ISLAMABAD/LAHORE, NOV 4 /DNA/ – As part of its nationwide training drive for focal persons of higher education institutions (HEIs), the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan has inaugurated a three-day Capacity-building and Follow-up Session at its Regional Centre in Lahore for the HEIs having affiliated colleges.
It is pertinent to mention here that Higher Education Data Repository (HEDR) Division of HEC has initiated a countrywide series of training sessions, aiming to strengthen coordination with universities and ensure the submission of accurate, consistent, and comprehensive higher education data. In this connection, sessions have already been conducted in various cities including Islamabad, Karachi, Quetta and Multan.
The three-day sessions have been designed with a structured approach, as the Day-1 focuses on Capacity Building for Affiliated Colleges Data (i.e., of the fiscal years 2023-24 and 2024-25); the Day-2 is dedicated to Follow-up Sessions for HEIsthat have either not submitted their data or submitted it with discrepancies; while the Day-3 serves as a Deliberative Sessions for HEIs seeking further technical support and clarification.
A total of 31 focal persons from various universities participated in the inaugural session in Lahore. Addressing the participants, Director General Regional Centre, Lahore, Mr. Ghulam Nabi, who was chief guest of the ceremony, emphasised the strategic importance of reliable higher education data for informed policy decisions. He appreciated HEDR’s role in modernising data collection mechanisms and acknowledged the active cooperation of universities in this national effort.
In-charge HEDR Division Dr. Bashir Khan highlighted the objective and scope of the training sessions, explaining that credible higher education statistics are frequently sought by high-level forums such as the Prime Minister’s Office, Federal Ministries and other stakeholders for evidence-based decision-making.
During the session, the HEDR Division’s team shared a comprehensive presentation on the data templates for Affiliated Colleges, covering key aspects of enrolment, faculty, pass-outs, and staff. The team engaged directly with the focal persons, providing hands-on assistance and technical guidance on data compilation and validation, addressing the participants’ technical challenges, updating data templates, and assisting with software installations such as Office 365.
The ongoing training initiative reflects HEC’s commitment to strengthening higher education data governance across Pakistan through collaboration, capacity-building, and transparency.
