Higher Education Policy Note Pakistan An Assessment of the Medium-Term Development Framework Report No. 37247 Higher Education Policy Note Pakistan: An Assessment of the Medium-Term Development Framework June 28
Proposal # 2: Making Greater Use of Information as a Tool for Regulating the HE Sector
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- Proposal 3: Improving Linkages between the HEC and the Private HE Sector
Proposal # 2: Making Greater Use of Information as a Tool for Regulating the HE Sector208 A necessary ingredient to good oversight of the private higher education sector in Pakistan is that consumers and regulators have access to timely, high quality information upon which to base enrollment and regulatory decisions. Since its establishment, the HEC has undertaken a number of steps to provide students with information on the quality of private HEIs in Pakistan. A key informational tool for the HEC is its website, which provides: (i) a list of recognized domestic and foreign universities; (ii) a ranking of private HEIs against the establishment criteria set put by the HEC; and (iii) a list of illegal (i.e., unrecognized) universities and DAIs operating in Pakistan. The HEC also makes use of newspaper advertisements and placement of newspaper articles as means of informing the public about important matters. 209 HEC recognition is important for students, institutions and employers: all these stakeholders appear to make considerable use of the information put forward by the HEC on HEIs. Institutions value highly their status as an HEC recognized institution and make considerable use of this status in advertisements, brochures and course prospectuses. Students reportedly make great use of the HEC rankings – as well as other factors such as reputation – in their enrolment decisions. Employers seek graduates from HEC recognized universities and institutes. Job advertisements typically seek graduates from recognized universities and, in some cases, from institutions ranked in the top category by the HEC. 210 Other mechanisms exist for providing information to consumers on the quality of private HEIs in Pakistan. A key one is reputation. Long-established universities like the Aga Khan University, GIK and LUMS have very strong reputations among students and employers in Pakistan and abroad. Some job advertisements from large employers in Pakistan specifically limit applicants to graduates of institutions such as LUMS. Large numbers of private HEIs advertise in newspapers and other media to attract students. Many also have websites. A number of domestic private HEIs offer foreign qualifications to attract students and the option of studying abroad as means of differentiating themselves from competitors (eg. Thames Business School offers an MBA from Southern Queensland University in Australia). The annual Dawn Education Expo held in Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore provides students with the opportunity to find out information on a wide range of domestic and foreign HEIs. 211 The importance of, and respect accorded to, HEC rankings and information puts a premium on ensuring that information is accurate, that the quality measures used to determine HEC recognition are accurate indicators of quality and that the process is transparent and legitimate. The development of the HEC’s quality assurance system should add significantly to the information base upon which to base recognition decisions and quality rankings. 212 The HEC has the power to require private HEIs to provide whatever information is requested. The HEC has begun to build up its information base on private HEIs. It has recently prepared a ‘statistics at a glance’ document that contains key information on the private HE sector. The HEC should ensure that the collection of information becomes systematic and is incorporated into the HEC’s management information system as the latter is developed. It is also important that such information is analyzed and contributes to HEC planning and decision-making. A key weakness in existing information systems is the absence of information on the external efficiency of HE in Pakistan. This could be addressed through the collection and dissemination of information on labor market outcomes for HE graduates in Pakistan – through for example the HEC sponsoring graduate tracer studies, graduate employer surveys. Proposal # 3: Improving Linkages between the HEC and the Private HE Sector213 The rapid pace and complexity of policy reform puts a premium on the HEC ensuring that it has effective mechanisms in place to consult with the private HE sector on policy and implementation issues. Existing consultation mechanisms appear weak and informal. While the HEC is placing private providers on a number of committees (e.g., in areas such as accreditation), there is currently no active forum for consulting with private HEIs on policy direction or on and implementation issues. A vice chancellor’s committee has been established by the HEC, but it has reportedly never met. The views of private HEIs on policy issues were reportedly sought late in 2004, but no follow up action was taken. 214 One mechanism for improving consultation with the private HE sector would be for the HEC to develop a sector forum to discuss policy and implementation issues. Its role would be to provide a forum to communicate policy decisions and to discuss policy and implementation issues that are common to the private HE sector. Such a group should meet at regular intervals. HEC meetings with vice chancellors should also be institutionalized and held at regular intervals. 215 Sector associations exist in a number of countries – both developed and developing – including Australia, New Zealand, the United States and the Philippines. In these countries, they play a number of roles, ranging from a narrow representation role to a broader role as a key part of the regulatory and quality assurance framework. For example, in the Philippines, the private sector representative bodies operate the accreditation system that applies to private institutions at both the school and university levels. In Pakistan, the absence of representative associations at both the Federal and provincial levels means there is limited scope for formal liaison between the private education sectors and the government. There is also no formal medium in which the collective non-government sector can interact with the government and its advisers. 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