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Awareness Seminar on Quality Assurance Activities

Awareness Seminar on Quality Assurance Activities (Writing of Self-Assessment Reports of Academic Programs) organized on 02 June, 2022 by QA Dte at Main Office NUST (Board Room), Islamabad. Resource Person, Air Cdre (Retd) Muhammad Ismail, Director Quality Assurance, National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS), Rawalpindi. Dir QA, DDQA (SA) and all DLQECs of NUST Institutions attended the seminar.

Awareness Seminar – Analysis of Feedback Surveys (CQI)

Awareness Seminar – Analysis of Feedback Surveys (CQI) organized and conducted by QA Dte at Main Office NUST (Board Room), Islamabad on 28 Febraury, 2022. Pro-Rector (Acad) chaired the Seminar. Engr. Syed Muhammad Toufique Zia, Deputy Director Quality Assurance (Self-Assessment), National University of Sciences Technology (NUST), Islamabad was the Resource Person. Registrar, Dir Acad, Dir QA, DDs Registrar Br, DD HR (Faculty), DD PGP, Manager & SQO ICT Dte, ADQA (Rankings & SA), DLQECs of all H-12 institutions attended the seminar physically and DLQECs of all military institutions and NBC attended the seminar Online.

Visit of Hazara University QEC Team to NUST   

Three Member Team of Hazara University comprising Director, Deputy Director and Assistant Director QEC visited NUST on Wednesday, 30 June 2021 to discuss / seek guidance pertaining to Quality Assurance issues / practices and incorporation of Quality Assurance activities in Online QA System / CMS for getting best output for their University.

Awareness Seminar on Implementation of SOP for Handling of Filled Feedback  

Awareness Seminar on Implementation of SOP for Handling of Filled Feedback was conducted on 5 April, 2021. Dr. Riaz Ahmad, Director Quality Assurance, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) chaired the Seminar. All Director Local Quality Enhancement Cells (DLQECs), ILOs and representatives of concerned Dtes attended the Seminar.

Institutional Performance Evaluation Review Visit by HEC Team of NUST 

Institutional Performance Evaluation Review Visit by HEC Team of NUST. Dr. Asmat Perveen, Director Quality Assurance, of Foundation University of Rawalpindi was conducted on 24-26 Mar, 2021. Dr. Asif Raza, Pro Rector (Acad), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) chaired the IPE. All representatives of concerned Dtes attended the IPE.

Awareness Seminar – Benchmarking for Academic Excellence

Awareness Seminar – Benchmarking for Academic Excellence, Dr. Farrukh Idrees, Director Quality, FAST University was conducted on 16 Mar, 2021. Dr. Riaz Ahmad, Director Quality Assurance, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) chaired the Seminar. All Director Local Quality Enhancement Cells (DLQECs) and representatives of concerned Dtes attended the Seminar.

Awareness Seminar on Assessment of QECs 

Awareness Seminar on Assessment of QECs was conducted on 10 Mar, 2021. Dr. Riaz Ahmad, Director Quality Assurance, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) chaired the Seminar. All Director Local Quality Enhancement Cells (DLQECs) and representatives of concerned Dtes attended the Seminar.

Excellent Performance Award Conferred by Higher Education Commission, Pakistan Quality Assurance Agency 

Higher Education Commission, Pakistan Quality Assurance Agency #QAA conferred award upon #NUST for Excellent Performance (Scoring 100% in yearly Quality Progress) at the Annual Progress Review meeting on March 4, 2021. NUST holds the distinction of consistent high performance and has remained among the top few Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in W Category since 2011.

Yearly Performance review carried out by #HEC #QAA is a multifaceted assessment to regularly measure quality at HEIs. The assessment scores are based on a comprehensive set of over 50 parameters. The most significant parameters include Self-Assessment, Institutional Performance Evaluation, Programme Review Assessment of HEI and Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) framework.  Congratulations #NUSTFamily on this achievement despite challenging times.

Edu Data and QS Ranking Summit at British Museum, London, UK

Edu Data and QS Ranking Summit was planned from 11 to 13 June, 2019 at British Museum, London, UK. The event was to provide opportunity for networking, deeper understan​ding of ranking methodology and ranking data. The summit was attended by 300 delegates from 42 countries and 120 institutions. The participants also had an opportunity to meet the QS ranking team for insight on their current ranking methodology.  Assistant Director Quality Assurance Engr. Usama Rashed attended the subject Summit at London, UK.

NUST QA Directorate Organizes Awareness Seminar on Quality Assurance in Higher Education

As per HEC Criteria of QEC Rating a Seminar on Quality Assurance in Higher Education Institution conducted on 30 April, 2019. Air Commodore (R) Abdul Wahab Motla, Director Quality Assurance, Air University was Resource Person for the seminar. The seminar was chaired by Principal SEECS and attended by DLQEC’s and Faculty Members of all NUST Institutions. Military College of Civil Engineering, CAE and PNEC joined the event through video link. The participant fully interacted with resource person and took full advantage of his knowledge and experience in the field of Quality Assurance in Higher Education Institutions.

Seminar on Quacqurelli Symonds (QS) Asian University Ranking​

A seminar titled “QS Ranking and Rating” was organized at NUST by Quality Assurance Directorate on 01 April, 2019.  Mr Ashwin Gerome Fernades (Asian Representative QS) was the Chief Resource Person.  The seminar was chaired by Rector NUST.  All faculty members of NUST, along-with Federal, Punjab and KPK Universities attended the seminar.

NUST QA Directorate Organizes Awareness Seminar on Quality Assurance in Higher Education ​

A seminar titled “Quality Assurance in Higher Education” was organized at NUST by Quality Assurance Directorate on 15 August, 2017. The seminar was chaired by Pro- Rector Academics and attended by Commandants, Principals, related Directors, faculty members and DLQEC’s of all NUST institutions.  Military college of Civil Engineering, PNEC and CAE joined the event through video link. During his opening remarks Pro Rector Acad AVM Dr Asif Raza appreciated the initiative of Quality Assurance Directorate for organizing the awareness seminar on such a short notice. He appreciated efforts of all the NUST institutions that culminated in better world university ranking 2018. NUST now is the only Pakistani University in top 500 universities of the world according to QS UK.  He stated that the environment of NUST is much better than any other Pakistani University. Washington Accord team of foreign experts highly appreciated our engineering programs they evaluated. Ten NUST undergraduate programs have been accredited under Washington Accord by PEC, which is the largest number for any Pakistani University.

