Problems of higher education in Pakistan by Khalid Khattak

Problems of higher education in Pakistan by Khalid Khattak

A review of the growing number of PhDs and infrastructure shows that Pakistan has made significant progress in the field of higher education, but the question is whether there is an environment for researchers and scientists to solve Pakistan's problems. And the opportunities are encouraging. To know that, we need to know more about the education sector.

When Pakistan started its journey, at that time there was only one university in the whole country which we know as Punjab University but now there are 177 universities and institutions of higher learning in Pakistan which are growing rapidly. Of these, 103 are public universities and educational institutions, while the rest are in the private sector. The federal government has chartered only 33 of these universities and educational institutions, while the rest have been chartered by the provincial governments. Most of the institutions chartered by the federal government are located in the capital Islamabad but some are located in other parts of the country. For example, Karakoram International University is chartered by the federal government in Gilgit-Baltistan. 

According to statistics, the largest population of Pakistan (about 90 million) is in Punjab, which is half the population of the country. Punjab has the highest number of 51 chartered universities and educational institutions, of which 27 are in the public sector and 24 in the private sector. Sindh has half the population of Punjab. This province is also second in terms of universities and educational institutions. Sindh has 49 universities and educational institutions. There are 29 universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 8 in Balochistan and 7 in Azad Kashmir.

From 1947 to 2014, 11,988 PhD degrees have been issued by Pakistan's higher education institutions. Pakistan's population of 180 million has millions of students, including foreign students. From 1947 to 2002, 3,000 PhD degrees were awarded by Pakistani universities. Recent years have seen a slight increase in the issuance of PhD degrees. The Higher Education Commission was established in 2001, with 1,211 PhD graduates in 2013, and 1,325 PhDs in 2014.

Most PhD degrees (1,541) are in linguistics and literature, followed by 1,462 degrees in chemistry and 908 degrees in agriculture. In 2014, higher education institutions awarded 500 degrees in engineering and technology, while 908 PhD degrees were awarded in the study of religion. The University Grants Commission was transformed into the Higher Education Commission in 2002. A comparative study of the funds released by previous governments in Pakistan to the University Grants Commission and the Higher Education Commission shows how committed we are to higher education. The University Grants Commission was given a grant of Rs.538.7538 million from 1978-79 to 2001-200 while Rs.194.115413 million was released from 2002-3 to 2015-16.

Review of university and school education

Pakistani universities and institutions of higher learning are introducing institutional and research programs on anthropology, agriculture, space science, fisheries, marine life, computer science, information technology, business and management, engineering and technology, veterinary sciences, and psychology. Pakistan's first virtual university is a state-of-the-art information and technology university that uses satellite and internet TV in addition to academic programs. Also don't forget the University of Information Technology where the best environment for high technology research and business organization is provided with all the facilities. There are new business offices and strong government and industrial links. The Pakistan Education and Research Network (HEC) was established by HEC in 2002, providing communication and communication infrastructure to 250 universities and institutions of higher learning. Including colleges so that they can meet their internet and networking needs.

According to a recent map released by Pakistan Education Atlas, 46% (124284) primary schools do not have electricity. Launched in 2015, the Pakistan Education Atlas is a collaboration between the Academy of Education Planning and Management and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. In this regard, the problems faced by the education system of the country's schools are fortunately not faced by Pakistani universities.

A big question

Although the infrastructure of Pakistan's higher education sector has improved dramatically in recent months and years due to the growing number of PhD scholars, it is worth noting that researchers and Do scientists have the right environment and resources? Other questions relate to new sciences, increasing the number of researchers, research laboratories, a large number of think tanks, and significant achievements in science and technology. This whole debate revolves around the big question of whether Pakistan's universities are proving to be the center of change in the socio-economic landscape of the first Islamic nuclear power. Our faculty generally emphasize the need for research in the provision of resources at universities.

Different standards have been set to review the performance and research of universities. With a slight change, these standards are being used by national educational institutions such as HEC and international institutions such as QS World Universities Ranking and World Universities Ranking Time Higher. Students and teachers in Pakistan with an international background are being provided with the same educational, teaching, research environment and its implications, including various studies. In 2001, only 877 books were added to the list on the ISI Web of Knowledge. But by 2014, a list of 8163 books had been added by Pakistan. In 2006, 73 patents were applied for in Pakistan out of which only 22 were approved. Of these, 34 patents were from Karachi universities, 20 from Punjab, three from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 16 from the federal capital Islamabad. No patent application has been filed by the University of Balochistan. Out of the approved patents, 12 were approved by Sindh, 8 by Punjab and 2 by federal universities.

Of the 22 patents, 14 were for medical and pharmaceutical purposes, two for agriculture, three for communications and computer science, one for the petroleum and food industries, and the last for general industrial use. Our first International Government College University scientists' patent in the United States was approved by the Patent and Trademark Office in the name of Nano Leucit Fertilizer in 2015. happens. GCU's patented nano-fertilizer helps produce healthy grains and increase yields. The GCU has described it as a "green environment revolution" because it reduces food waste and increases gross domestic product. No business interest was derived from the Pakistani patent. Therefore, the question remains whether our researchers and scientists are doing any useful and meaningful research that offers a solution to the real problems of Pakistan?

Nazish Jamali

Editor