Higher education may be defined as ‘’any type of education offered in post-secondary institutions of learning, usually at the end of a course of study, a degree, diploma, or certificate of higher education.’’ Higher education includes teacher training schools, junior colleges, and institutes of technology. Higher education institutions include not only universities and colleges but also various vocational schools that provide preparation in fields such as law, theology, medicine, business, music and art. Higher education also includes teacher training schools, junior colleges, and the Institute of Technology. Oxford dictionary defines higher education as ‘’education at a college or a university, especially to a degree level.’’ With massive population growth, higher education is the need of the hour for the Pakistani youth. The young generation eagerly seeks quality education from the top institutions so they may be endorsed by mega corporations. However, the glass is still half empty as usual. From the bureaucratic “Red Tape” to lack to affiliated programs, Higher education system in Pakistan suffers from many illnesses. This is further hampered by the traditional methods of education and costly fee structure of the institutes. In addition to, low GDP investment in higher education, there is a mismatch between the attained qualifications and skills needed by the industry. Although these drawbacks plague our country’s higher education system, it is still possible to bring the necessary change. A strong commitment to research and development is the core to reviving the Higher education system in Pakistan. In addition, the reduction in corporate prices is significant. Focusing on investment in technology instead of old brick and mortar companies is clearly more lucrative. Restructuring the institutions is crucial in this regard. Instead of the goal of getting a job and joining the rat race, our education system direly needs to focus on creating entrepreneurs, innovators, scientists, thinkers, and writers. Implementation of the policy framework will ensure the change in brought about.
Drawbacks in Higher Education System
The current state of higher education in Pakistan is depressing. There are many faults in the system. The most important fault is the rising cost of a balanced education compared to the benefits of a university degree. No matter how important the university education is, people have to bear the brunt of the importance of universities. Although higher education usually requires to succeed in the workforce, the ability to pay for university has become difficult for many. If the cost of higher education exceeds the affordability range of the middle class, the problem may become more severe. The situation is further exacerbated by irrational financial solutions for stranded students. There is hardly a culture of offering online classes so that students do not have to pay for campus housing, meal plans, and more. Increasing privatization of public universities continues to hamper affordable Higher education for deserving students. This directly affects the development and prosperity of the country.
In the current era, it has become a serious challenge for many parents to finance their child’s higher education plan even through a public university. In this scenario, privatization of education is equivalent to adding insult to injury. As there is lack of government initiated funding for higher education institutions, universities seek funding from private sources. As a result, universities begin to fund their students through a combination of tuition and other business interests.
In this age of modern technology, outdated methods and outdated curricula are still ubiquitous. By and large, teaching methods are not moving away from the old-fashioned model of lectures. These methods make students more inactive. Even in the most well-known universities, the curriculum is still taught out of history with traditional methods. Lecturers and professors from top universities, such as UET Lahore, NEDUET Karachi, Aga Khan Medical University Karachi and the University of Health Sciences Lahore, give classroom lectures. On Campus students at Harvard, Stanford, and Wharton universities are involved in studying project-based problem-solving.
High quality faculty recognition is another disease that our higher education system in Pakistan is going through. Quality faculty is essential for quality education and research. Without a competent faculty, providing quality education is a distant dream. There is a severe shortage of eminent professors and lecturers in our education system. Similarly, there is a lack of research in Pakistani universities due to lack of quality teachers. The most compelling proof of this is that, since its inception in 1947, our country has not produced a single ‘real thinker’. In addition, with the shortage of excellent teachers, our universities also lack PhD holders. Therefore, the nation is expected to participate in basic and practical research in Pakistani universities to minimize the problems of higher education.
The lack of a strong commitment to research and the creation of knowledge is a reflection of the fact that our system is in dire straits.
An important factor in the production of knowledge is the existence of research-related, knowledge-generating institutions. Instability in attracting and retaining high-performing researchers negatively affects institutional productivity. There are many examples in our country that paint a serious picture of our higher education system. No attention paid to innovation in institutions intensifies the problems of higher education system in Pakistan. Our higher education system lacks innovation. The low quality of science education in our educational institutions manifests itself on a variety of fronts. Without any shadow of ambiguity, Pakistan lags behind the world in innovation. Sadly, Pakistan ranks 107th out of 141 countries in the Global Innovation Index (GII). It ignites the fire of economic growth and development. Similarly, the standard of HEC’s wrong policy emphasizes quantity only, with little or no emphasis on quality as our higher education system lacks creativity and innovation. It is important to keep in mind the fact that not a single Pakistani research journal in the field of engineering has received international exposure, nor has it affected the scientific community at large. Low GDP investment in excessive higher education is a challenge for our education system.