Three Speakers made presentations in the seminar covering following topics:

NUST Ranked in THE Asian University Ranking 2016

National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST) has marked another milestone by achieving 122 positions in Asian University Ranking 2016 by Times Higher Education (THE). This year 200 Asian universities have been ranked from 22 countries with NUST being among top 125. The ranking has been carried out on the basis of teaching, research, citation, knowledge transfer and international outlook.

NUST Improves its QS Asian Ranking 2016​

National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) has improved its overall position by seven places amongst the Asian Universities Rankings announced by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), UK. NUST has been now ranked at 112 in Asia. The rankings are carried out on the basis of academic reputation, employer’s reputation, faculty / student ratio, citation per paper, paper per faculty, staff with PhD and internationalization measures taken by the university.

NUST Joins Top 400 Engineering Universities of World​

National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad has maintained its coveted position in the list of Top 500 world universities in the 2014-15 ranking announced by M/S Quacqurelli Symonds (QS) of UK, the most prestigious ranking agency. NUST is the only Pakistani university which is consistently included in this elite ranking list since 2007. Moreover, NUST has won its place in the Top 400 Engineering Universities of the world. This is the result of concerted effort put in by the NUST management and faculty for providing quality education, conducting innovative research, establishing international linkages, engaging in collaborative research with leading international universities / organizations, participating in international exchange programs, improving infrastructure, and producing graduates who are welcomed by national / international industry, business, academia and market. Rector NUST, Engr Muhammad Asghar, has felicitated the management and faculty of all NUST constituent Institutions for playing their role effectively. He has also thanked HEC, MoST and services headquarters for providing continued support and guidance which enabled NUST to achieve this honour.

Seminar on Implementation of Outcome Based Education (OBE)​​

Quality Expert Speaks on Global Sustainable Management

Mr. Roland K. Jahnke, an academician at International Academy of Quality and Director of Deutsche Post DHL. Mr Roland delivered a seminar on Global Management and Sustainability at NUST Business School (NBS) on 19th November, 2014. Students and faculty members attended the session and highly appreciated the session.  DHL is a global company and a market leader in consumers and business logistics sectors with more than 470000 employees and operates in more than 220 countries around the world. Mr. Roland presented the DHL as a business case study which focused on transformational and Transitional shifts of the company in terms of management and strategies. Sustainability was the main theme of discussion. Mr. Roland mentioned that the main challenges faced by the management of DHL in the present era are environmental issues related to international operations and devising strategies for tackling such issues. There are various risks associated to investing and serving international markets. The company has used various strategies to enter global markets, among which mergers and acquisitions were the common ones. DHL merged with 1000 companies and acquired a United States company to position itself as the top choice of consumers and businesses globally in the logistic sector. Sustainability revolves around three main areas namely social, environmental and economic. DHL not only adopted internal Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives but also external CSR in social areas. DHL in 1990 abandoned the primitive ways of doing business in Germany. They reduced their number of working areas from 1000 to just 84 for the standardization purpose to increase profits and enhance employees’ productivity. They initiated the concept of postal zip codes. Company identified and introduced key performance indicators for the employees to motivate them. DHL adopted highly standardized approach to gain global positioning and brand consistency and image. Company has a very strong internal and external CSR programs along with environmental initiatives. DHL is using “Go-Green” approach with a focus to reduce the carbon emission. They are achieving the objectives of go green through optimizing the routes, using new aircraft and offering and selling sustainable products for example recycle papers for packing to help carbon management. Mr. Roland ended the session with presenting the business model of DHL which include social and environmental as core components beside innovation and business excellence for long term success.

Director QA NUST Presents Paper in International Convention

Director Quality Assurance NUST, Engr Muhammad Ismail, as keynote speaker, presented a paper titled “Excellence in Internal QA – The Case Study of NUST” in Pakistan’s 13th International Convention on Quality Improvement held at Lahore during 17-18 November, 2014. The speaker gave an overview of the quality assurance framework comprising internal and external quality assurance practices. He briefly introduced the external quality assurance (EQA) measures pertaining to institutional performance evaluation and accreditation of programs by accreditation councils and deliberated on the internal quality assurance (IQA) measures in detail. He explained that IQA exercises cover self-assessment of programs and the university’s internal quality audit. Engr Ismail gave an account of IQA activities in Pakistani universities with special focus at National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) where IQA activities are planned, coordinated and conducted by NUST Quality Assurance Directorate (QAD). He informed that NUST has twenty-two teaching institutions, therefore for the effective implementation of QA programs across NUST, Local Quality Enhancement Cells have been established at all constituents, which function in collaboration with QAD. He explained the procedures for conducting the self-assessment process of programs and university’s internal quality audits of NUST constituent institutions for indicating any deficiencies at the program and institutional levels, respectively. The reports prepared on completion of these activities include recommendations for removing the highlighted deficiencies. The QAD follows up the process of taking remedial actions till their completion. The speaker informed the convention about the benefits accrued from the IQA practices and declared that NUST IQA program received international acclaim when the university was awarded APQN’s Best/Model Internal QA Award 2014.

Director QA NUST Presents Paper in APQN 2014

The Asia Pacific Quality Network (APQN) Conference 2014 was held in Hanoi, Vietnam during March 7-8, 2014 on the theme of “Higher Education Quality Assurance in a Changing World: Envisioning the future of Asia Pacific”. Director Quality Assurance NUST, Engr. Muhammad Ismail, presented a paper on “External Quality Assurance of Pakistani Universities”. He deliberated upon the HEC Quality Assurance Framework, the periodic review policy of the individual Pakistani universities, institutional performance evaluation (IPE) visits of universities by the review panels constituted by QAA, the pre-visit activities, on-site engagements and the post-visit activities of the panels. He also discussed the expected impacts of External Quality Assurance (EQA) initiative on the universities in making up their deficiencies. He declared that IPE visits will help the evaluated universities in enhancing the quality of education and research through improvement in the infrastructure resources, facilities and processes. Engr Muhammad Ismail concluded his presentation with the statement that EQA is taking roots in Pakistan and is expected to make a discernible difference in the realm of quality in higher education.

