ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Higher Education Commission (HEC) has ensured that all recognized Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the country have established their Directorates of Quality Enhancement and achieved the W level of Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) mechanism. The section responsible for this administers activities related to establishing new Quality Enhancement Cells (QECs) and implementing the IQA mechanism in HEIs. To reinforce its objective, the IQA section holds periodic progress review meetings and conducts monitoring visits.
The quality of the IQA mechanism in an HEI is assessed quantitatively on an annual basis using a scorecard. The assessment period runs from July 1st to June 30th of the following year. The assessment is rated in terms of a percentage and reflected through four quality levels/grades: W, X, Y, and Z. A well-implemented IQA mechanism enables an HEI to undergo external evaluations by QAA-HEC (or any third party) as well as accreditation councils.
The IQA section implements its policies through Quality Enhancement Cells (QECs) established in universities and other Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) in Pakistan. The establishment of QECs originated from the establishment of the Quality Assurance Agency in May 2005. The approval for the QECs' Project Concept (PC-I) was granted by DDWP in August 2006, and the execution began in September 2006. The establishment of QECs was carried out in a phased manner.
In addition to various measures for enhancing academic quality in HEIs, these QECs also implement a quality assessment mechanism for academic programs called the Self-Assessment Process. This process results in the preparation of a Self-Assessment Report (SAR). The main objectives of preparing SAR are:
Improving academic programs and ensuring high academic standards by providing feedback to faculty and administration to initiate an action plan for improvement.
Equipping students with essential skills to enter the workplace well-prepared in core competencies such as problem-solving, experimental and data analysis techniques, teamwork, interpersonal skills, and basic and advanced IT skills.
