Islamabad: A month-long training initiative organized by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan has concluded, bringing together academic leaders and university administrators from 47 universities nationwide. The programme focused on enhancing skills in university governance and leadership.

The National Academy of Higher Education (NAHE), in collaboration with the British Council Pakistan and Edinburgh Napier University (ENU), UK, orchestrated the training under the Pakistan-UK Education Gateway. This initiative seeks to strengthen ties between the higher education sectors of Pakistan and the UK. The Institute of Management Sciences (IMSciences) Peshawar partnered with ENU for this programme.

The closing ceremony was attended by Awais Ahmad, Adviser Global Engagement Division HEC, along with Marya Rehman, Deputy Director British Council, Fawad Khaleel, Head of Global Online Edinburgh Napier University, and Atta ur Rahman, Joint Director IMSciences, among others.

In his remarks, Awais Ahmad emphasized HEC’s strategic objectives such as equitable access and research excellence. He highlighted the importance of capacity building in academic leadership and university management, identifying them as crucial for sector advancement.

Ahmad also noted the productive role of the HEC-British Council partnership under the Pak-UK Education Gateway. Marya Rehman acknowledged the successful completion of the programme and praised the efforts of NAHE-HEC in organizing the training.

The certification programme included three weeks of online sessions and one week of in-person training. Topics covered included educational leadership, policy development, quality assurance, digital transformation, and financial management, among others.