NUST Wins International Quality Award

Asia Pacific Quality Network (APQN) comprising quality assurance agencies of the entire Asia – Pacific Region has given APQN’s Best / Model Internal Quality Assurance Award for 2014 to National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) during an impressive ceremony held at Hanoi, Vietnam on 7th March, 2014. It is a matter of great honour for the Nation and the University as well as its parent Ministry (Ministry of Science & Technology) and Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan.

The award has been given in recognition of the strict enforcement of quality assurance regime by the University, spanning selection of quality people, development and implementation of best practices and application of technology, in all its activities, as specified by HEC. The credit for this honour goes to the faculty, staff and the students of the university and relentless support provided by MoST and HEC in developing and maintaining a culture of quality at NUST. It goes without saying that the emphasis by HEC on quality through the quality assurance mechanism is now bearing fruit and Pakistani Universities are gaining prominence at the international level.

NUST QA Dte Organizes Workshop on Publishing  Process in Scientific Journals

A workshop titled “Publishing Connect” was organized at NUST by Quality Assurance Directorate on 27 February, 2014. The workshop was arranged in collaboration with M/S Elsevier,the publishers of SCOPUS data-base. The resource person was Dr. Sheba Agarwal who spoke through video link from Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Over four hundred faculty members and graduate students of NUST attended the workshop session at Jinnah Auditorium Main Campus NUST. Four NUST constituent colleges namely MCE, College of E&ME, MCS & PNEC were also connected online. Dr. Agarwal was introduced to the participants by Director Quality Assurance, Engr Muhammad Ismail.

The resour​ce person deliberated on introduction to scientific publishing, the peer review process, how to write scientific article, journal matrix and open access.The workshop was concluded by an extensive question and answer session, which was handled by Dr. Agarwal and Mr. Manik Sethi, Marketing Manager of Elsevier. Finally, Pro-Rector (Academics), Dr. Asif Raza addressed the participants & highlighted the usefulness of the workshop and informed the participants about availability of access to SCOPUS for the use of NUST faculty and students. He urged upon the participants to draw maximum benefit from this facility to enhance their research publications to the best interest of their professional development and NUST.​

Director QA NUST Conducts Workshop at SMBBMU

Director  NUST Official Joins International Accreditation Panel for Omani Medical School​

Engr Muhammad Ismail, Director Quality Assurance National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), was invited by Oman Academic Accreditation Authority (OAAA) to join the panel of International reviewers to conduct the accreditation visit of Armed Forces Medical Services School (AFMSS), Oman. The accreditation visit was carried out from 15-20 December, 2013.  The other members of the panel included the academics;Dr JF Thomas, Al Buraimi University Oman, DrSaleh Al Khusaiby, Oman Medical College, DrJasen Burgess, Australian Dental Council, Ms Annie Lajinian-Magarian, Lebanese American University Lebanon and Dr Anna Scopaz, Quality Assurance Consultant, OAAA.

Engineer Ismail was appointed to the Register of External Reviewers of Oman Accreditation Council (OAAA) in 2007. The Council follows a rigorous process to approve the reviewers. Engr Ismail earned his appointment to OAAA’s Register of Reviewers by virtue of his distinguished credentials in the field of instructions, academic management and quality assurance in the realm of higher education.Participation of Engr Ismail in the external review of the School not only afforded him an opportunity to represent Pakistan in an international panel in a foreign country but also helped him in his own capacity building. The experience so gained will help him to organize the Internal Academic Quality Audits of NUST Institutions in a better manner and also contribute more effectively in the Institutional Performance Evaluation of national universities arranged by Higher Education Commission, Pakistan.

NUST Faculty Members receive Civil Awards

National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) takes pride in announcing that two of its faculty members have been bestowed upon the Civil Awards on 14 August, 2013. Dr Moha​mmad Mujahid, Principal NUST School of Chemical and Materials Engineering and Dr Sharifullah Khan, Head of Computer Science Department in NUST School of Electric Engineering and Computer Science have been awarded president’s Pride of Performance and Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, respectively. Both the faculty members have been recognized on the basis of their outstanding performance in the areas of academic management in their respective institutions, lead role in research activities and publications, and active involvement in establishing international collaborations of NUST with foreign universities and research organization. The Rector NUST, Engr Muhammad Asghar has felicitated both the faculty members on award of the coveted medals and hoped that they will continue working with same zeal and dedication and bring more laurels for themselves, their families and NUST.

NUST Official Joins External Accreditation Panel for Omani College

Engr Muhammad Ismail, Director Quality Assurance National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST),was invited by Oman Academic Accreditation Authority (OAAA) to join the panel of external reviewers to conduct the accreditation ​visit of Royal Air Force College of Technology Muscat. The accreditation visit was carried out over the last week of May 2013.  The other members of the panel included the academics; Dr Elizabeth Stanley, Former Assistant Provost Zayed University UAE, and Dr Andrew Thomas, Head of School of Languages in Bahrain Polytechnic Bahrain and the industry representative Dr Hilal Abdullah Al Hinai, General Manager Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries Company (ORPIC), Oman.

Dr Susan Trevor-Roper, Quality Assurance Expert OAAA, was the Executive officer for the accreditation visit. Participation of Engr Ismail in the external review of the college not only afforded him an opportunity to represent Pakistan in an international panel in a foreign country but also helped him in his own capacity building. The experience so gained will help Engr Ismail to organize the Internal Academic Quality Audits of NUST Institutions in a better manner and also contribute more effectively in the Institutional Performance Evaluation of national universities arranged by Higher Education Commission Pakistan.

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Seminar on “QA Process and Role of Program Team in SA of Programs”

Army Medical College NUST organized a one-day seminar on “Quality Assurance in Higher Education and Role of Program Team in Self Assessment Process” on 13 December, 2012. The event was inaugurated by A/Dean AM College, Maj Gen Mohammad Ayyub and was attended by the heads of the departments and senior faculty alongwith the members of the program teams for different degree programs taught at the College.

