DLP Report
PESHAWAR
The Secretary of higher education department Capt. (R) Kamran Afridi has said that the provincial government was not only fully committed to addressing the financial and administrative challenges faced by the higher education sector, particularly public universities, but is also actively working on the development of short, medium, and long-term strategies in this regard.
He appreciated the swift and dedicated efforts of the Higher Education Task Force, formed under his leadership on the instructions of the Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The task force, in consultation with experts from the higher education sector, has formulated practical and actionable recommendations, which will soon be submitted to the Chief Minister for final approval.
Capt. (R) Kamran Afridi expressed these views while chairing a special meeting of the Provincial Task Force on Higher Education held at Khyber Medical University (KMU), Peshawar.
The meeting was attended by prominent task force members including Vice Chancellor KMU Prof. Dr. Zia ul Haq, Prof. Dr. Shafiq-ur-Rehman, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Usman Ghani (Director IM Sciences, Peshawar), Prof. Dr. Youreed Ahsan (Registrar University of Peshawar), Prof. Dr. Jamil (HEC Islamabad), and Prof. Dr. Gul Muhammad (UET Peshawar). Capt. (R) Kamran Afridi emphasized that universities were centers of knowledge and play a key role in the development and prosperity of societies.
He highlighted that the core function of universities is to guide society in addressing various challenges through research and innovation. However, due to limited resources and lack of strategic priorities, the higher education sector has not been able to achieve the desired progress in research.
He assured that the current government was well aware of the pressing issues faced by universities and is taking all necessary practical steps to address them.
He also urged universities to explore public-private partnership models and promote research, innovation, and commercialization to tackle financial constraints. Capt. (R) Kamran Afridi concluded by expressing his special thanks to all task force members for their tireless efforts in preparing the final draft and particularly appreciated the continuous support and hospitality extended by KMU Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Zia ul Haq throughout the process.
