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| Day 1 - February 17, 2020 | ||||||
| The 7th Deans & Directors Conference entitled ‘Enhancing Quality and Inclusivity in Business Education through Engagement’ was organized by National Business Education Accreditation Council (NBEAC), Higher Education Commission (HEC) at PAFSOM Arena on Monday. NBEAC Deans and Directors Conference has become a tradition and is annually held to assess quality of business education, its associated challenges, business prospects and opportunities while highlighting unique themes of specializations in business and management sciences disciplines for education in Pakistan. The participants across multiple disciplines discussed balance between indigenous and international curriculum content for effective business education, and share experiences of business enterprises and educational leaders locally and globally. The conference was attended by a large number of Deans, Directors, faculty members, business schools’ representatives, and industry dignitaries. Dr. Farrukh Iqbal (Chairman, NBEAC) talked about the accreditation process and broadly elaborated the standards for quality check process of business institutions. The focus of Dr. Iqbal’s note was upon developing high standards for enhancement of business schools’ quality. Dr. Naukhez Sarwar (Vice Chairman, NBEAC) highlighted three main aspects of the conference; quality, inclusivity and engagement. He said that the way from quality assurance to quality enhancement comprises of productive learning and continuous improvement. He also stressed that the impact of digital transformation has to be taken into account when devising strategies to enhance the quality of business institutes. He also stressed upon the collaboration amongst all business schools’ representatives to come up with innovative and creative quality enhancement solutions which are practical and measurable. The chief guest, Mr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh (Advisor to the Prime Minister) spoke on the occasion and lauded NBEAC for providing a platform of stabilization. He cautioned that business education has lost its prestige and that the mass production of degrees is deteriorating the quality of business education. He said this imbalance of quantity and quality should be corrected. He was of the views that with the current digital age and high global connectivity, Pakistan has the opportunity to keep pace with the world. He urged the point of inclusivity in business education. “Gender inclusivity should be a dominant consideration” he maintained. He highlighted the few accredited universities in Pakistan and asked for recommendations to raise this number. He concluded his speech by asking the attendees to come up with workable solutions regarding inclusivity, government involvement and making education relevant. Mr. Ahtesham Ali Raja (Program Director, NBEAC) paid his regards to the late Mr. Hasan Shoaib Murad (former Chairman, NBEAC), Dr. Farrukh Iqbal (Chairman, NBEAC) and the sponsors of the 7th deans and directors’ conference 2020. According to him, this conference “is a good cause to enhance the quality of education”. At the end of the inaugural session, the conference sponsors were conferred with a note of recognition and appreciation. Engaging stakeholders to achieve inclusivity and quality in business education The plenary session on “Engaging stakeholders to achieve inclusivity and quality in business education” was moderated by Dr. Syed Zahoor Hassan (Professor, LUMS). The session was commenced by the moderator with a question “What dimensions do we need to consider when we think of quality business education?” Dr. Ishrat Husain (Advisor to Prime Minister for Institutional Reforms and Austerity of Pakistan) answered the questions by saying that when it comes to quality, we follow the subjective approach in which we cannot accurately know if quality is improving or deteriorating. He talked about three dimensions which can be used to measure quality including feedback, rigor and public policy. He stressed that business schools should pay attention to the socioeconomic development of Pakistan. Dr. Farrukh Iqbal (Chairman, NBEAC) talked about the two missing aspects. The first aspect being the input in the process of quality and the second being the possible output. In order to measure output we need to know where we stand in terms of jobs and students’ output. He stated that “while we do have some checklists to measure quality, we don’t have the system to measure the quality of teaching methods. There is no system to measure students’ satisfaction. There are still critical dimensions that are missing”. Dr. Zaffar A Khan (Chairman Board of Directors, Pakistan Center for Philanthropy (PCP)) appreciated business schools for producing some outstanding business professionals and for immense good work in bringing together local and foreign business leaders. He stressed on the need to think about the relevancy of business education we are giving to our students as most of it is derived from Western system. He further stressed that there is a need to understand their business philosophy and psychology. He