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Abstract
Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan emphasizes quality as one of the key pillars of higher education development. It has developed and implemented the systematic QA standards, policies and processes in order to assure and enhance the quality of Higher Education in the country since 2002. This article describes impact of an approach which is developed and tested by the HEC for the purpose of quality assurance and consistent enhancement in the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) of a developing country aiming at increased value of the qualifications awarded. It further illustrates the QA strategy, initiatives and respective outcomes harmonized with the international QA priorities. The QA experience of HEC for higher education development reflects a paradigm shift as an impact of Quality Assurance on Higher Education thus being recognized as one of the impact driven initiatives amongst developing countries.
Key Words: Quality assurance, Higher education, Standards
Introduction
It is recognized globally that quality adds value to higher education and needs to be considered as one of the top priorities of the sector. Therefore, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan emphasizes quality as one of the key pillars of higher education development and demonstrates an indigenous but internationally compatible Quality Assurance Programme (QAP). It was considered necessary since the establishment of Higher Education Commission (HEC) in the year 2002 to develop and implement the systematic QA standards, policies and processes in order to assure and enhance the quality of Higher Education in the country. This paper is developed with the aimed to discuss concept of quality in higher education and discuss the role of Higher Education Commission (HEC) for developing a Quality based Higher Education System in Pakistan, and to explore the effect of implementation of HEC quality assurance policies on the output of higher education in Pakistan.
The study is important to evaluate the concept of quality in higher education in Pakistan. It has documented efforts of HEC for ensuring quality in higher education. It is valuable to evaluate the impact of policies of HEC to improve the quality and output of efforts of HEC quality assurance policies in the country. The present study was an attempt to review and analyze literature about the topic. For this study, relevant literature and documents regarding...