The most universities in Pakistan are not well-equipped to offer education through online mode, revealed Higher Education Commission (HEC).
According to a World Bank report, all universities in the country have been compelled to adopt an online system of education in order to protect their faculty members, students, and staff from the Covid-19 pandemic however, HEC’s initial assessment revealed that of the total 205 universities only 40 had well-established learning management system.
Majority of Universities Lack Resources for Online Education: HEC
Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan after a survey said that most universities in the country are ill-equipped for rendering online education.
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In this regard, the government has asked the World Bank to restructure the higher education development in Pakistan project in order to introduce a new component which specifically focuses on support to continued learning for all in case of unforeseen crises and university lockdowns as happened during the Covid-19 crisis.
Moreover, a restructuring paper on higher education development in Pakistan reveals that the project has so far spent $65 million out of the commitment of $400 million, and is rated moderately adequate for progress towards achieving its objectives.
The aim behind these objectives was to support research excellence in strategic sectors of the economy, improve teaching and learning and strengthen governance in the higher education sector.
A restructuring paper on HEC further reveals that the restructured project includes about $93 million in Covid-related funding which is allocated across most components of the project.
Moreover, the Higher Education Commission (HEC)’s recently unveiled budget saw an increase of around Rs 15 billion compared to the outgoing year’s allocation as the federal government reserved Rs 108 billion for development and non-development expenditure of the higher education sector.
