ISLAMABAD, OCT 21: /DNA/ – As Higher Education Development in Pakistan (HEDP), a USD 400 million project being executed by Higher Education Commission (HEC) since 2019, comes to a successful closure, the World Bank’s five-day Implementation Completion Mission has begun assessment of the achievements, challenges, and lessons learnt from this landmark initiative.
In this context, HEC hosted the World Bank Mission to formally commence the final review of the HEDP project. The session was attended by relevant HEC Divisional Heads and HEDP Component Leads, where an overview presentation was delivered highlighting key achievements, implementation progress, and strategic directions under various components of the project.
Chairman HEC Mr. Nadeem Mahbub welcomed the World Bank Mission and appreciated the continued partnership and technical support extended by the World Bank throughout the project’s lifecycle. He highlighted key aspects of the HEDP project, particularly focusing on its transformative impact on higher education governance, digitalization, and quality enhancement, while also discussing the roadmap for closure-related activities and sustainability of project interventions.
In his remarks, Executive Director HEC Engr. Dr. M. Mazhar Saeed extended a warm welcome to the World Bank Mission led by Senior Economist and Task Team Leader Ms. Inga Afanasieva, accompanied by Senior Education Specialist Ms. Ryoko Tomita and Consultant Ms. Mashal Yousaf. He commended the World Bank for its steadfast support and constructive engagement with HEC throughout the project’s implementation. Acknowledging the dedication of HEC and HEDP teams, he appreciated their tireless efforts in achieving the project’s objectives and contributing to the strengthening of Pakistan’s higher education ecosystem.
During the course of the mission, the HEC-HEDP team, led by Project Coordinator HEDP Syed Naveed Hussain Shah, will deliver comprehensive presentations on each project component, highlighting key achievements, implementation progress, and sustainability plans beyond the project’s lifecycle. The mission will assess progress against the project’s development objectives, validate results and outputs, and document lessons learned and best practices to inform future higher education initiatives. It will also review the long-term viability of project interventions and outline next steps towards sustaining their impact. In line with World Bank procedures, the mission will prepare the Implementation Completion and Results Report (ICR) and hold consultative meetings with the Economic Affairs Division.
The visit marks an important milestone in documenting the collective achievements of HEDP and reaffirming HEC’s continued partnership with the World Bank in advancing Pakistan’s higher education agenda.
