HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM STRENGTHENING ACTIVITY (HESSA)

Latest update from HESSA: Privileged to have represented the National University of Technology at the USAID HESSA workshop. The sessions, led by esteemed experts across various domains, proved instrumental in broadening our understanding of partnership dynamics. Eager to leverage this enriched perspective to enhance collaborative initiatives. ( Date : 30,January,2024

Higher Education System Strengthening Activity (HESSA) is a project of University of Utah (UU) supported by USAID. It aims at capacity building of fifteen select HEIs of Pakistan in terms of leadership development, strategic planning, faculty development, curricula reform and modernization, research management and creation of students’ support structure in the HEIs Being launched in May 2022, the five-year project will enhance the quality of HEI graduates through improved higher education system. HESSA’s approach hinges on engaging a wide array of stakeholders to introduce feasible, relevant, viable, and sustainable reforms in areas of faculty development, curricula reform and modernization, research management, students’ support system and institutional governance etc.

HESSA is a USAID funded initiative aimed at advancing the country’s higher education system.

A 5-year, $19 million grant was awarded to the UU and partners by USAID to provide technical assistance for the project to advance the capacity of Pakistan’s higher education institutions and systems to develop employable graduates representatives from the UU’s Office for Global Engagement, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering and College of Education are leading the initiative. Other U.S. project partners include the University of Alabama and the Institute of International Education.

These U.S. institutions will work closely with HEC. Together, they will provide training aimed at bolstering the administrative systems, curriculum and student life supports that will ultimately help students meet the needs of the contemporary workplace HESSA-trained member institutions will then promote best practices in undergraduate and graduate education and strengthen the contributions of research universities to the country’s economy.

HESSA will roll-out its programmatic interventions through three broad, interrelated components listed as below:

• Component A:  Advancing Leadership, Governance and Management at Higher Education Institutions
• Component B:  Improving Relevance, Quality and Accessibility of Higher Education
• Component C:  Enhancing Support Services Across the Student Life Cycle

The expected outcomes of the HESSA project are: 

• Improved organizational performance of HEIs based on strategic planning
• Increased effective private sector partnerships and funding
• Enhanced curriculum to demonstrably improve graduate employability, including needed soft skills
• Expanded distance learning, financial aid, scholarships, and career pathway programs improving access for underserved populations and overall student success post-graduation

UU and National University of Technology (NUTECH) have already signed a comprehensive MoU on Academic, Research and Development and the same has already been approved through NUTECH statutory bodies besides approval by the Govt of Pakistan, NUTECH has been selected as one of the fifteen HESSA partner universities. The two institutions have also signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to reflect their agreement on areas of collaboration to advance the implementation of capacity-building activities as stipulated under the HESSA project.

Over 15 officials and faculty members from NUTECH have already participated in many consultative sessions and undergone various trainings organized by HESSA and are contributing significantly towards the uplifting on systems and processes at NUTECH.

Following are some of the trainings that NUTECH officials and faculty members have participated in.

• Strengthening Teaching and Learning of Soft Skills in Higher Education (May 2022 to July 2022, Online; 17-18 June 2022, Islamabad; 16 February – 4 March 2022, University of Alabama)
• Department Chairs Workshop (10-12 May 2022, Islamabad)
• Strategic Planning for Driving Organizational Change (8-9 June 2022, Islamabad)
• Women leadership training and study tour (18-28 July 2022, University of Alabama)
• Student Support Services Annual Capacity Building & Knowledge-Sharing Summit (July 26-28, 2022, Islamabad)
• Study tour to USA (18-30 July 2022, University of Utah and Washington DC)
• HESSA Vice Chancellors Project Review Meeting (24, 25 October 2022, Islamabad)
• Advancing Leadership Capacities of Deans (26, 27 October 2022, Islamabad)