ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan, under the World Bank-funded Higher Education Development in Pakistan (HEDP) Project, has upgraded its Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system from SAP ECC 6.0 to SAP S/4HANA.
The upgrade, along with the training of 86 HEC employees, marks a significant step towards modernising institutional operations, strengthening financial management and promoting technology-enabled governance.
According to HEC, the upgraded SAP platform has been operational since October 2025. It integrates key institutional functions, including Financial Accounting, Funds Management, Project Systems, Materials Management, Procurement, Inventory and Asset Management, and Plant Maintenance.
The system also introduces automated billing and revenue management for HEC services, including the Pakistan Education and Research Network (PERN), Digital Library and HEC Guest Houses. These modules have been designed to streamline workflows, enhance transparency and financial oversight, reduce manual processes and improve institutional efficiency.
As part of the next phase, HEC plans to further operationalise SAP Human Capital Management (HCM) and deploy Employee Self-Service (ESS) licences. This will enable employees to access digital services through SAP Fiori-based portals for leave, NOC, medical and pension management, among other human resource functions.
Further improvements in business planning, analytics and management dashboards will support integrated reporting and evidence-based decision-making.
To support the technological transformation, HEC organised a certificate distribution ceremony for 86 employees who successfully completed specialised SAP S/4HANA training.
HEC Executive Director Dr Zia Ul Haq distributed certificates among the participants. Speaking on the occasion, he highlighted the importance of using technology as a key driver of institutional modernisation.
He also stressed the need for a digital-first mindset, expansion of paperless workflows and e-services, and promotion of data-driven decision-making through reliable information and analytics.
Dr Zia appreciated the collective efforts behind the SAP upgrade and underlined the importance of developing in-house expertise, institutional ownership and sustained use of digital systems.
HEC said the initiative reflects its commitment to building a more efficient, transparent, accountable and digitally empowered institution, while establishing a stronger foundation for technology-driven governance and improved service delivery across Pakistan’s higher education sector.
