The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has moved to replace 24-year-old guidelines governing the establishment of new universities with a new regulatory framework aimed at modernizing Pakistan’s higher-education system.
The HEC has drafted the “Regulatory Framework for the Establishment and Accreditation of Higher Education Institutions Pakistan 2026” to address changing education standards and the evolving needs of the country’s higher-education sector.
Officials said the HEC approved the framework in principle during its 47th Commission meeting on July 3. The commission will now circulate the draft among the provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan to seek their feedback and consent before sending it to the federal cabinet for final approval.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif initiated the reform process by directing a high-level committee, led by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, to review the existing legal framework.
The committee reviewed the draft in late June and called for further improvements. It also stressed the need for provincial governments to support the framework to ensure consistent implementation across the country.
An HEC task force comprising national and international education experts prepared the new framework. Officials said the existing 2002 cabinet-approved guidelines no longer adequately address global education standards or the current requirements of Pakistan’s higher-education sector.
The HEC has asked the provinces and other relevant territories to submit their feedback or consent within the specified deadline. Officials said the commission may treat a lack of response as consent and proceed with submitting the draft to the federal cabinet for final approval.
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