A very good step by HEC on digitalize higher education in Pakistan according to new scientific method, but it will be little bit difficult in rural areas, where there is internet facilities are not available.
For your help HEC has also introduced two advanced datacentres named Astrolabes in Lahore and Karachi to support the effective as the people using them.
Higher education commission through its National Academy of Higher Education (NAHE), has trained over 1,100 faculty members and 900 administrative personnel in digital tools, for online teaching and modern academic management practices.
As we know in Pakistan their isn’t so many virtual education institutions like other countries .The top two virtual universities in Pakistan i.e. Allama Iqbal Open University and the Virtual University itself.
These both universities are accredited and affiliated with the HEC and the degree you get from them will be acceptable outside Pakistan even.
In 2024, an independent performance review reported that the project had met over 95 per cent of its established targets, prompting the World Bank to upgrade its performance rating for the initiative. This recognition highlights the measurable progress made under the program’s structured goals.
But there are still some challenges in the digital transformation of higher education in Pakistan. Some universities are slow to accept change while others, especially in areas with poor internet, facing gtechnical problems. Moving forward, continued backing from HEC, smart investments and a culture that welcomes change will be key. If done well, this effort could help build a more connected, efficient and student-focused university system across the country.
The concept of Digital University is a boom to many such students. . It is a setup towards bringing all the universities under one roof, and student can have access to all the details of each university and can then make a cognizant decision about their higher education.
For that purpose Students need to approach different university across the globe to get quality higher education like MS, MBA, Ph.D, Post Ph.D (super specialization). The most important hurdle the students face is the total awareness about the new courses and different universities where they are offered. Secondly, it may be very difficult for a lower middle-class / middle-class student has to shell out a lot of money for education and other expenses which he/she can’t afford. The concept of Digital University is a boom to many such students. It is a setup towards bringing all the universities under one roof, and student can have access to all the details of each university and can then make a cognizant decision about their higher education. Apart from providing valuable information about globally recognized universities, this will definitely shrink the expenses and students can easily get quality education right on their desktop. Students aspiring for higher education (technical or non-technical) face a number of problems.
It's tedious job of hunting many universities and courses across the whole world.
Getting into these universities and to have a course of one’s choice is not a feasible task.
Due to their financial problems, they cannot afford the astronomical fee and also fending themselves during their stay in the universities. In such a situation,
Yes it's true that digital University concept comes as a boom to all the aspirants according to their wish. With this new concept, the details of all the universities can be accessed by a click of the keys on his / her pc or laptop which would otherwise be a very tiresome task. Writing to all the universities which have been short listed by a candidate and to get the reply and forms from them is another patience testing activity. Lastly to avail university courses and to get the quality education (technical and non- technical), students don’t have to physically be present in the campus of the university, and they don’t have pay the regular sky scraping fees that any institute normally demands (other than the admission and examination fees which would really be very meager). With the concept of Digital University, the students can bid adieu to the mind numbing chores. This project also brings the ease on the student’s pockets wherein the students spend only for his/her terminal and the broadband connection to get connected with the University where the courses are being conducted. It will be the distributed network system or NGN which have different type of access modes depending upon the authorities, like the University personnel, college management and the end user, i.e. the student. “Education and technology cannot be seen separately. Taking education, especially vocational education, to rural areas will soon become easier through mobile handsets,
The mobile phone is a great leveler in society as far as dissemination of education is concerned. This will prove a new paradigm in imparting knowledge to far-flung areas in the country and assist in bridging the divide using wireless and mobile technology.”
As mobile wireless network technology becomes widespread, the importance of education about this new form of communication is becoming critical.