The inaugural session was followed by a presentation on the Quality​ Assurance in Higher Education, delivered by Engr Muhammad Ismail, Director Quality Assurance at NUST.

The presentation highlighted the need, benefits and mechanism of Quality Assurance and explained the procedure of the self assessment of academic programs. Various challenges to Quality Assurance and their causes were also discussed. It was concluded by the presenter that quality assurance is the own responsibility of the higher education institution and is possible only with the strong resolve of administration and faculty.

During the next two sessions of the seminar, the resource person covered the role of Program Team in Self Assessment Process and Writing of Self Assessment Report. The composition and responsibilities of the Program Teams were discussed and writing of Self Assessment Report was deliberated on the basis of criteria and standards as prescribed by Higher Education Commission. These reports are the documents which are required for any future academic audit or review of a program. While concluding the seminar, the Chief guest Maj Gen Muhammad Ayyub emphasized on assuring the quality of academic programs of AM College and advised the program teams to take the responsibility of writing the Self Assessment Reports very seriously.

Workshop on Program Vision, Mission, Objectives and Outcomes

Quality Assurance Directorate at National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) organized a one-day workshop on “Program Vision, Mission, Objectives & Outcomes”, on 30th May, 2012 at NUST H-12 Campus, Islamabad. Mr. Sarfaraz Ahmed Pirzada, Advisor QEC COMSATS, was the resource person.The seminar was attended by the Directors of Local Quality Enhancement Cells (QECs) of NUST Institutions, Director Academics, Director Post Graduate Programs, Director Quality Assurance, officers of QA Dte and some faculty members.At the start of the workshop, Director QA NUST, Engr Muhammad Ismail presented an overview of the Self Assessment Process at NUST.

Chief Guest of the Ceremony was Dr. Asif Raza, Pro-Rector (Academics) NUST. During his inaugural address, he emphasized on the importance of assuring the quality of education at NUST and national level. The Chief Guest asked the participants for their full cooperation in effective implementation of Quality Assurance (QA) process at NUST.

The resource person, Mr. Sarfaraz Pirzada, gave a comprehensive presentation covering major aspects of the theme and their relevance with each other. He also shared real life examples keeping in view the mechanisms followed in the institutions. He alsoshared the examples of Program Vision, Mission, Objectives and Outcomes Statements of different programs of different institutions and guided the participants how to prevent mistakes while writing the statements. The presentation was followed by an extended question and answer session.

Lastly, Dr. Asif Raza, Pro-Rector (Academics) after distributing the certificates to participants, urged upon NUST Institutions to take the implementation of quality assurance policies and programs very seriously. He stressed upon importance of the self assessment process which enables the departments to know their strengths and weak areas in the realm of quality education and research. Pro-Rector (Academics) urged upon the participants to adhere to the quality assurance programs to keep NUST improving quality of its programs.

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1st PEC Accreditation Status Tracking Conference (Non-Engineering Program)

1st Accreditation Status Tracking Conference (non-engineering programs) was organized by Quality Assurance (QA) Directorate on Monday, 30th April’2012at Main Campus, NUST Sector H-12 Islamabad and was chaired by Pro-Rector (Academics) Dr. Asif Raza. Deans and Head of Departments (HoDs) of Army Medical College (AMC), NUST Business School (NBS), Pakistan Navy Engineering College (PNEC), School of Electrical& Computer Sciences (SEECS) and School of Art, Design & Architecture (SADA) attended the Conference along with Director Human Resources, Director Academics, Director Quality Assurance and Deputy Director Research. Recitation from Holy Quran was followed by the Welcome Note by Pro-Rector (Academics) Dr. Asif Raza and a brief presentation by Deputy Director Quality Assurance Engr Salahuddin Adil Qazi highlighting importance of accreditation process and the desired details that institution should present during the conference.

All the institutions presented the accreditation status of their programs. They also provided update on the actions taken on the observations made by the accreditation Teams during their previous visits to the respective programs. Various decisions were enunciated by the chairman to improve the quality of Non-Engineering Programs at NUST. Pro-Rector (Academics) urged the institutions to make all out efforts to improve the quality of teaching, learning and research at their campuses.

3rd PEC Accreditation Status Tracking Conference (Engineering Program)

3rd PEC Accreditation Status Tracking Conference was held on Wednesday,25 April, 2012 at Main Campus, NUST Sector H-12 Islamabad and was chaired by Pro-Rector (Academics) Dr. Asif Raza. Deans and Head of Departments (HoDs) of all the NUST Engineering Institutions attended the Conference along with Director Human Resources, Director Academics and Deputy Director Research. Recitation from Holy Quran was followed by the Welcome Note by Pro-Rector (Academics). Deputy Director Quality Assurance Engr Salahuddin Adil Qazi delivered a presentation highlighting the actions regarding the decisions enunciated in 2nd PEC Accreditation Status Tracking Conference and the current status of accreditation of all NUST engineering programs.

Later, all the NUST engineering institutions presented the PEC accreditation status of their programs. They also provided update on the actions taken on the observations made by the PEC Teams during their previous visits to their respective programs. Various decisions were enunciated by the chairman to improve the quality of NUST Engineering Programs.

2nd PEC Accreditation Status Tracking Conference (Engineering Program)

​2nd PEC Accreditation Status Tracking Conference was held on Monday, 09 January, 2012 at Main Campus, NUST Sector H-12 Islamabad and was chaired by Pro-Rector (Academics) Dr. Asif Raza. Deans andHead of Departments (HoDs) of all the NUST Engineering Institutions attended the Conference along with Director Human Resources and Director Academics.Recitation from Holy Quran was followed by the Welcome Note by Pro-Rector (Academics). Deputy Director Quality Assurance Engr Salahuddin Adil Qazi delivered a presentation highlighting the actions regarding the decisions enunciated in 1st PEC Accreditation Status Tracking Conference and the current status of accreditation of all NUST engineering programs.

Dr. Abid Ali Khan, HoD Aerospace Engineering from College of Aeronautical Engineering (CAE) gave a detailed presentation on the “Mechanism of distributing the 06 credit hours of final year project in more than one semester” which was followed by an extensive discussion on the subject.

