By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC), under its Higher Education Development in Pakistan (HEDP) project, conducted a one-day consultative seminar on ‘College Faculty Professional Development Policy Dialogue’ in collaboration with the Higher Education Department (HED) Punjab. The Directors Colleges from respective Punjab Divisions and selected principals serving in Rawalpindi Division attended the seminar. Project Coordinator HED Punjab Dr Mahmood-ul-Hasan Butt, in his keynote address, emphasised the need for a well-structured policy for the professional development of college faculty, highlighting the importance of faculty development in improving standards of teaching and inculcating creativity among students through quality teaching.
Deputy Secretary (Reforms and Training) Nadeem Asghar, who represented HED Punjab, appreciated HEC in general and HEDP in particular for assisting HED Punjab in formulating the college faculty professional development policy.
The inaugural session was followed by focused group discussions led by the Deputy Secretary with Directors Colleges and Principals to formulate the details of upcoming capacity-building exercises. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Education Testing Council (ETC) Iftekhar Mahmood, along with his team and key HEDP staff, delivered sessions on Assessment, Affiliating System and Quality Assurance.
The seminar was the preliminary outcome of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by HEC. Under the HEDP project, an MoU was earlier signed with the Punjab Higher Education Department (HED), Government of Punjab, to build the capacity of teachers at Affiliated Colleges. As per the MoU, HEC will assist the Punjab Government in faculty professional development and staff training policy of HED Punjab.
This includes providing technical support around conducting training need assessments, developing SOP for delivery of training, evaluating the learning outcomes, and periodically reviewing the training policy. However, the Punjab Government will provide necessary local access to premises and resources and designate a focal person(s) to HEC for this activity.
Under the policy, various kinds of professional trainings will be identified along with timelines to be mandated with proper assessment. The training performance will be reflected in the career growth and promotion of faculty and staff.
The Affiliated Colleges across provinces are primarily offering undergraduate degrees but have limited capacities/resources and are not as well versed with the latest trends of teaching and learning methodologies as compared to large universities and thus need support.
Several HED Punjab initiatives are focused on supporting the tertiary education system of Pakistan composed of Affiliated Colleges across the country. The HED Punjab team has, thus, been closely working with various HEDs across Pakistan to roll out its project activities.
