64% of HEC Pakistan learners report tangible career outcomes with Coursera

Pakistan is the world’s fifth most populous country with over 240 million residents. While the nation has made strides in expanding education, significant gaps persist in equitable access and quality, especially in underserved communities. Realizing knowledge as a pivotal tool for socioeconomic growth, the government of Pakistan has emphasized reforms to increase skills, improve access, and link academics with career demands, particularly in the digital age. At the forefront of this mission is the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC). As the regulatory body governing higher education policies and initiatives across the nation, HEC plays a seminal role in shaping Pakistan’s education landscape.

HEC’s reach spans over 200 universities and degree-awarding institutes nationwide. Some flagship initiatives include building new universities countrywide, providing scholarships and research grants, supporting universities in attaining international standards, and facilitating international collaborations.

Challenge

Tackling educational disparities on a national scale

Despite the laudable expansion of Pakistan’s education ecosystem, equitable access to quality learning remains out of reach for many, creating imbalances. Socioeconomic barriers like poverty exacerbate these gaps for marginalized students. The literacy rate stands at just 60 percent nationally. Only 1 in 2 students transition from primary to lower secondary school, hindering the pipeline to higher education.

Digital learning has emerged as a viable means to proliferate education at scale in Pakistan. While traditional institutes concentrated in cities leave several remote areas deprived, online education can reach students countrywide.

However, people in Pakistan often overlook or underestimate the significance of distance and online learning, explains Aneela Tanveer, Director IT at HEC. “The prevalent focus remains on the traditional instructor-led physical classroom setting, sidelining the potential and impact of online education,” Tanveer shares.

Realizing online education’s potential, the Government of Pakistan has emphasized its adoption, including digital learning deliverables for faculty and students. HEC is at the center of this shift as the leader spearheading the metamorphosis.

Paving the way for Pakistan’s digital knowledge economy

Through a successful and transformative partnership with Coursera, HEC has ushered in a wave of impactful education, breaking barriers and shaping the educational landscape in Pakistan.

• Access to quality education:

  • 200+ universities gained access to Coursera’s library of courses, including COMSATS University Islamabad and University of Central Punjab.

  • Over 267,000+ courses completed with students logging over 1.4 million learning hours.

  • More than 45,000 learners achieved deep-skills specialized certifications from internationally recognized institutions, the most popular specializations being Communication, Data Analysis, and Leadership and Management.

• Enhanced teaching through curriculum integration:

  • Faculty enhanced their curriculum by integrating Coursera content into projects and materials.

  • Students applied their newfound expertise, translating it into freelancing opportunities.

• Profound learner satisfaction:

  • HEC conducted a learner survey which garnered 10,000 responses:

    • 96% of respondents credited Coursera for enriching skills development, with steep trajectories in digital literacy.

    • 99% expressed a desire to continue expanding their learning.

    • Over 60% received tangible career incentives, such as recognition or advancements, through Coursera courses.

“We’ve encountered our top Coursera learners leveraging their skills for success,” Tanveer continues. HEC’s survey encapsulates this notion, with 47% of freelancers saying Coursera courses helped to increase their earnings. “These individuals, based in Pakistan, capitalize on learned skills, securing freelancing opportunities and projects, earning in US dollars due to their global online presence.” Maqadas Manzoor, a learner who benefitted from HEC’s support, attests to Coursera’s positive influence on his freelance career. “Enrolling in Coursera has been a transformative experience for me. I enrolled in IBM’s full stack cloud computing course and got my certificate, which gained me valuable knowledge. I have since acquired projects from a cloud computing and web application services company.” This partnership between HEC and Coursera helped introduce flexible, specialized online education tailored to Pakistan’s needs, bringing world-class learning within reach across demographics. As Dr. Jamil, Member IT at HEC, attests, “Our initiative with Coursera ensures that Pakistani youth gain industry-ready skills affordably and at scale. The positive response from students indicates that we are on track to achieve HEC’s goals.” HEC credits Coursera for enabling it to deliver meaningful change on a national scale – one learner at a time.

Moving Forward

HEC’s future plans with Coursera reflect a dynamic and forward-thinking approach, with the intent to build on the success of the current initiative. Central to their strategy is a commitment to continued measurement and evaluation of Coursera’s impact on the thousands of Pakistani learners.

“Measuring the impact of education is like embarking on a journey,” explains Tanveer. “Completing a course and holding a certificate is not the end but the beginning. The true benefits, the real impact, emerge over time, shaping a learner’s trajectory beyond the immediate achievement.”

As such, the next step for HEC is to engage with employers across the country to assess the full scale of Coursera-educated individuals. As Pakistan progresses in accelerating its socioeconomic growth, Coursera continues to empower its students with essential knowledge, bridging the gap between academia and industry needs.