was of the views that the public sector and public services can contribute to the needs of society. He further stated there is a need to contemplate on the relevancy of research being carried out in business schools and ways of linking academia and industry. Mr. Muhammad Ahmed (President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry) said “Pakistani industry is not implementing what students study during their academic career. Our industry is far behind Western business practices”. He further said we focus on hard work but not towards being productive. While answering the second question “What is the purpose of existing business school and what do they want to achieve”, speakers mentioned some important points including the overall attitude of business schools of Pakistan which results in reaction rather than creating solutions. The panel also highlighted the need to modify curriculum to satisfy the first level of consumers. They elaborated that our primary focus is to make students able to acquire reputable jobs. Business schools should focus more on quality rather than quantity and should find innovative ways to come out of crisis. We should include case studies of local businesses in our curriculum. The session further covered the subject of inclusivity and the focus remained on the gender inequality in Pakistan and speakers reiterated that we should utilize the full capacity of human resource irrespective of gender and locality. Local entrepreneurs should provide financial recourses and training to compete with international entrepreneurs. We should fully utilize the digital tools to enhance capacity building. Quality Enhancement Initiatives: Challenges and Solutions a. Private and Public sector business schools The session moderator Dr. Sadia Nadeem (Dean, FAST_NU, Islamabad) commenced the session by asking speakers to comment on the role of NBEAC. Addressing this question, Dr. Rehana Kausar (HoD Department of Commerce, Bahauddin Zakaria University, Multan) stated that NBEAC is playing a crucial role in enhancing academic networking and overall quality of business education in Pakistan. Mr. Khusro Pervaiz Khan (Head of Campus, SZABIST Islamabad) appreciated NBEAC for creating an ecosystem to foster business education. He said “NBEAC is doing great job through training and development”. Dr. Huma Ayub (Assistant Professor, Fatima Jinnah Women University (FJWU), Rawalpindi) shared her remarks regarding NBEAC training programs. She said NBEAC is making great efforts to enhance capacity building but the fee structure of the programs is one big concern. The issue and challenges faced by public and private sector were also discussed in the session. Dr. Huma talked about the financial autonomy of the departments in public sector. She further pointed out that due to limited budget public sectors are unable to make significant progress. Dr. Abdul Rehman (Director, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad) stated that there is less representation of public sector on these platforms and that the faculty exposure in public sector needs to be broaden. He said that one way to improve current situation is to attract high quality faculty and to retain them in the institute. Dr. Niaz Bhutto (HoD, Sukkur IBA University) said there are few industries in small cities. For instance, sukkur doesn’t have very developed ecosystem required for the enhancement of business education. Dr. Rehana said infrastructure, students and faculty are the important pillars of an institute. The faculty development and training programs aren’t same in public and private sectors. Mr. Khusro Pervaiz Khan said private sector also face financial constraints but it is on its own and doesn’t depend on grants. The speakers also discussed possible solutions including improvement of training and capacity building programs, sharing of database and new technologies by HEC and resource sharing among universities. There should be more practical collaboration where industry needs to trust academia. There should be extensive training at faculty level. NBEAC trainings should be free of cost. The faculty of private and public sector should come together to work in collaboration in the field of research. Quality Enhancement Initiatives: Challenges and Solutions b. Rural and Urban sector business schools Dr. Asfia Obaid (HoD, NUST Business school) moderated the session. Speakers shared their remarks regarding the challenges faced by rural business schools. Dr. Tariq Ahmad (Dean, BUITEMS, Quetta) talked about the problem of intakes in rural institutes. Dr. Mushtaq A Sajid (Senior Dean, University of Kotli, AJKU) further stressed on the quality enhancement in rural business schools. He talked about retaining quality faculty by enhancing motivation among them. Dr. Usman Ghani (Joint Director, Institute of Management Sciences, Peshawar) stated that there is no strategic plan in rural areas due to which business schools have to start from zero, there is a need of curriculum modification and qualified faculty. Dr. Shahid Nawaz (Assistant Professor, Islamia University, Bahawalpur) expressed his concerns about the lack of fundings and training programs in rural areas. He