The result of this disease is also an obstacle to the development of the nation. Because education and development are directly proportional to each other, without investing in education, the country’s prosperity remains a farfetched concept. Education is an area that has attracted the least attention from the government. This reinforces the notion that education is not a priority in Pakistan. So in order to dismantle the above mentioned notion Pakistan should have to pay attention and take precautionary measures regarding higher education development to get maximum and productive outcomes.
Remedies to Reform the Higher Education System
First and foremost, higher education must be affordable. In recent years, university tuition costs have skyrocketed. Due to the rising cost, students either do not enter university or drop out later during the program. There are many ways to make Higher Education more affordable. Improving the productivity of the institution is a good area to start on. The number of students enrolled should be maxed out which will directly affect the fee structure as the cost of providing education per student will drop. Furthermore, the government needs to provide incentives and subsidies with proper accountability and transparency.
Further on, public-private partnerships should be offered to solve our higher education problems. With the stagnation of education and the privatization of institutions, access to higher education has become increasingly difficult. Through innovative partnerships with leading universities, we maximize higher education opportunities. It also ensures the success of students and staff. Similarly, these developments have the potential to transform the higher education system. Many countries have mutual partnerships with private companies. Simon Marginson (Professor of Higher Education at the University of Oxford) states in his book that through public-private partnerships the entire education system in his country has entirely changed.
Another area which needs improvement is Research & Development. It thrives when different groups freely discuss different perspectives. Unlike universities like Harvard and Stanford, our education system is based on a classroom approach. This traditional method of trains the student to think as the teacher is thinking, instead of self-thinking and self-assessment. There is need reform public policy that identifies the core capabilities of each school, college and university to nurture them in research and creativity in all schools, colleges and universities.
Reshaping the institutional image will also help solving issues with higher education system in Pakistan. The curriculum and theories taught in Pakistani universities have hardly been upgraded. Curriculum is rarely revised. The HEC reviews the curriculum every three years through the relevant National Curriculum Review Committees (NCRCs). However, there is a huge difference between policy making and its implementation. Therefore, incorporating innovative ideas and methods into design courses helps to stimulate students’ ability to enhance their performance and abilities. Because the purpose of this study is to explore creativity and imagination of the university students so they are motivated to create work through pedagogical design.
We also need to build institutions that allow students to excel in their professional lives. In this scenario, where there is a lack of quality in the institutions, the workhorse development is a distant desire. In order to provide quality education that is in line with international standards, it is important to build training institutes. Clearly we need Skill. So we need to establish high quality institutions. The National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Quaid-e-Azam University, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) are good examples.
Lastly, we need to fight for equality, including quota system in education. People who failed to get a fair share in education for reasons they could not help include Gender discrimination. According to Pakistan’s recent economic survey, the female literacy rate is still lower than the male literacy rate. Similarly, due to caste, religion-based discrimination, many are left out of the education system altogether. Pakistan is committed to bringing them into the system. However this needs to be a priority.
Our education system is preparing graduates with their heads full of facts, textbooks and teacher’s lectures. Which gives a well-rounded mind. But in the age of the Internet, a well-rounded mind is not needed. We can find anything with two mouse clicks. What you are looking for is a great brain. A mind that reacts to unfamiliar facts and details that actually synthesize information that has not been studied before.
Conclusion
Higher Education is a cornerstone of a country’s development. Education provides people with a means of raising living standards and removing gender barriers. At the same time, there are many challenges in the higher education system. The defects of the higher education system in Pakistan are nowhere near any long term fix. Significantly unhealthy curricula, unbearable campus fees, early dropouts and unemployment were the main obstacles to the flourishing of our education system.
Our government has made some efforts to overcome this dire situation, such as the National Education Policy and Fee Compensation Schemes. However, these efforts are necessary but not a sufficient way to improve the higher education. Solution is to redesign the institutions for student success. Equally important is helping students through the financial aid cycle. Furthermore, we need a strong commitment to research and knowledge creation. To advance this agenda, it is important to develop an ecosystem for faculty members. Alongside the government also needs to focus and develop channels of online learning especially since the arrival of the Pandemic. These channels will need support from the ecommerce sector to provide the students and distant learners with the necessary equipment to create streamlined learning environment. Kitaabnow.com has already contributed to the future of Higher Education System in Pakistan by implementing a true version of the Online Book Shop to supply everything needed by an average student.
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