The Pakistan Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (PNQAHE) organized the 2nd International Conference on Quality Assurance in Higher Education from April 23 to 25, 2019 at University of Education (UoE), Lahore. The conference, organized in collaboration with HEC and Khyber Medical University (KMU), was attended by QEC representatives of higher education institutions and leading scholars, researchers and educationists from across the world. Participants included Dr. Selva Staub from Turkey, Asst. Prof. Donald Staub from Turkey, Prof. Kethamonie Naidoo from South Africa, Dr. Bassam Al Hamad from Bahrain, Dr. Khalid Azim Khan from Saudi Arabia and Dr. Bahar Gun from Turkey.
The first day of the conference was reserved for pre-conference workshops on a range of topics pertaining to quality assurance. Mr. Zahid Hussain (ADQEC, DHA Suffa University) participated in workshops titled “Strategic Planning for Your Organization” and “KPIs and Benchmarking – Improving the Performance of HEIs”.
At the inaugural session on the second day, Chief Guest Prof. Dr. Arshad Javaid (Vice Chancellor, KMU) and Guest of Honour Prof. Dr. Shafique-ur-Rehman (Adviser of Quality Assurance, Higher Education Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) emphasized the role of PNQAHE in improving the education standards with the joint effort of QECs and discussed initiatives that were in the pipeline to enhance the quality of education in Pakistan. Over 50 research papers were presented at the conference and keynote speeches were delivered by the speakers. In the closing ceremony, Mr. Riaz Ahmed Qureshi (former advisor to the Quality Assurance Department of the HEC) highlighted the background of quality assurance of the HEC and its scope to internationalize programs. He appreciated the establishment of PNQAHE and hoped the conference would provide a strong base to introduce quality culture in the higher education sector.
