Higher education in Asian countries and the role of international ...

232
institutions were increased throughout the country Likewise Local Self-governance Act has been
introduced to manage and monitor education at district and village level.
Pakistan
The policy reform in education sector, in Pakistan, is an integral part of a five year education
plan so that education could be made more responsive and relevant to the changing needs. In
1982, Academy of Educational Planning and Management (AEPAM) was established to
facilitate development and promotion of education through effective policy reform, planning,
capacity building, and oversee the implementation process. The National Education Policy 1992
and the Eighth Five-year Plan (1993-1999) gave high priority to the achievement of universal
primary education. In order to achieve EFA goals by 2015, the Education Sector Reforms (ESR)
program was initiated in 1999. This is a long-term framework to promote policy reforms and
planning in order to reduce gender gap, improve quality, accessibility and public private
partnership from primary to tertiary education level. The ESR also supports relevant Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs). The rising demand of skilled labor force at national and
international levels led to the formation of the National Vocational and Technical Education
Commission (NAVTEC) in 2005. This commission is has been given the task to help
government in speeding up the process of reform in vocation education and to provide policy
direction for vocational education & training. To link education with international community
the Ministry of Education has introduced teaching of English as a compulsory subject from the
first grade in public schools and private.
Higher Education Commission was established in 2002 to promote and develop higher education
in the country. The HEC is responsible for dealing with the different matters that are related to
policy designing and implementation, planning, programs development, standards setting, funds
disbursement and supervise education in the country. Quality assurance agencies and cells have
been put in place by the HEC to ensure quality of inputs, processing and output. Likewise,
industries and universities collaboration, use of ICTs in education and presence of private sector
in higher education are encouraged by the government.
The education policy 2009 stressed upon faculty development, innovation, relevance, industry-
university linkages, responsive education, market oriented skills and competencies, equitable
and, Extensive access to higher education through ICTs. This policy gave the clear direction to