Later, all the NUST engineering institutions presented the PEC accreditation status of their programs. They also provided update on the actions taken on the observations made by the PEC Teams during their previous visits to their respective programs. Institutions expecting any visit before the next conference in April, 2012 also discussed major parts of their AC-1 Forms. Various decisions were enunciated by the chairman to improve the quality of NUST Engineering Programs.​

NUST Stall at QS Exhibition in Manila, Philippines

7th QS Asia Pacific Professional Leaders in Education (QS-APPLE) Conference and Exhibition were organized in Manila, Philippines from 16-18 November 2011 for international educators in Asia, Europe, America and Australia. The event was attended by 533 participants from 32 Countries. Thirty universities from the Asia-Pacific and Middle East, including NUST, set-up their stalls in the exhibition. The NUST stall was managed by Engr Salim Daud, Registrar, and Mr Sikandar Hazir, Manager Industrial Relations. NUST stall was visited by the Conference delegates and the local students from Manila. The visitors were provided information about salient features and programs of NUST. Setting-up of the stall provided an opportunity to showcase NUST at the international level and to network with some leading universities of Asia.

NUST Represented at 7th QS-APPLE Conference in Manila, Philippines

7th QS Asia Pacific Professional Leaders in Education (QS-APPLE) Conference was organized in Manila, Philippines from 16-18 November 2011 for international educators in Asia, Europe, America and Australia. The event was attended by 533 participants from 32 Countries. The Conference focused on six broad tracks; Internationalizing the Student Body, Internationalizing the Curriculum, Building World-Class Universities in the Asia-Pacific, Transnational Education and International Partnerships, The Global Higher Education Market, and Social Justice and Access to Higher Education. A NUST delegation comprising Engr Salim Daud, Registrar, Engr Muhammad Ismail, Director QA, and Mr. Sikandar Hazir, Manager Industrial Relations attended the Conference and the Exhibition.  Engr Ismail also presented a paper on “Essential Requirements to Build a World Class University”. The paper elaborated various elements for building a World Class University. The participant of the conference showed keen interest in the Model and the presentation generated extensive discussion during the question and answer session.

Workshop on The Role of Assessment Teams

Quality Assurance Directorate at National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) organized a one-day workshop on “Role of Assessment Teams”, on 3rd October, 2011 at NUST H-12 Campus, Islamabad. Engineer Muhammad Ismail, Director Quality Assurance NUST, was the resource person. The seminar was attended by the Directors of Local Quality Enhancement Cells (QECs) and the assessment teams from all the institutions of NUST hailing from Karachi, Risalpur, Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

Chief Guest of the Opening Ceremony was Dr. Asif Raza, Pro-Rector (Academics) NUST. During his address, he emphasized on the importance of the self-assessment process and its need at NUST for quality assurance. The Chief Guest asked the participants for their full cooperation in implementation of the Quality Assurance (QA) process at NUST.The resource person, Engineer Ismail, started with the recapitulation of Self Assessment Process and highlighted the roles of Quality Enhancement Cell (QEC), Program Team (PT) and Assessment Team (AT). He specially focused on the weaknesses usually found in Self Assessment Report (SAR) and piloted three activities to make the assessment teams understand the whole process more effectively. These included Review of the SAR, Criteria Referenced (Rubric) Evaluation of SAR and Writing of Assessment Team Report by ATs.

Engineer Ismail also highlighted Quality Assurance Directorate NUST’s position in the QECs Ratings by HEC and asked institutions to play their role effectively to keep the NUST’s rating high. He emphasized upon the need for preparing the complete and comprehensive reports in accordance with the guidelines given in the HEC Self-Assessment Manual. The presentation was followed by an extended question and answer session.

Closing Ceremony was also chaired by Dr. Asif Raza, Pro-Rector (Academics) NUST. During his speech, he urged upon NUST Institutions to take the implementation of quality assurance policies and programs very seriously. He stressed upon importance of the self assessment process which enables the departments to know their strengths and weak areas in the realm of quality education and research. Pro-Rector (Academics) urged upon the participants to adhere to the quality assurance programs to keep NUST improving its rank in the top universities of the world.

1st PEC Accreditation Status Tracking Conference (Engineering Program)

1st PEC Accreditation Status Tracking Conference was held on Wednesday, 28th September’2011 at Main Campus, NUST Sector H-12 Islamabad and was chaired by Pro-Rector (Academics) Dr. Asif Raza. Deans and Head of Departments (HoDs) of all the NUST Engineering Colleges attended the Conference along with Registrar, Director Human Resources, Director Research and Deputy Director Academics.Recitation from Holy Quran was followed by the Welcome Note by Pro-Rector (Academics) Dr. Asif Raza and a brief presentation by Director Quality Assurance Engr Muhammad Ismail highlighting importance of accreditation process and the desired details that institution should present during the conference.​

All the NUST engineering institutions presented the PEC accreditation status of their programs. They also provided update on the actions taken on the observations made by the PEC Teams during their previous visits to the respective programs. Various decisions were enunciated by the chairman to improve the quality of NUST Engineering Programs.Pro-Rector (Academics) urged the institutions to follow the decisions seriously.

NUST in Top 100 Asian Universities

National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) has won its place in the List of “Top 100 Asian Universities”, and is the only Pakistani university to achieve this unprecedented honor as per the ranking carried out by the world’s most renowned and prestigious ranking agency Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), UK.

Keeping up the highest traditions of excellence in providing quality education and research, NUST has attained 84th position in the overall ranking list of 2011.Besides overall ranking of the universities, QS also prepares Subject-wise Rankings, wherein NUST has been placed in the list of “Top 100 Asian Universities” in the subjects of IT & Engineering (Rank: 58), and Natural Sciences (Rank: 73). Moreover, in the subjects of Life Sciences and Medicine, NUST is placed at Rank 102. It speaks volumes of the hard work put in by the NUST management and faculty in terms of improving infrastructure, providing quality education, conducting innovative research, establishing international linkages, engaging in collaborative research with leading international institutions/organizations, participating in international exchange programs and producing graduates who are welcomed by national/international industry, academia and corporate sector. While NUST management and faculty thank Allah Almighty for bestowing this unique honour, the nation can take enormous pride in their own national university, the NUST. Rector NUST, Engr Muhammad Asghar, has felicitated the NUST administration and faculty of all NUST constituent Colleges/Schools/Centers for their relentless efforts to achieve excellence in providing quality education to their students and carrying out research of international standards.

