The Higher Education Commission has launched MAKTAB, an integrated digital platform designed to modernise core academic, administrative and financial functions across public universities. Deployed under the World Bank funded Higher Education Development in Pakistan project, MAKTAB brings together SAP-based Enterprise Resource Planning, a Student Lifecycle Management solution and Blackboard Learning Management System to standardise processes and improve real-time decision making.
In the first phase, 25 public sector universities were onboarded onto the SAP ERP and customised SLcM modules while Blackboard LMS was rolled out to support online, blended and hybrid teaching. Together these systems form the backbone of Pakistan’s planned Higher Education Management Information System (HEMIS), intended to strengthen governance, accountability and evidence-based policy making across the sector.
The SAP ERP component centralises financial management including budgeting, accounting, payments and statutory reporting while also digitising supply chain, procurement and enterprise asset management for systematic tracking of buildings and equipment. Human Capital Management and payroll modules are integrated to manage recruitment, service records, payroll processing and benefits, ensuring transparent and timely workforce administration.
The Student Lifecycle Management solution digitises the full student journey from online admissions, merit list generation and enrollment to course registration, semester planning, attendance, assessments, examinations and grading. By reducing manual interventions and delays, SLcM aims to make academic processes more transparent and merit based across participating institutions.
Blackboard LMS complements these systems by providing a central platform for course delivery, assessments, online classes and discussion forums, with analytics and instructional support tools that enhance teaching and learning. Seamless integration between Blackboard and SLcM is expected to improve academic continuity and student engagement while enabling faculty to manage courses more effectively.
Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal addressed the launch virtually, praising the initiative as a transformational step for higher education and reaffirming government commitment to long-term institutional reforms and national development goals. Minister of State for Federal Education and Professional Training Wajiha Qamar described the launch as a long-cherished milestone and urged embedding MAKTAB in the Public Sector Development Programme to enable wider rollout.
HEC Chairman Nadeem Mahbub thanked development partners and university teams for their efforts and called for sustained adoption to realise the platform’s benefits. Executive Director Prof. Dr. Zia ul Haq acknowledged implementation challenges but highlighted continued collaboration and institutional ownership as keys to success. Project Coordinator Syed Naveed Hussain Shah presented MAKTAB’s features and deployment progress while participating university representatives shared early institutional experiences.
As MAKTAB moves from pilot to wider implementation, the platform aims to bring uniform processes, audit trails and management dashboards that bolster financial discipline, operational efficiency and transparent service delivery across Pakistan’s higher education sector.
