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ISLAMABAD, Mar 20 (APP):In a landmark achievement for Pakistan’s higher education sector, the Vice Chancellor of National Skills University Islamabad (NSU), Prof. Dr. Muhammad Mukhtar, has been appointed as a permanent member of the Board of Governors of the newly established National Institute of Technology.
This prestigious federal institution, headquartered in Lahore, was recently sanctioned under Clause 23(j) of its governing act following the approval of legislation by the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) and subsequent assent by the President of Pakistan.
This historic appointment sets a rare precedent, as it is among the first instances where a public-sector university leader has been granted a permanent governance role in a private-sector university in Pakistan.
Prof. Mukhtar while talking to APP hailed the recognition as a significant milestone, highlighting the increasing prominence of skills-based education and the rapid ascent of NSU’s governance model within just five years of its establishment.
Under the visionary leadership of Prof. Mukhtar, NSU Islamabad has emerged as a trailblazer in vocational and technical education. The university’s commitment to excellence has earned it numerous national and international accolades, reinforcing its reputation as a center of academic and professional distinction.
Most notably, Prof. Mukhtar, along with the Additional Registrar and four senior faculty members, was recently awarded the prestigious Badge of Excellence by the European Training Foundation, a flagship initiative of the European Union. This honor is bestowed upon professionals who demonstrate unwavering dedication to self-assessment, institutional development, and the continuous enhancement of vocational education standards.
As a UNESCO-UNEVOC center, NSU has strengthened its global footprint through more than two dozen active international partnerships. The university’s engagement in key initiatives, such as the Bridging Innovation and Learning in TVET (BILT) program—sponsored by the German government under UNESCO’s umbrella—underscores its commitment to modernizing technical and vocational education in line with global best practices.
Among its most promising initiatives, NSU has launched a pioneering Mechanical Engineering Technology program that provides students with a fully funded one-year scholarship to gain hands-on experience in China’s industrial sector before completing their degrees. This initiative reflects the university’s proactive approach to industry-driven learning and global workforce readiness.
The rapid rise of NSU Islamabad as a hub for vocational excellence underscores the transformative potential of skills-based education in driving economic growth. With this latest recognition, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Mukhtar continues to shape the future of Pakistan’s technical education landscape, bridging the gap between academia and industry while fostering a new generation of skilled professionals poised for global success.