NUST Represented at QS–MAPLE Conference and Ranking Workshop in Dubai

1st QS-MAPLE Conference and 5th University Ranking Workshop were organized at Dubai Knowledge Village from 1-3 May 2011. Main theme of the Conference was “Globalizing Higher Education” with broad tracks including Managing Quality Assurance, Teaching and Learning, Internationalizing the Student Experience, Cross-border/Transnational Education & International Partnerships, Branding, Marketing & Recruitment and Research, Development & Collaboration. The workshop focused on the weightage and understanding of the criteria and methodology of World Universities Rankings by Quacqurelli Symonds and Webometrics rankings by Cybernetics.

A NUST delegation comprising Engr Muhammad Ismail, Director QA, Ms Zainab Qadir, Assistant Manager QA (Self Assessment) and Ms Madeeha Ahsan, Assistant Manager QA (Accreditation) attended the Conference and the Workshop.  Engr Ismail also presented a paper on “Self Assessment of Programs for Quality Assurance”.

The paper highlighted the global challenge of the quality assurance of higher education and the international and Pakistani response to counter the challenge. The Quality Assurance Framework of HEC (Pakistan) was discussed in the light of self assessment of programs, university’s internal audit and external review. Moreover, the role of Quality Enhancement Cells established at the Pakistani public and private sector universities was explained. The paper deliberated on the procedure and criteria of self assessment of programs at length.

Besides, the role of program teams in writing the self assessment reports and that of  the assessment teams in reviewing the report and conducting the assessment was highlighted. The participant of the conference showed keen interest in the Pakistani Model of quality assurance and the presentation generated extensive discussion during the question and answer session

NUST & FJWU Organize Forum on Quality Assurance

National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST) and Fatima Jinnah Women University (FJWU) jointly organized a Forum on Higher Educational Quality Assessment on March 21-22, 2011. The participants of the forum were the Directors of Phase-I and Phase-II Quality Enhancement Cells of universities from around Pakistan. The inaugural session of the Forum was arranged at Fatima Jinnah Women University.  Professor  Dr. Khwaja Azam Ali was the Chief Guest of the ceremony while Vice Chancellor Fatima Jinnah Women University presided over the Ceremony. Dr. Naheed Zia Khan Director Quality Enhancement Cell FJWU during her welcome address thanked NUST and FJWU for the support provided to hold the Forum jointly.

She gave an overview of QA activities under the auspices of Quality Assurance Agency, HEC. Vice Chancellor Fatima Jinnah Women University expressed the resolve for supporting the QA activities. Dr. Khwaja emphasized on the universities to give highest priority to the QA measures to make the higher education internationally compatible. After the inaugural ceremony, two technical sessions were held wherein first presentation was delivered by Engr Muhammad Ismail, Director Quality Assurance NUST on the Assessment of the Teaching Quality in Higher Education. The presentation highlighted the need for good quality education and its assessment. The presenter discussed various elements of assessing the teaching quality and the constraints therein. Second paper titled as “Relevant Grading System” was presented by Engr Salman Absar, Principal NUST School of Chemical and Material Engineering.

The presenter discussed various grading systems being used in the academic institutions and gave his recommendation in favor of gap system based on relative grading. Both the presentations generated very useful discussion to understand the contents of the presentations in view of the real life practical problems. The Forum dinner was organized by NUST at its Main Campus at Sector H-12, Islamabad, which was attended by Rector NUST, Vice Chancellor FJWU, senior officials of both the universities and the participants. Second day activities of the Forum were organized at NUST Main Campus. During the technical session a paper titled “Aligning the Objectives and Outcomes” of higher education programs was presented by Dr. Naheed Zia Khan.

The presenter related the objectives and outcomes to institutional vision, mission, goals and plans in a philosophical manner. She emphasized on avoiding the lofty objectives and targets. Closing Ceremony of the forum was organized at NUST which was presided over by Rector NUST, Engr Muhammad Asghar. An overview of the Forum was presented by Engr Muhammad Ismail. While delivering his presidential address, Engr Muhammad Asghar emphasized to have a paradigm shift from teaching based to learning based education. Dr. Khwaja Azam Ali, Chief Guest of the Ceremony, appreciated the focus of both the universities on quality assurance of education and urged upon the other participants to also organize such activities at their universities.

Seminar on Quality Assurance at NUST

Quality Assurance Directorate at National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) organized a one-day seminar on “Quality Assurance in Higher Education”, on 7th March, 2011 at NUST H-12 Campus, Islamabad. Engineer Muhammad Ismail, Director Quality Assurance NUST, was the resource person. The seminar was attended by the Directors of Local Quality Enhancement Cells (QECs) of all the institutions of NUST hailing from Karachi, Risalpur, Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Chief Guest of the Opening Ceremony was Dr. Asif Raza, Pro-Rector (Academics) NUST. During his address, he emphasized on the importance of the quality assurance in the higher education and its need at NUST. The Chief Guest asked the participants for their full cooperation in implementation of Higher Education Commission’s Quality Assurance Framework at NUST.

The resource person, Engr Ismail, deliberated on the definition, concept, need and mechanism of quality assurance and the role of quality enhancement cells in this regard. He also dwelled on the self-assessment of higher education programs in detail covering all the aspects such as definition, need, elements, objectives, desired outcomes, criteria, benefits and procedure.

He highlighted the challenges faced during the implementation of quality assurance process, keeping in view the mechanisms followed in the institutions. During later part of the seminar, Engineer Ismail discussed the review and evaluation of the self-assessment reports. He emphasized upon the need for preparing the complete and comprehensive reports in accordance with the guidelines given in the HEC Self-Assessment Manual. The presentation was followed by an extended question and answer session. ​Engineer Muhammad Asghar, Rector NUST, was the chief guest of the Closing Ceremony. During his speech, he highlighted the importance of quality assurance in higher education and declared it as a dynamic concept.

​ He also urged upon NUST Institutions to take the implementation of quality assurance policies and programs very seriously. He stressed upon importance of the self assessment process which enables the departments to assess their strengths and weak areas in the realm of quality education and research. The Rector urged upon the participants to adhere to the quality assurance programs to keep NUST improving its rank in the top universities of the world.

