KARACHI, March 5 The Sindh government`s Charter Inspection and Evaluation Committee (CIEC) on Thursday presented its third biennial report (2006-2008) to Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad, and informed him that it had rated nine private universities and degree-awarding institutions “five-star” and 12 “four-star”.
None of the 21 private sector educational institutions inspected and evaluated by the CIEC could prove to be a world-class institution deserving the “seven-star” title, the highest ranking set by the CIEC.
The report was presented to the governor by CIEC Chairman Dr S. M. Qureshi, who called on Dr Ishratul Ibad, who is also the patron of the chartered universities and degree-awarding institutions in the private sector, along with vice-chancellors of major public sector universities in Sindh.
The report highlights the role and achievements of the CIEC during the period, besides observations and recommendations.
The report states that during 2006-2008, only a few deserving institutions of higher education in the private sector were recommended for grant of charter as per the guidelines of the Sindh government while all the already chartered institutions generally improved their overall performance and quality of education in accordance with the advice and recommendations of the CIEC.
These institutions are contributing significantly to the socio-economic development of the province in particular and the country in general, the report adds.
The governor appreciated that in the last six years (2002 to 2008) the number of students at undergraduate and post-graduate levels in these institutions had almost doubled, (the number stands at 43,485) whereas the number of PhD-qualified teachers had increased six times. The student-teacher ratio had also greatly improved, he noted. Dr Ibad observed that most of these institutions had access to the HEC Digital Library and the stock of books and journals in their own libraries had increased manifold. Moreover, classrooms and laboratories had generally improved with the latest equipment and increased in number. The built-up area of the institutions had more than doubled with improvement in other required physical facilities.
Dr Qureshi informed the governor that CIEC inspected 21 chartered institutions, evaluated their standards and allocated grades. He said that nine universities and degree-awarding institutions were rated “five-star” and 12 “four-star”. The five-star institutions are Hamdard University, Iqra University, Mohammad Ali Jinnah University, Sir Syed University, Ziauddin University, Institute of Business Management, Indus Valley School of Design and Architecture, Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology and the Textile Institute of Pakistan.
The institutions rated four-star are Baqai Medical University, Greenwich University, Isra University, Jinnah University for Women, Preston University, Dadabhoy Institute of Higher Education, Indus Institute of Higher Education, Institute of Business and Technology, Karachi Institute of Economics and Technology, Khadim Ali Shah Bukhari Institute of Technology, Newport Institute of Communication and Economics and the Preston Institute of Management, Sciences and Technology.
The governor was told that The University of East, which had started functioning recently, would be inspected and considered for rating in the next round. The CIEC sets a “two-star” rating for an institution that fulfils the minimum requirements for accreditation. A world-class/standard institution is rated “seven-star”. The current evaluation of the institutions is based upon the cumulative assessment by CIEC members, experts, employers and the institutions themselves.
The evaluation/grading indicates that generally all the chartered institutions have now risen much above the minimum required threshold/level. All these institutions impart good quality education and excel in different disciplines.
Encouraging sponsors
The governor directed the CIEC chairman to ensure that genuine sponsoring NGOs are encouraged with possible incentives for the establishment of more high-standard private universities and degree-awarding institutions in the province. He said the existing institutions should be extended all possible financial and professional assistance for improving their performance and quality of education.
The CIEC chairman thanked the governor for the guidance and necessary support extended by him and also appreciated the support and assistance provided by the governor`s secretariat and the provincial education and literacy department.
He expressed the hope that with increasing pace of development of the chartered institutions, the recommendations made in the CIEC report would help improve the access, quality and relevance of higher education in the private sector.
The governor also appreciated the efforts made by the CIEC chairman and his team in bringing about improvement in the overall performance of the private educational institutions and quality of education. He commended the cooperation extended by the HEC in this regard.
Adviser to the Governor Abdul Wahab Shaikh, Sindh University Vice-Chancellor Mazharul Haq Siddiqui, Karachi University Vice-Chancellor Dr Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui, Sindh Agriculture University Vice-Chancellor Dr A.Q. Mughal, and Dow University of Health Sciences Vice-Chancellor Dr Masood Hameed Khan exchanged views with the governor.
Acting Secretary of the Education and Literacy Department Dr Riaz Memon, HEC representative Dr Viqaruddin and Special Secretary to the Governor for Higher Education Aftab Lodhi were also present.