International Education Guide - Enterprise and Advanced Education ...

INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION GUIDE for the assessment of education from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
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Higher Education
Overview
In Pakistan, the term higher education refers to all levels
of education above higher secondary school (Grade 12),
generally corresponding to the 17- to 23-year-old age group.
This chapter deals with general and professional programs
in higher education.
When Pakistan gained independence in 1947 it had only
one university—the University of the Punjab at Lahore.
Despite the rapid expansion of the higher education sector
in recent years, it has not been able to keep up with growing
demand. Currently there are 122 recognized universities
and degree-awarding institutions, over 1,000 colleges and
over 1,000 professional institutions. Total enrolment is over
1.1 million, representing about three per cent of the collegeage
population. The government has set a target of doubling
higher education enrolment over the next five years.
Administration
Pakistan has a complex and sometimes overlapping
structure for the administration of its higher education
institutions. While the federal government is directly
responsible for a few national universities and institutions
in the federal areas, most universities and other degreeawarding
institutions fall under provincial administration.
The Higher Education Commission coordinates university
education across the country.
Affiliated colleges, which currently enrol about one-third
of students in higher education, are under provincial
administration, but are also answerable to their affiliating
universities. The Ministry of Education coordinates college
education across the country.
The President of Pakistan is the ex-officio chancellor of the
universities located in the federal areas. Provincial governors
are the ex-officio chancellors of the universities under their
jurisdictions. The syndicate is the executive body of the
university and the academic council the main academic body.
The vice chancellor, appointed by the Higher Education
Commission, is the academic and administrative head of
the university. The vice chancellor is assisted by the dean of
the faculties, chairmen of the departments, principals of the
constituent colleges, and other university officers such as the
registrar, controller of examinations, and treasurer.
One criticism of university administration in Pakistan is
that the appointment of vice chancellors is often politically
based rather than merit based.
Funding
Universities and colleges in Pakistan are either public or
private. Private institutions do not receive government
funding. They are fully self-financed, with student fees as
their main source of income.
Since 1979 the federal government has been responsible
for funding public universities and degree-awarding
institutions across the country, although the provinces
may provide small grants to a select number of universities.
Federal funding to universities, in the form of recurring and
development grants, is mainly allocated through the Higher
Education Commission, which replaced the University
Grants Commission in 2002.
Many universities spend most of their recurring grants
on salaries and have little money for research, facilities
or professional development of faculty members. A selffinancing
scheme was introduced in the mid-1990s to help
reduce public universities’ dependence on government
funding. The main source of self-generated income is student
fees—as reflected in the gradual fee increase for regular
students, who pay a fraction of the cost of their education—
and the introduction of seats for self-financed students.
Affiliated colleges in the public sector are funded by
provincial governments.
Public expenditure on education has long been inadequate.
Since the establishment of the Higher Education
Commission in 2002, government funding for universities
has enjoyed a substantial increase. However, little
improvement has been seen in the financial situation of the
affiliated colleges.
National Bodies
The University Grants Commission (1974–2002) had the
following function, as defined in the UGC Act of 1974:
“Promotion and coordination of university education, the
determination and maintenance of standards of teaching,
examination and research in universities, the promotion
of national unity and solidarity, and the orientation of
university programs to national needs.” The UGC had no
control of funding but merely passed on the universities’