Rector NUST elected as Member ACU Council

National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) is proud to announce that it’s Rector Lieutenant General (Retd) Engr Muhammad Asghar, HI (M) has been elected as a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) Council. Executive heads of the ACU member Universities were invited to nominate the candidates for election to the Council. Rector NUST was nominated by the peer universities to represent Constituency-II, which includes Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. After being elected as member of the ACU Council, Engr Muhammad Asghar will represent the Constituency-II for next two years. Rector NUST has reiterated his resolve to represent the universities of the constituency-II, in general, and Pakistan in particular to the best of his abilities.

Director QA NUST attends QS-APPLE Conference in Singapore

Air Cdre (R) Muhammad Ismail (Retd), Director Quality Assurance, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) participated in Quacquarelli Symonds – Asia Pacific Professional Leaders in Education Conference (QS-APPLE) in Singapore from 17-19 November, 2010. Theme of the Conference was ‘Helping to build world-class universities for Asia-Pacific communities through global partnership and collaboration’. The event was attended by 721 delegates from 240 institutions / universities in 43 countries. About 20 universities/organizations set-up their stalls in the Conference. The Conference provided the participants an opportunity to network with the representatives of various organizations and universities from across the world and share the experience of experts about improving the quality of education for international competitiveness and building the world-class universities.

NUST: QS RANKING – 2010

National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) has won its place in the List of ‘Top 400 World Universities’, since 2008 and is the first and the only university of Pakistan to achieve this unprecedented honor as per the ranking carried out by the world’s most renowned and prestigious ranking agency Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), UK.

 ​Keeping up the highest traditions of excellence in providing quality education and research, NUST has attained 366th position in the ranking list of 2010. Besides overall ranking of the universities, QS also prepares Subject-wise Rankings, wherein NUST has been placed in the list of “Top 300 World Universities” in the subjects of Engineering & IT (Rank: 274), Arts and Humanities (Rank: 274). It speaks volumes of the hard work put in by the NUST management and faculty in terms of improving infrastructure, providing quality education, conducting innovative research, establishing international linkages, engaging in collaborative research with leading international institutions / organizations, participating in international exchange programs and producing graduates who are welcomed by national / international industry, business, academia and market. While NUST management and faculty bow their heads before Allah Almighty for bestowing this unique honour, the nation can take enormous pride in their own national university, the NUST.  Rector NUST, Lieutenant General (Retd) Engr Muhammad Asghar HI(M), has felicitated the NUST administration and faculty of all NUST constituent Colleges / Institutes / Centers for their relentless efforts to achieve excellence in providing quality education to their students and carrying out research of international standards.  He has applauded the recognition of the international competitiveness and compatibility of NUST academic programs at global level. He has assured the nation that NUST will continue making extensive efforts to further improve its standing at the international level to keep the flag of Pakistan flying high in the higher education sector of the world.

NUST Represented at APQN 2010 Conference and Annual General Meeting

Asia Pacific Quality Network (APQN) Conference-2010 and Annual General Meeting were held at Bangkok, Thailand on 3-5 March, 2010. During the Conference, Director Quality Assurance NUST, Air Cdre (R) Engr Muhammad Ismail presented a paper titled “Quality Assurance and Self Assessment – A Pakistani Perspective”. He explained various aspects of the quality assurance and self assessment, modes of their implementation, response of universities (particularly NUST) and challenges to quality assurance process. Besides, Engr Muhammad Ismail, on the invitation of Dr Antony Stella, Chairperson of the Conference Organizing Committee, participated in a plenary as a panelist, wherein he expressed his views on the topic “Does External QA enhances Internal QA? Institutional Perspective!”

In order to support the topic, he delivered a presentation and introduced EQA and IQA, highlighted Pakistani initiatives in quality assurance and self assessment, institutional quality assurance activities in Pakistan with special reference to HEC and NUST and positive effects of EQA on enhancing IQA.  His views were widely accepted by the audience and were publically supported by the chairperson of the plenary Ms Dorte Kristoffersen, USA. Engr Muhammad Ismail also attended the Annual General Meeting of APQN, wherein progress on ongoing APQN projects and plans for the next year were reviewed.

NUST official participates in quality audit at Oman

Director Quality Assurance, National University of Sciences & Technology, Islamabad, Engineer Muhammad Ismail SI(M) achieved the distinction of serving the panel constituted to conduct Institutional Quality Audit of Salalah College of Technology (SCT), Oman.

The other panel members were Prof. Burkhrd Rauhut, Vice Chancellor of German University of Technology, Oman; Dr Julie Jackson, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Quality Enhancement) La Trobe University Australia; Dr Khaled Day from Sultan Qaboos University, Oman and Dr Penny Bidgood from Kingston University, UK.

Engineer Ismail was appointed to the Register of External Reviewers of Oman Accreditation Council (OAC) in 2007. The Council follows a rigorous process to approve the reviewers.

Engr Ismail earned his appointment to OAC’s Register of Reviewers by virtue of his distinguished credentials in the field of instructions, academic management and quality assurance in the realm of higher education.

NUST on the rise in International Ranking – 2009

National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) in 2008 won its place in the List of ‘Top 400 World Universities’. Out of about 30,000 Universities around the world, NUST became the first and the only university of Pakistan to achieve this unprecedented honour by improving its rank from 470 (in 2007) to 376 (in 2008) as per the ranking carried out by the world’s most renowned and prestigious ranking agency Times Higher Education and Quacquarelli Symonds (THE~QS), UK.

