Progress Review Meeting on “Together for Quality Excellence” held -

Times Report

PESHAWAR: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), in collaboration with CECOS University of IT & Emerging Sciences, Peshawar, commenced a three-day Progress Review Meeting titled “Together for Quality Excellence: Leadership Engagement for Transforming QA Systems in Pakistan.” The event brought together Vice Chancellors, Rectors, Directors, and Directors Quality Enhancement Cells (QECs) from over 40 public and private sector universities across Pakistan.
The opening ceremony was formally inaugurated with welcome and opening remarks by Prof. Dr. Muhammad Mohsin Khan, Vice Chancellor, CECOS University, who emphasized the importance of a robust quality culture and institutional collaboration in strengthening higher education standards.
Mr. Nasir Shah, Director General, Quality Assurance, HEC Islamabad, delivered key opening remarks highlighting HEC’s vision for continuous improvement and accountability through effective quality assurance mechanisms. This was followed by an interactive and insightful session conducted by Mr. Muhammad Raza, Deputy Director, QA HEC Islamabad, engaging participants in constructive dialogue on quality frameworks, best practices, and future directions.
The ceremony was graced by Prof. Dr. Zia Ul Haq, Executive Director HEC and Vice Chancellor KMU Peshawar, as Guest of Honor, who delivered the closing remarks, underlining leadership responsibility in sustaining quality assurance systems. Dr. Muhammad Israr, Secretary Higher Education, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, attended the event as Chief Guest and shared his valuable perspectives on aligning provincial and national higher education quality goals.
A key segment of the event focused on the HEC Quality Assurance (Yearly Progress Review – YPR 2023–24) results, recognizing universities for outstanding performance:
Public Sector Universities (80+ Scores):
Khyber Medical University, Peshawar — 95.63
Pak-Austria Fachhochschule–IAST, Haripur — 90.83
University of Technology, Nowshera — 87.64
Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan — 84.12
University of Haripur — 83.29
IMSciences, Peshawar — 81.81
Private Sector | Top 3 Universities:
CECOS University of IT & Emerging Sciences — 93.26
Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences & Technology — 90.94
Iqra National University, Peshawar — 89.51
The Progress Review Meeting aims to foster collaboration, leadership engagement, and shared learning among higher education institutions to further strengthen quality assurance practices nationwide.
The event marks a significant step towards reinforcing Pakistan’s higher education quality framework through collective commitment, strategic dialogue, and continuous improvement.