Islamabad, November 5, 2025, saw the Higher Education Commission through its Quality Assurance Agency convene a focused orientation for representatives of HEC-established Accreditation Councils to begin implementation of REQAAB as part of the PSG-2023 framework.
The PSG-2023 was developed through a collaborative initiative started in 2021 with QAA-UK and wide stakeholder consultation, and was launched in August 2023 to combine internationally recognised quality assurance benchmarks with context specific solutions for Pakistani higher education. The orientation aimed to translate that policy into actionable steps for accreditation bodies across the country.
Mr. Nasir Shah, Director General Quality Assurance at HEC, chaired the session and highlighted the central role of accreditation bodies in securing both national priorities and international recognition. He underlined that adopting REQAAB standards will improve internal processes and support global acceptance of Pakistani accredited programmes.
Mr. Muhammad Raza, Deputy Director HEC, presented the PSG-2023 framework and the REQAAB component in detail, emphasising the need to modernise accreditation practices to meet evolving global education and labour market requirements. He noted that alignment with international benchmarks will enhance institutional reputation and promote collaboration, quality enhancement and academic integrity.
The session stressed REQAAB requirements for accountability, asking existing Accreditation Councils to map current procedures to the new REQAAB standards and to prepare for periodic external reviews by national or international quality assurance agencies. This mapping exercise is intended to ensure continuous compliance and to strengthen the credibility of Pakistan’s accreditation processes.
Mr. Irfan Ullah, Director QAA, urged Accreditation Councils to develop sustainable business models, a gap that currently hinders operational effectiveness and long term planning. He encouraged councils to design fee structures and governance approaches that support independent, consistent quality assurance work aligned with REQAAB.
Participants from all HEC-established councils committed to close collaboration with QAA-HEC to ensure a timely and successful transition to the new, more robust quality assurance mechanism. The orientation marks a significant step in operationalising REQAAB and raising the standard of accreditation across Pakistan.