Such a gigantic leap in only one year’s time, in a highly competitive environment of higher education at the global level wherein top universities of the world like Harvard, Yale, Cambridge, Oxford, MIT etc. are included, is no small achievement.  Keeping up the highest traditions of excellence in providing quality education and research, NUST has continued its rise on the most arduous path and achieved 350th position in the ranking list of 2009 surpassing another 26 high ranking universities of the world. Besides overall ranking of the universities, THE-QS also prepares Subject-wise Ranking, wherein NUST has been placed in the list of “Top 300 World Universities” in the subjects of Engineering & IT (Rank: 285), Life Sciences & Biomedicine (Rank: 293) and Natural Sciences  (Rank: 260).  It speaks volumes of the hard work put in by the NUST management and faculty in terms of improving infrastructure, providing quality education, conducting innovative research, establishing international linkages, engaging in collaborative research with leading international institutions / organizations, participating in international exchange programs and producing graduates who are welcomed by national / international industry, business, academia and market. Winning a coveted position of 350, NUST has made Pakistan very proud.  While NUST management and faculty bow their heads before Allah Almighty for bestowing this unique honour, the nation can take enormous pride in their own national university.  Rector NUST, Lieutenant General Engr Muhammad Asghar HI(M), has felicitated the NUST administration and faculty of all NUST constituent Colleges / Institutes / Centers for their relentless efforts to achieve excellence in providing quality education to their students and carrying out research of international standards.  He has applauded the recognition of the international competitiveness and compatibility of NUST academic programs at global level. He has assured the nation that NUST will continue making extensive efforts to further improve its standing at the international level to keep the flag of Pakistan flying high in the higher education sector of the world.

Dir QA attended 5th QS-APPLE Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Engr Muhammad Ismail, Director Quality Assurance, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) participated in 5th Quacquarelli Symonds – Asia Pacific Professional Leaders in Education Conference (QS-APPLE) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 24-26 November, 2009. The key objective of QS-APPLE conference was to support the advancement of Asian universities in their quest for international recognition and globalization.

NUST leaps into the list of ‘Top 400 World Universities’

Keeping up the highest traditions of excellence in quality education and research, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) has crossed yet another milestone by winning a place in the List of ‘Top 400 World Universities’. Out of about 30,000 Universities around the world, NUST is the first and the only university of Pakistan to achieve this unprecedented honour by improving its rank from 470 (in 2007) to 376 (in 2008) as per the ranking done by the world’s most renowned and prestigious ranking agency Times Higher Education and Quacquarelli Symonds (THE~QS), UK.  Such a gigantic leap in only one year’s time, in a highly competitive environment of higher education at the global level wherein top universities of the world like Harvard, Yale, Cambridge, Oxford, MIT etc. are included, is no small achievement.  It speaks volumes of the hard work put in by the NUST management and faculty in terms of improving infrastructure, providing quality education, conducting innovative research, establishing international linkages, engaging in collaborative research with leading international institutions / organizations, participating in international exchange programs and producing graduates who are welcomed by national / international industry, business, academia and market. Winning a coveted position of 376 out of about 30,000 universities of the world, NUST has made Pakistan very proud.  While NUST management and faculty bow their heads before Allah Almighty for bestowing this unique honour, the nation can take enormous pride in their own national university. Rector NUST, Lieutenant General Muhammad Asghar, has felicitated the NUST administration and faculty of all NUST constituent Colleges / Institutes / Centers for their relentless efforts to achieve excellence in providing quality education to their students and carrying out research of international standards.  He has applauded the recognition of the international competitiveness and compatibility of NUST academic programs at global level. He has assured the nation that NUST will continue making extensive efforts to further improve its standing at the international level to keep the flag of Pakistan flying high in the higher education sector of the world.

Seminar by Director Quality Assurance, NUST

Director Quality Assurance NUST, Air Commodore (R) Muhammad Ismail conducted a seminar on ‘Assessment of Teaching Quality in Higher Education: Significance and Constraints’, on 17 April, 2008 at Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi.  The speaker first deliberated on the concept, need and mechanism of quality assurance followed by assessment of higher education programs.  He declared that quality assurance cannot happen automatically but it has to be planned.  Moreover, an institution is itself responsible for the assurance / enhancement of the quality of its programs.  Then he focused on the assessment of teaching quality and that of the teacher.  Since a teacher remains at the centre stage of all the facets of the assessment of teaching quality, the significance, areas, modes and constraints of teacher’s assessment were contemplated at length.  The speaker concluded his talk by enunciating that quality of higher education can only be assured / enhanced through sincere and dedicated efforts of the administration and faculty of the institutions.  The   presentation was followed by a highly extensive question and answer session.

Prof Dr Riaz Hussain Qureshi, Advisor Quality Assurance & Learning Innovations, HEC was the chief guest on the occasion.  During his speech, Dr Qureshi highlighted the quality assurance program of HEC and declared that quality assurance is a dynamic concept.  He stressed that for attaining an equilibrium in quality assurance, the curricula, standard of teachers and students and learning environment should be of high quality.  The Quality Enhancement Cells (QECs) have been established in the universities to sensitize the academia about the importance of higher standards of education in the country.

Workshop on ‘Development of Measurements for Higher Education QA’ at Bangladesh

Engr Muhammad Ismail, Director Quality Assurance, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) participated in Asia Pacific Quality Network (APQN) workshop on “Development of Measurements for Higher Education Quality Assurance” from 30th-31st May, 2007 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The purpose of the workshop was to define clearly set essential measures that can be used in the national and regional context and at the institutional level. Also to discuss modalities to enhance institutional capacities in programme monitoring and evaluation of quality assurance at the institutions of higher learning.

NUST makes to ‘Top 500 World Universities’

National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) has won its place in the most prestigious ranking list of ‘Top 500 World Universities’ published by Times Higher Educations Supplement (THES). NUST is the first public sector university in Pakistan to achieve this unique honour. The ranking list is prepared on the basis of the grades secured by the universities in the areas of Peer Review, Citations per Faculty, Recruiter Review, International Faculty, International Students and Student Faculty ratio.

Rector NUST Lieutenant General Muhammad Asghar HI(M) has congratulated the NUST administration and faculty of all NUST constituent Colleges / Institute / Centres for their relentless efforts to achieve excellence in providing quality education to the students and carrying out research of international standards.  NUST is making extensive efforts to further improve its standing at the international level to keep the flag of Pakistan flying high in the higher education sector.

INQAAHE Workshop at Hague, Netherland

Director Quality Assurance NUST, attended the INQAAHE workshop at Hague, Netherlands, during 17th-19th May, 2006. The workshop was jointly organized by INQAAHE and NVAO and attended by 113 participants from 48 countries. The workshop included training sessions on ‘The Guidelines of Good Practice’ and ‘Internal Quality Assurance of Agencies’.