By Hina Kiyani
ISLAMABAD: The government has conferred Hilal-e-Imtiaz upon Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC), Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed for his outstanding services in the field of higher education. Every year, the government confers civil awards to people from different walks of life for their exemplary contributions to their respective fields.
Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, who has been associated with the higher education sector for the last three decades, has played a key role to formulate and implement reforms in the higher education, be it increase in the access to university education, strengthening quality assurance systems, development of infrastructure, and promoting national and international collaborations.
His experience at national and international level includes teaching, research, administration, policy development, linking educational research to industry/commercialisation, introducing entrepreneurial approaches to education and a diverse range of educational development programmes.
Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed has also served as Deputy Director General, Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) based in Rabat, Morocco, where he was responsible for Directorates of Education, Science, Culture and Communication, ICPSR, CPID (Planning and Strategic Division) and ISESCO Regional Centres. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s of Science from University of Agriculture, Faisalabad and Master’s in Business Administration and PhD from University of California, Riverside, USA.