HEC Calls for National Roadmap to Prepare Universities for AI Adoption
Islamabad, September 12, 2026: The National Academy for Higher Education (NAHE) of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan held a consultative meeting on Artificial Intelligence (AI), institutional preparedness and capacity building in the higher education sector.
The meeting was chaired by HEC Chairman Dr Niaz Ahmad Akhtar. It was attended by NAHE Managing Director Dr Noor Amna Malik, vice chancellors, senior faculty members, representatives of public sector universities, HEC Regional Centres and Huawei Technologies.
Participants underlined the need for a coordinated national approach to AI adoption and institutional readiness in universities. The discussion covered AI literacy, digital infrastructure, High-Performance Computing (HPC), cybersecurity, human resource development, governance, academic programmes and the responsible use of emerging technologies.
The deliberations came in the backdrop of HEC’s recently circulated requirement for a three-credit-hour AI-related course for undergraduate and graduate students from Fall 2026.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Niaz Ahmad Akhtar said AI was rapidly changing education, research, industry, governance, healthcare, agriculture and academic administration. He said universities should not view AI only as a set of tools, but must build institutional capacity to understand, manage and responsibly integrate it.
The HEC Chairman said AI readiness required digital infrastructure, computing capacity, trained human resources, cybersecurity, institutional governance, academic expertise and ethical safeguards. He also pointed to the gap in digital preparedness across the higher education sector and stressed the need to strengthen national capacity in HPC, data infrastructure, cybersecurity and specialised AI expertise.
Dr Akhtar called for closer collaboration among universities, technology companies, researchers and policymakers to support responsible AI adoption across the sector.
Dr Noor Amna Malik briefed the meeting on NAHE’s ongoing initiatives to develop AI capacity among university faculty and management. She said NAHE had completed two AI training cohorts, with 64 participants attending physically and 366 joining virtually.
She further informed participants that additional comprehensive AI training programmes were being planned through HEC Regional Centres and 15 identified cluster points to expand capacity-building opportunities across the country.
During the meeting, Huawei Technologies Solution Expert Mr Meng Gengchang and Mr Leo shared industry perspectives on AI. University leaders also presented practical examples of AI adoption, including AI-enabled admissions at Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, AI academic programmes at BUITEMS and AI-related initiatives at PIEAS.
The meeting noted that AI readiness was a whole-of-institution responsibility, requiring AI-literate faculty, trained management, suitable policies, strong infrastructure, cybersecurity safeguards, ethical frameworks and continuous professional development.
The session concluded with a common understanding that Pakistan’s higher education sector needed a nationally coordinated roadmap for AI training, infrastructure development, responsible AI adoption and institutional preparedness.
A follow-up meeting will be held within the next few days to further deliberate on and finalise the strategy. University management, faculty, IT professionals, researchers and other relevant stakeholders will be brought on board for the process.
