WHY does Pakistan need such a large number of universities and postgraduate colleges for imparting higher education when 25 million children happen to be on the streets simply because of unavailability of schools?

Moreover, the federal planning minister recently conceded that higher education institutions in Pakistan have failed to prepare graduates that meet the expectations and demands of the empl-oyers and the industry. This makes the case even stronger against having so many universities.

The education system in Pakistan is nothing but a profitable business venture. Universities and educational institutions try to net maximum number of prospective students so they may charge exorbitant tuition fee. This is despite the fact that some of these universities do not even have proper faculties. There is such a shortage of qualified faculty, especially in hard sciences, that many individuals take classes at multiple institutions, acting as visiting faculty rather than settling down at a single centre. The Higher Education Commi-ssion (HEC) needs to revisit its policies.

Ibna Ismail
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, September 29th, 2024