PESHAWAR: The number of universities in Pakistan has increased from 50 in 2002 to 265 as of now, showing the government’s resolve to promote higher education in the country. This was stated by Higher Education Commission executive director Prof Dr Ziaul Qayyum during a ceremony held here on Wednesday to acknowledge the work of the institutions for promoting quality in research. He distributed awards to the top-performing institutions, administrative officers, and teachers on the occasion. Heads of the institutes showing excellence in research as per the HEC’s guidelines attended the event held at the Khyber Medical University, according to a press release. KMU, affiliated institutions lauded for quality education, healthcare Mr Qayyum praised KMU and its affiliated institutions for their commitment to achieving global standards in medical education and healthcare, and emphasised the importance of sustained efforts to enhance Pakistan’s international reputation in the health and education sectors. The ceremony held to promote a culture of quality in the constituent and affiliated institutions of KMU was organised under the auspices of the KMU Quality Enhancement Cell (QEC), aiming to expand quality enhancement measures, originally implemented in line with the HEC’s Quality Assurance Agency guidelines to its medical, dental, nursing, and allied health sciences institutions. Awards were distributed to KMU’s constituent and affiliated institutions, administrative departments, best-performing teachers, and QEC staff in recognition of their outstanding achievements. In the affiliated medical and dental colleges’ category, Women Medical College, Abbottabad, secured first place, Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad, second, and Jinnah Medical College, Peshawar, third position. In the allied health sciences category, NCS Islamabad achieved the top position, followed by Tasleem College of Nursing, Matta Swat, second and Premier College of Health and Management Sciences, Peshawar, secured third position. Among KMU’s constituent institutions, KMU Institute of Medical Sciences, Kohat, ranked first, while KMU Institute of Dental Sciences, Kohat, took second place. In the postgraduate institutions category, KMU Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences earned the top position. In the administrative sections, the VC Secretariat ranked first, the Treasurer’s Office second and the Registrar’s Office third. Prof Qayyum acknowledged the challenges in ensuring quality at all levels, emphasising that higher education was crucial for socioeconomic development. He urged stakeholders to view quality assurance as a shared responsibility rather than an obligation imposed by HEC. KMU Vice-Chancellor Prof Ziaul Haq said that the purpose of the event was to foster a culture of reward and accountability across varsity and its associated institutions. He reaffirmed the provincial government’s commitment to achieving global standards in health and education and reiterated that compromises on the quality of health education were unacceptable.