Peshawar, January 9, 2026 — The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan has completed a three‑day Review of Institutional Performance and Enhancement (RIPE) at the City University of Science & Information Technology (CUSIT), Peshawar, held 6–8 January 2026. The review—part of HEC's mandate to enhance the quality of higher education in the Country. This review is part of the Pakistan Precepts Standards and Guidelines (PSG‑2023), which reviews Strategic, development, Institutional Development and Academic Development of Universities through sixteen standards and drives continuous improvement.
About Review of Institutional Performance and Enhancement (RIPE) through PSG‑2023:
RIPE is QAA's principal method for institutional‑level external quality assurance in Pakistan. Reviews are peer‑led and evidence‑based, includes students', faculties' and management's engagement, and assess alignment with national Quality Standards. The method honours university autonomy while focusing on how institutions set and maintain standards, assure quality, promote enhancement and innovation, and respond to evolving stakeholder needs.
QAA's RIPE Standards
- Vision, mission, goals and strategic planning
- Governance, leadership and organisation
- Institutional resources and planning
- Audit and finance
- Affiliated colleges/institutions
- Internationalisation of higher education and global engagement
- Faculty recruitment, development and support services
- Academic programmes and curricula
- Admission, progression, assessment, and certification
- Student support services
- Impactful teaching and learning and community engagement
- Research, innovation, entrepreneurship and industrial linkage
- Fairness and integrity
- Public information and transparency
- Institutional effectiveness, quality assurance and enhancement
- CQI and cyclical external quality assurance
Visit programme (6–8 January 2026)
- Day 1: Panel workroom setup, institutional orientation, and document/evidence review.
- Day 2: Structured meetings with undergraduate and postgraduate students; faculty (junior and senior); department heads; and statutory offices (Registrar, Controller of Examinations, Deans, Directors QEC/ORIC/Student Affairs/Sports etc.).
- Day 3: Observations of teaching/learning and support facilities (classrooms, laboratories, library, sports, cafeteria, offices), panel deliberations, and exit meeting with leadership.
About Pakistan Precepts Standards and Guidelines:
Please click the link below to know about Pakistan Precepts Standards and Guidelines (PSG-2023):
https://www.hec.gov.pk/english/services/universities/QAA/Pages/Revamped-QA-Framework.aspx
