University ranking system

This is with reference to the letter "University rankings in Pakistan" (December 31) by Mr Sanaul Haque Mallick.

Development of a ranking system for universities is a good idea, but coming up with a criterion that is complete, just, fair, valid, reliable and professional is not an ordinary undertaking. Hurriedly put together experiences of a few academicians into a ranking system cannot be expected to be fair, valid or even professional.

A proper ranking system for an institution of higher learning should have the following characteristics:

1. It should be applicable to all the institutions of higher learning, including public and private universities. It should be general enough to encompass variations in engineering, medical, general sciences, business and other professional disciplines. It should incorporate and accommodate all finer differences such as those between the doctorate in medicine and doctorate in philosophy. This system should be able to cater to mixing and matching of different disciplines in some universities as well as directed specializations preferred by some others. It also must rationalize on the basis of the economic cost paid per student rather than the fee charged per student.

2. It should measure all factors that contribute to the quality of an institute. It appears from a recent HEC questionnaire and an HEC criterion for setting up new universities and institutes that the questionnaire is biased towards bricks and mortar evaluations. Evaluation of the following factors are conspicuous by their absence and must be included and given due weights:

Financial discipline, accounting system, costing system, purchasing systems, grading systems, academic monitoring systems, exam and classes scheduling systems, syllabus management systems, fee management systems, faculty management systems, attendance monitoring systems, curriculum improvement systems, student records and student progress evaluation systems, examination systems, students complaints monitoring systems, industry interaction systems, etc.

3. A ranking system should be valid. That is, it should assess what it sets out to measure. Does it incorporate all the aspects of higher education? Does it evaluate the objectives of higher education for Pakistan? What does our economy require from the institutes of higher education? What is the economic demand for researchers, scientists, consultants, managers, office workers, professionals, academicians, responsible citizens from institutes of higher learning? What should be their proportion coming out from a given discipline? How often and how soon do graduates switch from their area of specialization to an area of economic opportunity and what are the skills that they take into the new fields that they choose?

4. Was a pilot study done to identify reasonableness of the criterion of this system? Was the criterion applied to a couple of universities to test its applicability, practicality and ability to yield the desired results? What shortcomings were noticed in the pilot application and how were they rectified?

5. The criterion should be realistically measurable. Is information sought-for readily available? Is it verifiable? In how many ways can it be interpreted? How much effort does it take to fill out the questionnaire? Would all institutes put a similar amount of effort? What would be the source of their data? Is the source of data reliable, authentic and comparable?

6. Does multiple application of the criterion by different teams and different personnel and at different times on the same institute yield the same result?

7. Has the HEC questionnaire been prepared using established research methodologies?

The Higher Education Commission should, therefore, do research to develop a better criterion before it starts ranking the universities in Pakistan.

DR SYED IRFAN HYDER

Vice President & Dean, PAF-Karachi Institute of Economics and Technology, Karachi

Resolving ethnic conflicts

For the past couple of years there has been a rise in "hypernationalism" in the Balkans, Rwanda and the Arab world, which, if not checked now, may eventually lead to ethnic wars, genocide, or even destruction of civilizations.

In the Balkans, ethnic hatred and tensions continue to grip the Serbs, Croats, Albanians and Muslims. In the Middle East/Arab world, hypernationalism is at work, thanks to religious and political leaders such as Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden.

In Africa, the Hutu and Tutsi tribes have been fighting in Rwanda and neighbouring countries for quite some time, though the fighting has slowed a little. This ethnic cleansing needs to be stopped to avoid further civil unrest/wars in Africa.

The world community has two options to addend to this problem: it can actively intervene to solve these conflicts, or it may keep itself aloof from them and do nothing. The option of doing nothing has shown the world what has happened in the Middle East - the ethnic conflict goes on. In Rwanda, the ethnic conflict has left over 800,000 people dead in the past decade. The only people who have tried to stop this conflict are the US Red Cross, the United Nations and WHO.

Giving self-autonomy to these ethnic groups may also work. Even though an ethnic fighting can be stopped by other means such as enforcement of peace by international forces, or by coups, such peace does not last long and another coup may be staged, or even another bloody battle may begin.

The past few years have seen that Afghanistan is starting to emerge as a democracy, though slowly, with the help of the US, the UK and other countries. The US, therefore, must ask the UN to intervene and resolve such conflicts.

FAROOQ KHAN

Houston, Texas, USA

Civic problems in Karachi areas

Karachi's Nishtar Road has turned into a slum because of the incompetence of the civil administration and its planners.