also discussed the problem of faculty deficiency and financial resources. The speakers concluded the session by providing possible solutions including improvement of training and capacity building programs. Dr. Aneel Salman (HoD, COMSATS University, Islamabad) said that institutes should take complete ownership, should address the issue of social responsibility to achieve sustainable goals. Contemporary curriculum designs and learning pedagogies The moderator of the session Dr. Zaki Rashidi (Associate Dean Accreditation & Directior ORIC, Iqra University, Karachi) asked the speakers about the curriculum designs and learning pedagogies. Dr. Irfan Hyder (Rector, Institute of Business Management, Karachi) said the curriculum should be themed across course and semester. The critical thinking is important to promote different perspectives. Dr. Zeeshan Ahmed (Dean, Karachi School of Business and Leadership (KSBL), Karachi) believes that every society has unique needs of generating entrepreneurs. He said that leaders shouldn’t be stubborn. We need to inculcate right characteristics among leaders. Dr. Aamir Khan (Associate Professor, Lahore School of Economics) suggested to add socio economic development programs in the curriculum to acquire good jobs and also there is a need to increase and improve the relevant syllabus. Dr. Nadia Tahir (Managing Director, QAA, HEC) said there is need to enhance leadership and learning experiences among students. |
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| Day 2 - February 18, 2020 | ||||||
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The future of business education The moderator for the session, Dr. Naveeda Kitchlew (Associate Dean, SBE, University of Management Technology, Lahore), commenced the session with an introduction of business education in Pakistan and then asked the speakers to share their view regarding ROIs in business education and its future.
Dr. Idrees Khawaja (Dean, Air University, Islamabad) shared his experience as a new graduate when he joined the market. He talked about the differences that exist in theory and practice. He further went on to address the issue of irrelevant curriculum that doesn’t go well with the market needs.
Syed Najmul Hussain (Council Member, ICAP) talked about the structure of business education in Pakistan, and shared some root challenges in field like irrelevancy of curriculum with business practices of market.
Mr. Sajjeed Aslam (Head ACCA, Pakistan) said that the curriculum relevance with the market requirements is the foremost challenge of the time. We can measure the quality of business education by checking output.
Dr. Jawad Syed (Professor, LUMS) said the future of business education depends on the quality that we give to our faculty members. The speakers stressed on establishing linkages between academia and industry.
Dr. Nagina Gul (HoD Management Sciences, Sardar Bahadur Khan Women University, Quetta) believes the higher management and faculty members should work together to shape the future of business education.
Dr. Sajjeed further stated that it is the responsibility of business schools to work towards the enhancement of business education because if the business education is weak, we cannot expect economy and industry to flourish.
In conclusion, the speakers stressed upon the promotion of entrepreneurship in Pakistan. They said business schools can play an indispensable role in this aspect and they can encourage students to bring innovative ideas for new businesses.
The impact of digital transformation at workplaces The moderator of the session Mr. Irfan Wahab Khan (CEO, Telenor Pakistan) talked about the importance of technology in achieving sustainable goals. He mentioned that the young generation, that covers a significant portion of our population, has great potential to utilize technology for development. Dr. Shaukat Brah (Founder Rector, KSBL) stated that technology is important in building networking and communication. He was also of the views that research development highly relies on technology and he believes that digital transformation can provide us with more interactive platforms. He stated that we can also address various challenges by improving technological grounds.
Dr. Muhammad Laeeq ur Rehman Khan (Associate Professor, Digital Marketing, NUST, Islamabad) shared his views on the impact of digital transformation. He believes we need to start at the micro-level. He also believes that digital media literacy can help to transform economy and stressed on the need to adapt to new media technologies to compete at a global level. He also talked about data science and analytics. He said “Data is the oil for business education and industry development”. Problem solving, creativity and innovation are required to deal with big data that can ultimately help us find unique business opportunities. With research, we can enhance the quality of business education and industry.
Mr. Ali Sarfaraz (CEO, Karandaaz Pakistan) believes data should be accessible so that businesses and researchers can make the most out of it. Panelists agreed that there is a need to provide an enabling environment for new businesses and entrepreneurs.
