The University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar has completed the first phase of the Higher Education Commission’s Mentoring Program for Universities, with 23 mentors and mentees taking part in the inaugural cohort. The three-month program was designed to promote professional development, knowledge sharing and mentoring among university faculty and administrative staff.
The Mentoring Program for Universities is a national initiative run by the National Academy of Higher Education, an institution under the Higher Education Commission, aimed at building leadership capacity, collaborative learning and human resource development across higher education institutions in the country. A closing ceremony marking the end of Phase One was held at UET Peshawar, attended by Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Sadiq Khattak, Dean Prof. Dr. Rizwan Gul, members of the Mentorship Program Committee, faculty members, mentors, mentees and other university officials.
Speaking at the ceremony, Prof. Dr. Sadiq Khattak acknowledged the role of the Higher Education Commission and the National Academy of Higher Education in supporting the mentoring program nationwide, saying initiatives such as this give faculty members opportunities to share experience, improve professional skills and build stronger academic networks. Prof. Dr. Rizwan Gul said the first phase helped establish a formal mentoring culture at UET Peshawar, encouraging knowledge sharing between departments and institutions, and added that the experience gained would help the university expand mentoring opportunities toward peer to peer and student focused initiatives in future phases.
According to the university, mentoring sessions during the program covered academic leadership and governance, professional ethics, workplace effectiveness, digital and artificial intelligence tools, and career development and promotion pathways. Dr. Shamaila Farooq, focal person for the program at UET Peshawar, said the initiative also placed emphasis on gender inclusion and equitable participation, with female staff members given key responsibilities in program coordination and governance, while female faculty and administrative professionals from the University of the Punjab, Punjab Higher Education Department and Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan took part as mentors and mentees. The university said the first cohort has laid the groundwork for expanded participation in the program’s next phase, with certificates distributed to participating mentors and mentees at the conclusion of the ceremony.
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