ROLE OF ICT IN SHAPING THE FUTURE OF PAKISTANI HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM

 

This study examined the challenges faced by the Pakistani higher education system (HES) in integrating information and communication technology (ICT); it aimed at understanding ICT needs, measuring the increase in ICT demand, determining the relationship between ICT and HES performance, and understanding how the HES copes with the challenges of implementing ICT. The results of these analyses were used as the basis to suggest solutions. The normative Delphi method was applied to evaluate a sample of 30 HES experts randomly selected from urban and rural areas of Pakistan by administering a literature-based 35-item questionnaire. The experts revealed significant gaps in ICT demand and supply, ICT use, ICT-based higher education problems, and reasons for delays in ICT integration and provided suggestions for developing ICT-driven HES in Pakistan. This study’s findings suggest that an effective and robust HES ICT policy could greatly improve the status of the Pakistani knowledge-based economy, thus helping establish ICT policy and planning, administration, and integration at the higher education level.