Professor Dr. Zahoor ul Haq, the
Vice-Chancellor of Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, recently hosted a
gathering of partner universities involved in USAID's Higher Education System
Strengthening Activity (HESSA) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The meeting, attended by
distinguished figures including Professor Dr. Hassan Sher, Vice-Chancellor of
the University of Swat, and Professor Dr. Nasir Jamal Khattak, Vice-Chancellor
of Swabi Women University and Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University of
Peshawar, focused on evaluating the progress of the HESSA initiative.
During the meeting, Dr. Aslam Chaudhry, Chief
of Party-HESSA, led a delegation from USAID, engaging in discussions with
Vice-Chancellors and faculty members from universities that had participated in
various HESSA training programs. The deliberations centered on the
accomplishments of the program over the past two years, including international
study tours to the University of Utah, USA, benefiting Pakistani faculty
members from 16 partner universities. More than 400 university officials have
received valuable capacity-building support through the USAID-HESSA program,
contributing to the enhancement of the higher education ecosystem and the
production of skilled graduates.
Looking ahead, the participants were briefed on
the strategic and business planning process for universities. Each HESSA
partner university will establish a dedicated planning team, which will receive
training from international experts on developing and implementing strategic
plans. The meeting also involved discussions about the proposed plan for the
third year of project implementation, encompassing feedback on improvements to
the HESSA training programs' structure. The suggestions and recommendations
gathered will be integrated into the program framework, with input from the
academic leadership of all HESSA partner universities.
