Moalims

ISLAMABAD: Private-sector universities in the country are proving a boon for students aspiring for higher or professional education, who otherwise would have missed the bus by just a whisker in the bygone years.

In older days, the deficit of a mark than the benchmark number would prevent a student from seeking admission in a medical or an engineering college and shatter his dream of becoming a doctor or engineer, or passing out from the institutions like the Quaid-e-Azam University, Karachi University, Peshawar University or the Punjab University.

Former Higher Education Commission (HEC) chairman and former federal minister for education Prof Attaur Rahman said, “Indeed, it is creativity and innovation that can make international ranking of a university.”

He said the socio-economic development was not possible without linking knowledge with economy, adding it was need of the hour to focus on education at all levels and disciplines to go with the pace of time.

Dr Attaur Rahman, however, said the quality of higher education could only be enhanced if the implementation of the HEC introduced yardsticks were ensured in higher institutions of learning. International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) Assistant Prof and Head of English Language Centre Dr Muhammad Sheeraz said Pakistan’s transition into the global knowledge economy depends on a robust system of higher education.

He said the public sector was unable to cope with the surging demand of higher education and there was a need to encourage the private sector. However, he said most of the emerging private educational institutions did not meet the HEC prescribed criteria and hence very often the educational standards were compromised. Dr Sheeraz said the private sector universities had created an environment of competition and young PhD scholars were attracted towards these institutions due to attractive salary packages, which had also created job opportunities for many. He said as per the HEC rule, no university could offer MS or PhD programme without having at least two PhDs in the department, adding non-recognised degree awarding institutions were offering admissions, awarding degrees and giving advertisement in newspapers for a long time before the HEC could make them blacklisted.

M Hamad, studying in a private university of the capital, said the sole motive behind establishing private universities, medical and engineering colleges is to generate maximum revenue with minimum investment. Dr Manzoor Afridi, IIUI Assistant Prof, said the HEC should constitute a special committee for regular monitoring of private-sector universities.

Dr Afridi said most of the private universities and colleges lacked qualified faculty members, proper infrastructure and research facilities, libraries, laboratories, latest scientific equipments, teaching aids, and control on plagiarism. Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) Spokesperson Mehmood Rehmani said the same criterion was followed for accreditation of public and private engineering institutions, adding only the students of accredited institutions are registered with the PEC as engineers. He said a team of experts visits regularly the newly established and already working engineering institutions to check whether it meets the required standards of the PEC or not. HEC Director Media and Public Relations Ayesha Ikram said, “The students are warned time and again through newspapers and other media not to get admission in the non-recognised universities.”


News Reference