Dr. Shaukat further added “it is okay to be a follower when it comes to learning from developed nations. We need to set reference points where we enable the students to face and overcome the challenges in business”. In conclusion, panelists agreed on the fact that students are now more aware and have better communication skills due to digital revolution but there is still a need to inculcate leadership skills and creativity.
Closing Ceremony: Dr. Tariq Banuri, Chairman HEC addressed the conference members on the closing ceremony. He talked about “JUSTICE” and quoted Hazrat Ali “the world can live without religion but it cannot live without justice”. He said justice is not a linear concept and it has many dimensions.
The first one is “justice in terms of equality” that means inclusivity; people should not be denied on certain things. Second is “justice in terms of quality”. If something is in the right place then its justice and if it’s not then it is against justice (Hazrat Ali). He stated that our role is the promotion of justice in both dimensions. Third is “Justice as equality” which is about making sure people have access.
He said inclusivity is the synonym of equality. The statistics show a really sad picture which means we need to make progress in our education field.
He further added that we regress when it comes to justice. He further mentioned the need to see quality in the eye and to discuss at national level what is quality and how to achieve it. He mentioned the popular book “Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance” which also focuses on the description of quality. When we change the world, the facts start to change. The thinking changes the world. He appreciated the efforts of NBEAC, HEC and entities that worked to make this conference possible.
Dr. Naukhez Sarwar (Vice Chairman, NBEAC) gave the concluding remarks and appreciated the effort carried out by education sector and industry. He stated that it is not a simple task to enhance inclusivity without compromising the quality. Private and public, rural and urban schools somehow share the similar challenges. There is a need to focus more on the excellence of academia. There is a need to appreciate people and stakeholders who are engaging in this endeavor.
Dr. Farrukh Iqbal (Chairman, NBEAC) appreciated universities, enterprises who helped in the entire process of the conference. The conference ended on a good gesture. |
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| Conference Photos | ||||||
| Conference Chair | ||||||
| Dr. Farrukh Iqbal, Chairman NBEAC | ||||||
| Conference Convener | ||||||
| Dr. Naukhez Sarwar, Vice Chairman NBEAC and Dean NUST Business School | ||||||
| The Venue | ||||||
| PAFSOM ARENA, Millennium Hotel, Islamabad | ||||||
Purpose
Objectives
- To understand the significance of stakeholder engagement in the process of quality enhancement.
- To enhance inclusivity of diverse business schools in the debate of quality enhancement of business education in Pakistan.
- To analyze the challenges of diverse business schools and how innovative solutions can be leveraged to overcome these.
- To assess the futuristic landscape of businesses and business education and to employ contemporary pedagogies to embrace these changes.
- Interaction between various stakeholders of business schools for a better understanding of their role in enhancement of the quality of business education.
- Inclusion of a variety of business schools in the process of establishing standards in business education in Pakistan.
- Identification of innovative solutions implemented to address challenges overcome by diverse business schools in Pakistan.
- Identification of contemporary learning pedagogies and curriculum design en vogue in Pakistan and internationally.
- Enhance awareness of the impact of digital transformation at workplaces and the skill-set for employability of graduates.
- Opportunities for universities to collaborate and develop national MoUs to facilitate mutually beneficial initiatives.
- Improved understanding of mechanisms to assess the impact of a variety of initiatives undertaken by business schools.
