Women empowerment programme launched

Islamabad: Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan has launched Women Empowerment Mentoring Programme (WEMP) to facilitate women employees serving the higher education sector through dedicated mentoring enabling them to overcome challenges at the workplace.

The programme rolled out by National Academy of Higher Education (NAHE), HEC under the Higher Education Development in Pakistan (HEDP) project will offer growth opportunities to the women employees in the education sector while empowering them to achieve their goals in their personal and professional lives. It also aims to improve their communication, networking, and conflict management skills while becoming an effective leader in their respective domains.

Designated mentors with globally recognised best practices and coursework materials will offer expert mentorship and trainings to improve communications and manage work related conflicts and challenges more effectively.

WEMP, besides the accomplishments of HEC’s Women Leadership Programme which has already empowered 196 women from various universities, is a promising start by NAHE to offer a complete support system for women working in the higher education sector.

Chairman Prime Minister Youth Programme (PMYP) Rana Mashood Ahmed Khan was chief guest of the launch ceremony, which was attended by Chairman HEC Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Executive Director HEC Dr. Zia Ul-Qayyum, Managing Director NAHE Noor Amna Malik, and notable international partners, key officials from World Bank, USAID, leadership of British Council Pakistan, Vice Chancellors, senior, management of HEC and local higher education institutions and officials from several public universities.

Addressing the ceremony, Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan commended HEC and NAHE for the initiative, which aims to promote female representation, capacity building, and leadership in academia. He praised the recent appointments of female Vice Chancellors in Punjab as a positive step towards gender equity in higher education. He underlined that the Government of Pakistan is actively working to protect women’s rights and promote their empowerment by measures such as having reserved quotas in educational institutions, creating centres for protection against violence, and advocating for women’s inheritance rights.

Expressing his hope for the success of the programme, Chairman HEC Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed said Islam advocates for gender equity in responsibilities, accountability, and rewards, underscoring that Pakistan has a legacy of pro­minent women figures in politics, education, judiciary, and the economy, demonstrating the nation's belief in equality. He reiterated that HEC is committed to initiatives that promote equitable participation of women in higher education through measures such as establishing sub-campuses in various regions for increased accessibility and setting aside a women’s quota in scholarship programmes.