PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa higher education department on Monday constituted a high-level committee to propose a model for setting up a provincial higher education commission, detailing its structure, functions and governance.

Official sources told Dawn that the provincial government had decided to establish the province’s own HEC and didn’t want to “repeat the flaws” found in the HECs formed by the Punjab and Sindh governments.

They said that the newly-formed committee had been tasked with proposing the provincial HEC or any autonomous body on the HEC’s pattern to be financially and academically viable.

Managing Director of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Education Foundation Zariful Mani is the convener of the committee, according to a notification issued by the HED here on Monday.

Panel to study such structures already present in Sindh, Punjab, says member

Other members of the committee include Managing Director of the KP Education Testing and Evaluation Agency Adil Saeed Safi, Vice Chancellor of the Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan Prof Jamil Ahmad, Vice Chancellor of the University of Science and Technology Bannu Prof Jehanzeb Khan, Director of the Institute of Management Sciences Peshawar Usman Ghani, and HED Deputy Secretary (Admin) Azhar Zahoor and Deputy Secretary (Universities-I) Wajid Ali Khan.

The notification said the committee would submit a comprehensive report in the next 30 days.

“In pursuance of directives received from the office of the chief minister regarding establishment of the Higher Education Commission at the provincial level, a committee is hereby constituted with the following composition,” read the notification.

It added that as per the terms of reference, the committee would conduct a detailed comparative analysis by studying HECs already established by Punjab and Sindh.

The notification said the committee would also analyse their legal frameworks, governance structures, mandates and regulatory powers, conduct of cost benefit analysis, evaluating financial implications and benefits achieved in education access, quality, technology and employability.

According to TORs, the committee will also assess the impact of provincial commission on university standards, quality and innovation. It will also propose a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa model for the HEC, detailing structure, functions and governance. The committee will recommend estimated financial and human resource requirements.

One of the committee members told Dawn that the panel would study the structures of Sindh and Punjab governments and will not adopt those things which might create problems for them.

“We will prepare the recommendations for the HEC establishment with a professional approach and keeping in view the marketability of higher education in the universities,” he said.

The member said that efforts would be made to set up such a HEC which might not be a burden on the provincial government and should not “fall prey to differences with anyone.”

He said the committee would recommend the HEC’s establishment while keeping in view the financial sustainability of universities, policy innovation and market based knowledge, he further said.

“We will also recommend to the government to set targets and key performance indicators for all vice chancellors after appointments,” he said.

The member further said the HED would propose a law for the establishment of the provincial HED in light of the committee’s report.

When contacted, higher education minister Meena Khan Afridi said that the establishment of the provincial HEC was the need of the hour.

“We are trying to ensure that the proposed HEC should not become a white elephant in the future,” he said.

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2025