In the discourse on improving higher education in Pakistan, we often focus on curriculum design, faculty training or digital infrastructure. What receives less attention but is equally transformative is the role of student societies and clubs in shaping well-rounded graduates equipped for real-world leadership and impact. If we are to produce change-makers, not just degree-holders, then we must reimagine our campuses as training grounds for initiative, independence, collaboration and engagement.

Activities undertaken by students in societies are not a distraction from learning; they are its extension. These co-curricular platforms offer students the chance to lead, organise, debate and discover their potential in ways no textbook can teach. Whether in theatre, science, literature or social activism, student societies provide a safe space for trial and error, for learning how to think and work independently and in teams; and these are skills that are desperately needed in today's knowledge economy.

I had the privilege of serving as the Vice Chancellor at Government College University (GCU) Lahore and currently I work as Provost at one of the top-ranked private universities, University of Management and Technology (UMT). In both universities, I have worked towards institutionalising student societies as integral to the university experience. Our model is based on five key principles that........

© The Express Tribune