University Infrastructure Readiness in Pakistan for Smart Technology-Based Business Education: Implications of the Revised 2025 Business and Management Curriculum

Abstract

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan has revised the Business and Management degree program levels 5, 6, and 7 curricula in October 2025 in light of the National Education Framework (NQF). The updated standards are aligned with mandated HEC’s Undergraduate Education Policy V 1.1 (2023). These eminent changes have been brought about by the Industrial Revolution 4.0, technologies based skills demands. In the revised curriculum, the increase of digital courses is more evident to fulfill the market demands of these emerging and ever-evolving technologies, along with other social skills. In the revised curriculum, with the fusion of technology-based courses in Business Studies majors like HRM, Marketing, and Finance, etc., new degree streams like Business Analytics and Digital Business & E-Commerce are also introduced. These digitally integrated courses have infrastructural demands. It is a question whether, in the current position, the universities in Pakistan have the infrastructural capacity to meet the requirements of these new and sophisticated technologies. A situational overview is utmost important to understand the current infrastructural standing of the universities. This study aims to explore the current university capacity for offering these modern technology-based courses. The best-suited study for the mentioned research questions is a qualitative exploratory, inductive study. The method proposed for this study is Phenomenology. The analysis method suggested is the 6 steps’ Reflective Thematic Analysis (RTA) of Braun and Clark (2006). This method permits the researcher to reflect on the coded participants’ statements for further explanation. The latent level of explanation is proposed to understand the underlying meaning of the interviewee's statements. The participants for the study are Business Studies Teachers in Pakistani universities. The purposive-convenient sampling technique has been followed for the data gathering. The finding reveals infrastructure gaps at universities for offering digital and smart technology-embedded courses. Particularly specialized software for the students’ hands-on practice and dedicated computer labs for business studies. The study's findings are significant for researchers seeking to understand contextual differences and similarities in offering technology-based courses. The study is equally important for policymakers, strategy crafters and executors, educational institutional management & governors, and university leadership.

Keywords: Business Curriculum Revision 2025, Education Transformation, Digital Integration, University Infrastructure.