{"id":1141418,"date":"2026-01-05T13:52:54","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T08:52:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.app.com.pk\/?p=1141418"},"modified":"2026-01-05T13:52:54","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T08:52:54","slug":"maktab-launch-signals-national-resolve-for-digital-transformation-in-higher-education-ahsan-iqbal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/index.php\/2026\/01\/05\/maktab-launch-signals-national-resolve-for-digital-transformation-in-higher-education-ahsan-iqbal\/","title":{"rendered":"Maktab launch signals national resolve for digital transformation in higher education: Ahsan Iqbal"},"content":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD, Jan 5 (APP):Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Monday said the launch of Maktab, an integrated digital platform introduced under the Higher Education Commission (HEC), was a clear message of Pakistan\u2019s national resolve to transform higher education through digital governance, transparency and performance-based systems.<\/div>\n
Addressing the online launching ceremony of Maktab, the minister said Pakistan\u2019s universities were moving away from cumbersome paper-based processes towards modern, efficient and data-driven performance management systems.<\/div>\n
\u201cFrom now on, decisions in higher education institutions will not be based on assumptions but on data, evidence and measurable outcomes,\u201d he remarked.<\/div>\n
Highlighting the strategic importance of higher education, Ahsan Iqbal said that in the 21st century, the real strength of nations lay in strong institutions and a well-trained human resource base.<\/div>\n
\u201cWorld-class universities are not built merely through impressive buildings; they are shaped by transparent governance, effective management and accountability,\u201d he added.<\/div>\n
The minister said that nations do not progress accidentally. \u201cDevelopment is the result of planning, discipline, continuity and sustained reforms,\u201d he said, stressing that knowledge, technology and innovation formed the backbone of Pakistan\u2019s economic resilience and future competitiveness.<\/div>\n
Referring to the government\u2019s long-term development roadmap, he said innovation and competitiveness played a central role across all five pillars of the Uraan Pakistan vision.<\/div>\n
\u201cHuman resource development was declared a national priority as early as Vision 2010, laying the foundation for reforms in higher education,\u201d he recalled.<\/div>\n
Under successive national visions, the minister said, concrete steps were taken to strengthen research and talent development. He said the landmark 10,000 PhD programme had been launched to produce globally competitive scholars, while Vision 2025 focused on establishing modern research and innovation centres across the country.<\/div>\n
\u201cNow, under Uraan Pakistan, universities, research and the economy are being integrated into a single ecosystem to drive sustainable growth,\u201d he said, adding that Pakistan\u2019s top 10 premium universities would be prepared to compete at the global level.<\/div>\n
He informed the participants that a dedicated committee had been formed to identify premium universities and propose comprehensive reform measures.<\/div>\n
\u201cThe committee will submit its recommendations within one month, which will serve as the basis for transforming selected institutions into globally competitive centres of excellence,\u201d he said.<\/div>\n
The minister further said that a seven-point University Quality Framework was being implemented to enhance academic standards, governance and research output. Under this framework, public funding for higher education would be linked to performance, outcomes and measurable impact rather than routine allocations.<\/div>\n
\u201cCompetition and merit will now be the guiding principles in our universities,\u201d he said, adding that the era of complacency and inefficiency was coming to an end.<\/div>\n
He stressed that institutions would be incentivized to improve teaching quality, research productivity and industry linkages.<\/div>\n
Ahsan Iqbal also announced the establishment of new manufacturing centres along with 12 catapult-style centres aimed at accelerating applied research, technology transfer and industrial innovation.<\/div>\n
He said these centres would play a critical role in bridging the gap between academia and industry.<\/div>\n
Highlighting a flagship initiative, he said Quantum Valley Pakistan would be developed as a national hub for advanced research, emerging technologies and innovation. \u201cIt will position Pakistan at the forefront of future technologies and create high-value opportunities for our youth,\u201d he added.<\/div>\n
The minister urged universities to redefine their role in the national development framework. \u201cOur universities must evolve from degree-awarding institutions into high-performance knowledge organizations that actively contribute to economic growth and social progress,\u201d he said.<\/div>\n
Ahsan Iqbal said digital governance was the foundation of sustainable reforms in higher education. \u201cPlatforms like Maktab will ensure transparency, efficiency and evidence-based decision-making, enabling our higher education system to meet global standards and national aspirations,\u201d he added.<\/div>\n
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ISLAMABAD, Jan 5 (APP):Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Monday said the launch of Maktab, an integrated digital platform introduced under the Higher Education Commission (HEC), was a clear message of Pakistan\u2019s national resolve to transform higher education through digital governance, transparency and performance-based systems. Addressing the online launching…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1141419,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"pmpro_default_level":"","_speechable_audio":"","_speechable_word_timings":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[129,1535,1536],"post_template":[],"top_category":[],"class_list":["post-1141418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","tag-ahsan-iqbal","tag-hec","tag-minister-for-planning","pmpro-has-access"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1141418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1141418"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1141418\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1141419"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1141418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1141418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1141418"},{"taxonomy":"post_template","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_template?post=1141418"},{"taxonomy":"top_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/top_category?post=1141418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}