Development projects and basic amenities have long been neglected. Particularly, there is no street lighting on Nishter Road and its adjoining streets, with the result that the area remains dark.

A report in Dawn (December 23) about a trailer hitting a tree and causing a traffic jam also portrays a picture of the pathetic conditions of civil management and poorly-lit streets.

Similarly, almost entire Aga Khan III Road, starting from the crossing of M. A. Jinnah Road to Golimar, is without streetlights. This causes great inconvenience to the commuters and some times accidents on the road.

Promises made time and again by the governor and the town nazim to solve the problems of the residents are not fulfilled. The population influx, road-side garages and many other encroachments are turning this most important life-giving artery of the Karachi city into a slum.

Encroachments in the lane of Micro Finance Bank in Garden West (Lobo Street) have been growing without check for the last so many years. Tea shops have occupied the footpaths with chairs etc., causing inconvenience and discomfort to pedestrians, specially during prayer timings when old people/women and children pass this road. Pan shops and tikka stands have also been built on the footpaths, forcing the pedestrians to use the road and exposing them to the traffic.

Despite many appeals made in the past, no step has been taken so far to redress the grievances of the residents. No notable government official has ever taken the pains to visit this area/road.

We, the affected residents, appeal to the authorities concerned to take notice of our complaint and do the needful immediately.

AFFECTED RESIDENTS

Karachi

National savings centres

This refers to my earlier letter published in your newspaper on September 30, under the headline "Caring for pensioners", about the hassles and inconvenience elderly people face these days in going to national savings centres.

I retired from service in 1985, and have since been investing my savings in defence and special savings certificates purchased through banks. Then it used to take me a few minutes to invest/reinvest and draw my profits; there was no hassles, no inconvenience and no long queues.

But the government has divested the banks of this power - and the public of this facility - in June 2003. Why? Because the banks were charging a handling commission of 1/2 per cent on the principal amount of certificates sold through them.

It doesn't make sense. It's not fair. It appears the government is focused on holding back more and more from such investors. The elderly in particular are feeling let down, disillusioned and deserted.

The government should seriously consider restoring the authority to the banks to issue DSCs and SSCs. It should also consider increasing the rates of return to the senior citizens.

MANZOOR AHMAD

Lahore

Drug sales without mandatory trials

This has reference to the report "Drugs being sold without mandatory trial" (January 6) where it is stated that multinational and local pharmaceutical manufacturers are marketing medicines without mandatory trials. This is a gross violation of the trust that patients put in the government, the pharmaceutical industry and the medicines it produces.

In the absence of consumer protection laws and patients rights laws, helpless consumers are already victims of substandard, adulterated and counterfeit products. At the same time there are reports from responsible agencies/laboratories, confirming traces of addictive substance in sweet suparis and cortisone in many toothpaste brands. Now we are informed that the health of consumers is at risk because the pharmaceutical industry is marketing medicines without mandatory clinical trials.

The health minister and other relevant authorities /departments are requested to take notice of this sorry state of affairs and ensure that medicines are duly tested before people buy them.

THE HELPLINE TRUST

Karachi

Death from starvation

Professor Ghazi Khan and his wife died of starvation in Karachi some time back, as the professor could not get his pension for three years after his retirement, in spite of his best efforts.

Government employees are unfailingly relieved from their service on the day of their retirement without any exception at all, but the cases of their pensions are seldom settled well in time.

It throws them into the cauldron of untold problems because pension is the only source of their income to fall back on.

The accountant-generals of the provinces often issue directives to their subordinate officers to decide pension cases in time, but usually such directives are ignored. Will the relevant authorities intervene in the matter and ensure that pensions cases are decided on time?

MIRZA GHULAM HAIDER

Multan

Building a new Pakistan

I agree with Sam Badia's opinion ("Building a new Pakistan", January 7) that education is the backbone of a country.

The dilemma Pakistan is facing is that we have already wasted 56 years because not enough attention was given to building the basic infrastructure of the country.

It is just like copying a house design from the West and then realizing half way through that the West has already set standards for door and window sizes, electrical, air circulation, insulation, etc., which are not available in the Third World countries. Thus, half measures are taken to complete it, making the final design inefficient and expensive. It is time we played the catch-up game, without blaming our past circumstances and issues.

My main focus is to take bold steps to make changes today, for tomorrow is too uncertain for Third World countries due to political, religious, social turmoil. For a fully functional and efficient society, it takes 20 years of education, with good, supportive standards and a sound infrastructure, to produce ideal citizens for social and industrial progress and achievements.

