Islamabad: The World Bank’s 10th supervision mission recently reviewed the progress of the Higher Education Development in Pakistan (HEDP) project, a significant initiative funded by the World Bank and executed by the Higher Education Commission (HEC). The mission, which spanned a week, involved meticulous assessments of the project’s six components, focusing on research, teaching, learning enhancements, and governance in higher education.
According to Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, the World Bank team, led by Senior Economist Ms. Inga Afanasieva, initiated discussions with Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, the Chairman of HEC. Dr. Ahmed conveyed HEC’s dedication to the project’s successful implementation and extended support for the World Bank’s forthcoming South Asia Regional Cooperation event on quality assurance to be hosted in Pakistan. This event aims to foster regional collaboration by sharing and adopting best practices in quality assurance.
The meetings, chaired by HEC’s Executive Director Dr. Zia Ul-Qayyum and Project Coordinator Mr. Awais Ahmed, highlighted the importance of these review missions in tracking progress, documenting lessons, and ensuring timely achievement of project targets, which are closely monitored. The review concluded that the project has so far made a commendable 91% progress.
Significant achievements of the HEDP include the awarding of 142 research grants, capacity building for 4428 faculty members under the revised Undergraduate Education Policy, and the enhancement of the Pakistan Education Research Network (PERN), which now connects over 400 higher education institutions with substantial internet bandwidth and essential educational software. The project also launched major IT initiatives, including robust student information systems and advanced data centers.
The project’s impact is further evidenced by its contribution to the publication of 204 journal articles, 127 conference papers, and the filing of 15 patents. It has also facilitated 144 research events, seven spinoffs, 24 awards, and 25 technology partnership licenses, influencing 17 policy-level developments.
Additionally, the National Academy of Higher Education (NAHE) has been active under the HEDP, training 196 women leaders who are advancing in management roles and planning extensive training programs for higher education institutions across the country.
Ms. Afanasieva expressed the World Bank’s satisfaction with the project’s performance and reassured continued support in crucial areas such as NAHE, financial autonomy for universities, and faculty training. She also emphasized the importance of enhancing female participation in all aspects of the project.