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Conference Chair |
Dr. Farrukh Iqbal, Chairman NBEAC |
|---|---|
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Conference Convener |
Dr. Naukhez Sarwar, Vice Chairman NBEAC and Dean NUST Business School |
Sunday, 16th Feb 2020 at Air University, Islamabad
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06:00 pm |
Welcome dinner |
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06:30 – 07:30 pm |
Program / Campus showcase |
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07:30 – 08:00 pm |
Networking |
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08:00 – 09:00 pm |
Dinner |
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09:15 pm |
Departure to hotel |
Monday, 17th Feb 2020 at Pafsom Arena, Sector E-9, Main Margalla Road, Islamabad
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08.30-09.30 am |
Guests to be seated |
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09.30-11.00 am |
Inaugural ceremony |
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11.00-11.30 am |
Coffee break |
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11.30-01.00 pm |
Engaging stakeholders to achieve inclusivity and quality in business education |
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01.00-02.00 pm |
Lunch break |
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02.00-03.30 pm |
Quality enhancement initiatives: Challenges and solutions a. Private and public sector business schools b. Rural and urban sector business schools |
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03.30-04.00 pm |
What do students and faculty need in research database? |
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04.00-05.30 pm |
Contemporary curriculum designs and learning pedagogies |
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07.00 pm |
Dinner - Bahria University, Islamabad |
Tuesday, 18th Feb 2020 at Pafsom Arena, Sector E-9, Main Margalla Road, Islamabad
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09.00-10.30 am |
The future of business education: Challenges and opportunities |
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10.30-11.00 am |
Tea break |
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11.00-12.30 pm |
The impact of digital transformation at workplaces |
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12.30-01.30 pm |
Closing Ceremony |
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01.30 pm |
Lunch |
Workshops, Seminars and Policy Roundtables
Monday, 17th Feb 2020
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02.00-03.30 pm |
Workshop 1: Designing and Aligning PLO’s and CLO’s |
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04.00-05.30 pm |
EFMD Seminar: How to internalize institutions and valorize it for accreditation? |
Tuesday, 18th Feb 2020
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09.00-10.30 am |
Policy Roundtable: Leveraging the strength of broad based national collaborations to impact business education |
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09.00-10.30 am |
Workshop 2: Impact assessment of initiatives and activities undertaken by business schools |
Chairman
Higher Education Commission (HEC), Islamabad
Chairman - NBEAC
Institute of Business Administration, Karachi
Advisor
Prime Minister for Institutional Reforms & Austerity
Vice Dean
College of Business and Economics, UAEU
Dean
KSBL
Associate Professor, Associate Dean Academics and Chairperson (Lahore Chapter)
Association of Management Development Institute, Pakistan (AMDIP)
Dean FAST School of Management & Associate Professor
FAST_NU, Islamabad
Associate Professor
Lahore School of Economics
Professor
SDSB, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Lahore
Professor
Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Lahore
HoD
NUST Business School, Islamabad
Director & Associate Dean
IQRA University, Karachi
CEO
Telenor Pakistan
CEO of Survey Auto, Chief Digital Officer of the Jang Group and the Chief Investment Officer of Khudi Ventures
CEO Karandaaz
General Manager at Ignite
Joint Director
Institute of Management Sciences, Peshawar
Associate Professor
NUST Business School, Islamabad
Ex-President
Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (2018-19)
Regional Sales Manager, MEA
ProQuest
Professor
Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan (AWKUM)
Assistant Professor
Department of Business Administration, Fatima Jinnah Women University
Assistant Professor
Islamia University, Bahawalpur
Head of ACCA Pakistan
ACCA , Pakistan
Registration Opens For "7th Deans & Directors - 2020, Enhancing Quality and Inclusivity in Business Education through Engagement"
Registrations Information:
• Conference Registration fee: 10,000/-PKR
• Workshop/Seminar/Policy Roundtable Registration Fee: 10,000/-PKR
• Registration Last Date: 10th February, 2020
• Conference registration fee waived off for Sponsors:
- Platinum (2 delegates)
- Gold(2 delegates)
- Silver (1 delegates)
• Late/ On-desk registrations: Increment of registration fee upto 10%.
•NBEAC will not liable to give TA/DA to registered participants, TA/DA will be provided by concerned university.
Note:
For more information regarding conference and registration process, please feel free to call registration focal person Muhammad Tahir (IT-Assistant)
Contact no: +923425259250
Email: mutahir@hec.gov.pk
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| Please call any of these hotels and give reference of NBEAC-HEC Conference to get special discounted rates. | |||||
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| Millennium Hotel Islamabad | |||||
| Address | PAFSOM Arena, Sector E-9, Main Margala Road, Islamabad | ||||
| Focal Person | Raja Khushnood A Khan | ||||
| Contact No | 0302-8555334 | ||||
| dsm@millenniumhotelisb.com | |||||