC Ordinance 2002.
The communication specifies that the Accreditation Councils must operate within the framework established by the HEC. This includes the HEC’s exclusive authority to formulate and notify national standards and policies, prescribe minimum criteria and standards for academic programs, develop academic policies and curricula, and ensure uniformity in quality assurance mechanisms across the higher education system.
A significant clarification in the directive pertains to advanced academic programs, specifically Level-7 (MPhil/MS/Master’s or equivalent) and Level-8 (Doctoral/PhD), which fall under the HEC’s regulatory mandate as outlined in the Graduate Education Policy (GEP-2023). The HEC retains exclusive rights to establish policies concerning faculty eligibility, supervisory requirements, and quality standards for these research-based programs.
The directive instructs Accreditation Councils to align their standards, guidelines, and accreditation criteria with HEC policies, particularly regarding faculty qualifications, experience, and research publications, to preserve national uniformity.
To enhance coordination in the higher education sector, the HEC highlighted the implementation of the Pakistan Precepts, Standards and Guidelines (PSG-2023) framework, which integrates institutional governance, learning outcomes, research quality, and accreditation oversight. The Reviewing and Effectiveness of Quality Assurance and Accreditation Bodies (REQAAB) framework has also been operationalized to regulate and standardize the Accreditation Councils through self-assessment and external review.
The directive was issued to a variety of councils, including the Pakistan Engineering Council, Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, Pharmacy Council, Pakistan Bar Council, and several education accreditation bodies such as the National Accreditation Council for Teacher Education, National Computing Education Accreditation Council, and National Business Education Accreditation Council, among others.
The Commission reiterated its commitment to fostering a robust, transparent, and internationally comparable higher education quality assurance system in Pakistan through continued collaboration with all Accreditation Councils.