Project Management Unit

FOR RE-ORGANIZATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

College Sub-Sector of Higher Education required reforms under the imperatives of successive national education policies. Higher Education Department Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa established Project Management Unit (PMU) for introducing much desired reforms for the improvement of various areas of higher education in the Province. Its purpose was to recommend measures for the restructuring and reorganization of government colleges in the Province. The specific objective of the project is to implement 4-Year Degree Bachelor of Studies (BS) program in Government Colleges in replacement of older 2-year degree. BS program of Studies would better prepare the students to meet the challenges of global market economy.

Since the beginning of the project in April 2011, PMU launched an awareness and advocacy campaign on Reform Agenda and held Seminars, Workshops, Conferences and meetings with the college teachers, principals and other stakeholders. As a result, the PMU received tremendous response from the college community and within a short span of a few months more than 121 BS Departments started functioning in more than 53 colleges in 25 disciplines both of natural sciences and humanities with an enrolment of about 3000 students. After the successful implementation of the BS Program and subsequent creation of 1900 regular posts of the lecturers under the program, it was handed over to the Directorate of Higher Education for further execution on regular side from 2020-21. By that time BS Program was extended to the 140 colleges of the Province.

The Project Management unit does not only confine itself to the BS program, but launch other initiative of Higher Education which makes the Higher Education Department as the vibrant Department of the Province. This initiative includes

• Execution of Naway Sahar Laptop Scheme.
• Provision of stipends to the unemployed youth of the Province
• Funding to the colleges for establishment and Development of Science Labs
• Provision of furniture to the BS Colleges

Another key area wherein PMU marks its presence is the establishment of Endowment Fund, which includes Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Higher Education Scholarship Endowment Fund (KPHESEF) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Higher Education Research Endowment Fund (KPHEREF).

The KPHESEF is further divided into two scholarship fund i-e Chief Minister Education Endowment Fund (CMEEF), which is meant to provide scholarships to students of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa domicile enrolled in top notch universities of the country and world, both in undergraduate and graduate program, while the other scholarship fund Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Higher Education Endowment Fund was established to support the brilliant students BS Program enrolled in Govt. Colleges working under the ambit of the Department. Till date Management Unit has offered 342 inland scholarships amounting to Rs. 282.55 Million and 10 foreign PhD scholarships amounting to Rs. 197.47 Million under CMEEF.  Both the scholarships are on merit cum affordability basis. Moreover a total of 18,913 scholarships amounting to Rs. 178.06 Million have been awarded to the students of BS Program in Govt. Colleges on merit cum affordability basis.

The Higher Education Research Endowment Fund (KPHEREF) is an initiative to promote Research and Development in the Province. The basic theme is to encourage the researchers to delicately pursue their research without any physical and financial constraints. Under the initiative, the selected research proposal was awarded upto Rs. 2.5 Million. During the 1^st Phase of the funding, 22 Research Proposals were shortlisted and amount to the tune of Rs. 44.24 Million were disbursed to the PIs of the Proposals. During the 2^nd Phase a total of 30 Proposals were shortlisted whereby Rs.60.0429 Million will be awarded to the PIs of the proposals in due course of time.

The successful implementation of the assigned task compelled the Department to bring the project on the regular side and in 2018; the PMU was regularized as Management Unit to continue its activities.

With the merger of erstwhile FATA, the department initiated efforts to bring the colleges established in NMDs at par with the colleges of the settled area and the task was once again assigned to the Management Unit.

The Management Unit, in line with the policy and vision of the Department, proposed several developmental schemes to re-organize Higher education in the colleges of the NMDs. At present Management Unit, is working to fulfill the human and infrastructural deficiencies in the colleges of the NMDs by providing staff, furniture’s, equipment’s and all other requirements to provide conducive learning environment to the students of NMDs colleges.