Karachi-Web Desk: The Chairman of Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, Niaz Ahmad Akhtar, has announced that medical MS and PhD programmes will now be offered by the HEC instead of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council.
He made these remarks while addressing a scholarship and degree distribution ceremony at Karachi Metropolitan University, attended by students, faculty members, parents, alumni, and distinguished guests.
During the event, certificates were awarded to high-achieving students, while 46 students received scholarships funded by alumni, marking a positive step toward promoting higher education access in Pakistan.
The HEC chairman noted that approximately four million students are currently enrolled in universities across the country, with a higher education enrollment rate of around 20%. He added that HEC has introduced local data hosting facilities for universities, allowing institutions to store data domestically instead of relying on international platforms such as Amazon.
Highlighting policy changes in medical education, Akhtar said that HEC will now directly oversee and offer MS and PhD programmes in the medical field, shifting responsibilities away from PMDC.
He also pointed to major employment challenges facing graduates in general education, stressing the need for reforms to improve job prospects. Additionally, he raised concerns over the high cost of medical education, noting significant disparities in annual fees across institutions, ranging from Rs100,000 to as high as Rs1.2 million.
The chairman further revealed that Karachi Metropolitan University has awarded scholarships worth approximately Rs5 million to students.
Emphasising values in education, he said students should be recognized not only for academic performance but also for their ethics.
In response to a media query, Akhtar stated that he was unaware of an executive director holding dual positions simultaneously and would review the matter upon returning to Islamabad. He clarified that the executive director is being paid under the MP-1 scale, and no approval has been granted for a salary of Rs2.3 million.
