By Dr. Nayyer Ali

January 21, 2005

Improve Higher Education in Pakistan

Pervez Hoodbhoy, one of Pakistan’s leading nuclear physicists, has written extensively on the crisis in higher education in Pakistan. I had the pleasure of reading his work and felt that many of his ideas should be shared with a wider audience, which I will do in this piece.

Pakistan’s higher education system (at the university level) is in deep need of fundamental reform. Unlike at the primary level, where the main problem is inadequate resources, the real problem at the higher level is in the lack of organization and rigor in the system. Funding for higher education, although
certainly not as high as would be ideal, takes a back seat to the administrative problems.

The problem begins with the lack of a national exam system that can reliably score the academic abilities of Pakistan students. This would be the equivalent of the SAT in the US or the A level in Britain. Creating such an exam system, and protecting it from cheaters, must be a basic priority. It would also create a clear goal for high schools and parents all over Pakistan as to what constitutes the quality education.

Second, at the PhD level, applicants should pass the GRE exam, which is given in the US and worldwide for admission into PhD programs. This would weed out those individuals who are poorly qualified to actually pursue a PhD. Third, there must be a mechanism for establishing the quality of new faculty. This too can be accomplished through testing and through a mechanism to fire incompetent professors.

Another option to improve the quality of Pakistani university faculty is hiring from abroad. Hiring American or European professors, although a quick way
to obtain qualified faculty, is very expensive. It can also create resentment by indigenous faculty who are unhappy about the wide pay disparity. As an
alternative, Pakistan could recruit faculty from Iran or India. There are many qualified professors, and they would work at wages much more comparable to Pakistani wages. Hiring Indian professors would have some implications for national pride, but the priority should be national development. Pride can come after the country has developed and should not cause a delay in the process.

Finally, there must be a merit-based system for selecting the administrators of the universities. The Vice-Chancellors and other administrators must be
selected on competence and ability to lead, and not as a patronage position staffed by those with no interest in improving the institution they serve.

These institutional reforms must be followed up with deeper philosophical reforms. The good university is a crown jewel in the cultural and social and
intellectual life of a nation. Pakistan must develop universities that are not simply competent at imparting technical knowledge (for example, Pakistan’s
medical schools do a fine job), but also become home to serious thought, free debate, and real research that is the equal of any in the world. This requires a change in the mindset of higher education. There is an ongoing massive expansion of quantity in higher education, often resulting in private institutions that hand out fake degrees, but this must be accompanied by an even larger expansion of quality.

Pakistan has been visibly turning the corner in many fronts over the last five years. A serious rethink and improvement in education, both at the primary and secondary level, and at the higher level, is now needed. Comments can reach me at nali@socal.rr.com.


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