Introduction:
The quality of education within Pakistani universities has been a topic of concern for many years. Despite the presence of some renowned institutions, the overall quality of education in the country has struggled to meet international standards.
In 21st century, high standard universities are playing a key role in socioeconomic and political development of the counties. This is why countries having high quality universities are leading the world.
Quality universities are constantly producing critical thinkers who become creative minded individuals while stepping into the practical world.
However, in the context of Pakistan, things are totally opposite of the above mentioned key facts. There are different reasons and ground realities behind this phenomenon.
Therefore, this critical analysis delves deep into the reasons behind the poor quality of education inside Pakistani universities and highlights their below the mark standings in international university rankings.
Lack of Adequate Funding:
One of the primary reasons for the poor quality of education in Pakistani universities is the chronic lack of adequate funding. Both martial law administrators and civilian rulers have been allocating inadequate budget and resources to the public sector universities.
Education has never been the first priority of Pakistan as far as budget books are concerned. Higher education institutions require sufficient financial resources to maintain modern facilities, hire qualified faculty, and conduct research.
Unfortunately, many Pakistani universities face budgetary constraints, leading to outdated infrastructure and underpaid faculty. Lack of enough universities as per population growth is another burning issue for Pakistan.
One of the major reasons behind meagre budget allocation is the heavy budget for defence purposes. Actually, since the very first of the creation of Pakistan, it has been remaining a security state. This problem is still continuing even after becoming a nuclear power country.
Insufficient Faculty Development:
In global context, the quality of education is heavily dependent on the competence and expertise of the teaching staff. Similarly, leading universities of the world hire university teachers purely on the basis of merit and efficiency.
However, contrary to this, Pakistani universities often struggle to attract and retain highly qualified professors and researchers due to low salaries, limited career prospects, and a lack of opportunities for professional development. This results in a shortage of quality faculty members with updated and latest knowledge alongwith research capabilities.
Outdated Curriculum:
Another issue contributing to the poor quality of education is the outdated curriculum in many Pakistani universities. Mostly incapable and incompetent individuals develop curriculum at national as well as local levels. This trend has severely affected the process of latest curriculum development.
Adding into it, major stakeholders including teachers, students, and parents have never been given any priority while developing the curriculum at university level. Lack of prior research and ignoring the ground realities are also points of great concern.
The curriculum often fails to keep pace with evolving industry needs and global trends. Lack of ground level and local research and heavily reliance on the foreign research including copy and paste system are some of the common causes of the outdated curriculum.
This leads to graduates who lack the skills and knowledge required to compete in the modern job market. Most of the Pakistani graduates merely hold degrees but actually they lack certain key skills that are very much important for the modern day job opportunities.
Examination System:
The examination system in Pakistani universities is often criticized for promoting rote learning and discouraging critical thinking. Students are frequently judged solely on their ability to memorize information rather than their analytical and problem-solving skills.
This outdated approach to assessment hampers the development of well-rounded graduates. Similarly, teachers assess their students with congested mind approach. They discourage creativity and innovation and thus never appreciate students who think out of box.
There is also a trend that teachers assess students on the basis of what they teach to them or what is just written inside books. This is why examination system in Pakistani universities has lost its credibility and quality.
Political Interference:
Political interference in the administration and management of universities has also been a persistent problem in Pakistan. This interference can lead to the appointment of unqualified individuals to key academic positions, compromising the quality of education and research.
On the other hand, not only politicians but also military establishment and civil bureaucracy interfere into the affairs of the universities including forceful appointments of incompetent teachers and officials.
Additionally, most of the vice chancellors of the public sector universities have no any freedom of taking bold decisions including ensuring transparency and accountability.
This is why there is no any proper mechanism for strict check and balance for punishment and reward as per personal and professional conduct of teaching faculty.
International University Rankings:
When it comes to international university rankings, Pakistani universities have faced significant challenges over the past many decades.
According to the QS World University Rankings and the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, Pakistani universities have consistently ranked lower compared to their global counterparts.
Some of the reasons for this include the aforementioned issues of funding, faculty development, curriculum, assessment and appointments of incompetent teachers and other staff.
As of my last knowledge update, only a few Pakistani universities have made it to the global rankings 2023-24, with Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad and Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) being among the top-ranked institutions.
However, they still lagged behind leading universities in other countries, reflecting the overall challenges faced by Pakistani higher education institutions.
Conclusion:
The poor quality of education in Pakistani universities can be attributed to a combination of factors, including funding shortages, inadequate faculty development, outdated curricula, poor assessment, appointments of incompetent teachers, and political interference.
Addressing these issues is crucial for the country to improve the quality of higher education and enhance its standing in international university rankings.
It requires a concerted effort from government authorities, university administrations, and other stakeholders to revitalize the higher education system and provide students with a world-class education.
Until and unless, Pakistani universities will continue occupying below the mark ranking positions which they have been doing over the past many decades.
Penned down by: Raja Bahar Khan Soomro
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