The Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan has formed a 22-member National Task Force (NTF) on National University Rankings. The group's primary objective is to develop the National University Rankings Framework of Pakistan, which aims to establish a "credible, transparent and nationally relevant system for assessing university performance."
The Task Force has been entrusted with reviewing and finalising the proposed national rankings framework. According to the HEC, the group will draw upon "internationally recognised university ranking methodologies" while also considering the specific "higher education landscape" of Pakistan.
To ensure the ranking system is "fair, transparent and evidence-based," the Task Force will examine several specific areas, including ranking indicators, their relative weightages, assessment methodologies, data requirements, verification procedures, and scoring mechanisms.
Dr. Ghulam Mustafa, Director of the Pakistan Institute of Engineering & Applied Sciences, Islamabad, has been appointed as the Convenor of the Task Force. Muhammad Ali Baig, the National Coordinator for National University Rankings and Deputy Director of the Higher Education Data Repository at the HEC, will serve as the Secretary.
The Task Force includes experts and representatives from various universities and higher education regulatory bodies across the country. Participating institutions include:
Aga Khan University, Fatima Jinnah Women University, Khyber Medical University, King Edward Medical University, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, National College of Arts, National University of Sciences & Technology, Pakistan Institute of Engineering & Applied Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, University of Balochistan, University of Engineering and Technology Lahore, University of Karachi, University of Peshawar, and University of the Punjab.
The group also includes representatives from the Higher Education Department of the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Punjab Higher Education Commission, and the Sindh Higher Education Commission. These inclusions are intended to ensure "geographical, institutional and disciplinary representation."
The HEC stated that the development of this task force marks an "important step towards introducing a structured and evidence-based national university rankings system."
