ISLAMABAD, Jan 6: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) on Monday approved the “post-doctoral fellowship for university teachers” scheme piloted by the Higher Education Commission (HEC).

Speaking on the occasion, the HEC chairman, Prof Attaur Rehman, said the scheme worth Rs172.8 million would be financed out of the block provision for Higher Education and Quality Assurance Programme under the action plan for education sector reforms.

The chairman said the scheme would enable 100 professors holding PhD degrees and teaching in various universities, centres of excellence, area study centres, Pakistan study centres and degree-awarding colleges and institutes to conduct 9-12 months post doctoral research in important fields, including socio- economic, industrial, agricultural development and poverty alleviation.

He said the project would also help in upgrading the quality of education and research in universities. After implementation of this scheme, universities and other institutions of higher education will be able to impart PhD-level education and conduct research for development of the country, he added.

“The post-doctoral fellowships will be awarded on merit through competition on national basis to all faculty working in public sector universities and degree-awarding institutions to update their knowledge and skills and to interact with researchers of advanced countries.”

Prof Ata said special consideration would be given to those who did not have an earlier opportunity of academic exposure or worked in well-equipped laboratories abroad.

This will be followed by an opportunity to those PhD-degree holders, who have not been able to update their knowledge and skills for the last 5 to 10 years, he added.

The PhD-degree holders having teaching/research experience in public sector universities will be eligible to apply for the post-doctoral fellowships.