We have to take giant steps right now to improve the situation, and at the same time embark upon the journey of starting afresh with new generations. The call of the hour is to quickly re-organize, review immediate steps, decide on priorities and take action today.

Pakistan needs to go for immediate gains learning from India, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, the UAE and other countries that have dramatically turned their economies around in the last few years. Social issues such as moral values and religious disharmony also need to be addressed.

Pakistan needs to jump on the bandwagon by attracting foreign investment, for which it must create a conducive environment. There is in our country no dearth of qualified and intelligent Pakistanis who can spearhead the efforts and we do not need to get foreign individuals yet.

We, as a nation, need to take drastic measures after carefully planning the next five years. Hire the best and expect the best taking a cue from the West where CEOs make a ton but also get fired the same way if they are not able to perform. We can set up industries within a year and turn things around for Pakistan, without waiting for other issues to be resolved and implemented.

OMER KIANI

Toronto, Canada

Economic growth rate

It is mind-boggling to read in the press that economic activities based on heavy imports, particularly finished products, are also counted as part of our economic growth rate and the GDP, which apparently increase the forex burden and boost the industrial growth of exporting countries.

For example, Pakistan Steel is producing steel for local consumption based on imported know-how, experts support, machinery, spares, iron ore, coal, chemicals, expansion and BMR, with foreign loans etc. Similarly, auto assembly and colas are primarily based on imports, except water for colas. Certain other economic activities like telecommunications and the IT sector are totally based on imported equipment.

The question arises: should these economic activities, with comparatively insignificant local technological inputs, be counted in calculating our economic growth rate and the GDP, without considering its cost in foreign currency, besides the ever-increasing payments to foreign suppliers?

SHAKEEL AKHTAR

Rawalpindi

Pornographic explosion

This refers to the letter "Pornographic explosion" by Dr Mubashir Khan (January 7).

Though we are a democratic society, Dr Khan should not forget that we are also an Islamic state. There may be many practices in Pakistan that may not be in accordance with Islamic ways of life, but that does not at all give us the permission to plunge into an abyss of wrongdoings.

I agree with him that drugs, drinking and corruption are menaces that badly affect a society. However, pornography too is such a menace. It is bad for both adults and children to be exposed to such things.

It is the responsibility of the government to prevent people from indulging themselves in such vulgar acts.

MAYRAM IQBAL

Karachi

Amendments to Constitution

Amendments to the Constitution of Pakistan have been made by our legislators, giving the president the powers to dismiss the prime minister and dissolve the assemblies.

Most of these legislators were also members of the National Assembly and the Senate during the days of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, and had thought it fit to undo the same amendment, thus depriving the then president of such powers. Does this not mean that our legislators have just become rubber-stamps?

ALI AKBAR QURESHI

Karachi

Developing local industries

We have many talented college and university students in Pakistan, but their abilities and skills are not utilized properly. Why doesn't the government start giving grants to such students to help them to set up indigenous industries?

For example, why not offer grants to students to develop local industries such as CNG kit-manufacturing industry or textile machinery? These are two industries that can easily be set up with the support of domestic organizations.

Every year we see talented students leaving Pakistan for opportunities abroad, but many opportunities can easily be created here. For example, the government can offer students an elective course at NED, Sir Syed and Karachi universities to build a local CNG kit. If their project is successful, allow them full ownership of what they have accomplished and let them go ahead and build a company around their product.

This is what is happening in United States. No wonder they have made so many technical and economic innovations.

JUNAID AL-HUMAIDI

San Diego, CA

Actuarial sciences

This is with reference to the report "Punjab University plans to restructure faculties" (January 2).

This, if taken, will be a very good step by the university to ensure better educational standards in Pakistan.

It is suggested that the university authorities also consider setting up a faculty of actuarial sciences from where students can do BSc, MSc and PHD. Currently, these disciplines are not taught in the country, and a student who wants to be an actuary has to go abroad for further education.

Furthermore, the government of Pakistan should consider setting up an "Institute of Actuaries of Pakistan" (like the Institute of Actuaries in the United Kingdom).

OMER SAEED AND M. WAQAR ARSHAD MALLHI

Lahore

Eid holidays

The national holidays which have been declared recently for the year 2004 include two holidays for Eidul Azha and three holidays for Eidul Fitr.

If the five holidays for the two Eids are so sacrosanct as not to be increased to six days, two holidays instead of three should be sufficient for Eidul Fitr. For Eidul Azha, three holidays should be given because the sacrifice of animals is permissible for three days.

It is hoped that the relevant authorities will consider this suggestion.

A. M. SAYIED

Karachi