The Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan has launched a major digital transformation initiative to improve public universities across the country. This project aims to replace old, paper-based systems with modern, digital solutions.

For many years, students, teachers and university staff have faced delays and difficulties in everyday tasks like course registration and getting academic records. These outdated systems have made university life harder for everyone.

With this new initiative, HEC is taking a big step forward to help universities work faster and more efficiently. The goal is to make student services better, support faculty with digital tools, and improve overall management at universities.

Launched in 2019 with financial backing from the World Bank, the Higher Education Development Project (HEDP) in Pakistan implemented under the oversight of HEC has made significant efforts to reengineer Pakistan’s higher education landscape.

The concept of National Education and Research Networks (NRENs) is still less discussed in Pakistan. NRENs serve as the backbone of higher education networks in countries worldwide and Pakistan’s NREN is called PERN or Pakistan Education and Research Network. PERN under HEC has now more than 300 universities and higher education institutions connected to gain access to high-speed internet along with several other high value services.

This has enabled remote campuses to tap into national and international learning resources, helping bridge the digital divide that has long disadvantaged students in underserved areas.

At the heart of HEC’s strategic IT initiatives is Maktab, a homegrown enterprise resource planning (ERP) system developed on SAP infrastructure. This system enables universities to consolidate core operations like student enrollment, fee management, human resources, finance and examinations into a single digital platform. Now students can enroll in PERN-enabled universities knowing that their admission to degree completion is all managed digitally while minimising the cost of operations and administration of the universities having Maktab.

To support the digital infrastructure, HEC has also set up two advanced datacenters named Astrolabes in Lahore and Karachi. These datacenters provide secure cloud storage, data management and processing capabilities to universities, enabling them to deploy modern academic applications and manage institutional data more effectively. Just like the top tier universities around the world, public universities in Pakistan having the strategic IT initiatives of HEC implemented in their campuses can empower their students to learn, research and innovate without restrictions of computing power or data consumption limitations.

Yet, hardware and software are only part of the solution. Recognising that technological systems are only as effective as the people using them, HEC, through its National Academy of Higher Education (NAHE), has trained over 1,100 faculty members and 900 administrative personnel in digital tools, online teaching and modern academic management practices.

By the end of 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.

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, face technical 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.

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