Plagiarism is but one symptom

Part - II
Where are the professors?: At the heart of the academic quest is the professor. To the HEC s/he is just an employee to be hired via advertisement and mechanical criteria. The professor is a motivated inquirer, researcher, teacher, motivator, inspirer – not a machine to produce degrees or papers. Universities are not mere administrative units to be managed in the same way as factories with clear productivity goals a la Taylor. Instead they are built around professors who cluster students in inspirational inquiry and a quest for knowledge.
When I was at the Planning Commission, I always asked universities that came for funding: ‘how many professors do you have?’ The answer always dismayed me. Most universities had less than a handful of professors – often none of an international quality. There was no telling these people that international universities have 20-30 professors of the best quality in one department. They could not see that these universities competed for professors and did not wait for them to show up on an advertisement to be interviewed by a deputy secretary.
Yet the lust for funding was making them expand their campuses across the country. We are the only country where universities have more campuses than professors. Is this model not giving students substandard education? Is this not just as bad as plagiarism? Or worse?
When I interviewed some of these students, I was distressed to see the product of this university system. The education being imparted was dated and of doubtful quality. Their employment possibilities were seriously affected. Any further education prospects of these students are seriously impaired by this system.
There is a now a human capital emergency in the country, as our system is not producing what is required for global competition. But who is listening? This is why I find the focus only on plagiarism somewhat misplaced. We need to reform the whole system of higher education and not just pick on a few professors.
I tried to explain to the HEC that we need more professors, that a university is a collection of clusters of name-brand professors in departments. Clusters of well-known professors inspire, set standards, engage in peer review, and set up academic debates. These activities are the engine which stamps out research, learning and societal and student knowledge. Such clusters police quality of research and debate, weeding out plagiarism as a routine.
A university well stocked with professors and academic freedom will be a hub of activity full of classes, seminars, conferences, experiments, projects, debates and many other forms of creativity. Such universities work around the clock not like HEC universities that are barren by the afternoon.
Is there a lack of funding or management?: The HEC’s refrain is lack of funding. Their mission to educate is empowering. By now a sense of entitlement prevails among these self-appointed education missionaries. When I questioned them on quality, the answer I got was: that is the next stage. So when will it come. ‘Oh maybe 30-40 years from now’. What a great model. Give me all the funding I want. For results wait decades after I am gone. I wish we could all have jobs like that.
The HEC told me in many open meetings that cut defence and give us all the money. A notion which showed me how naïve and unacademic these people were. A country at war needs defence funding. Countries at war have even closed universities down. But their sense of entitlement allows them this naivety.
I pointed out that universities should be in a position to raise resources especially when there has been a state gift of huge tracts of land. In any case universities cater to a richer class than schools hence some of the burden could be shared by students. They also have an alumni base that is a source of funding the world over. I suggested that all universities prepare a business plan and share it with the Planning Commission. Of course this business plan will assume that the government will continue to subsidise education and hence allow universities to run at a loss. But it will be a great management tool to see how finances could be managed.
To my surprise there was uproar against this proposal. Academics did not understand this argument – which was quite revealing. To date no such plans have been prepared. Meanwhile demands for funds keep increasing both in size and volume.
Note that most of our universities have huge tracts of valuable city centre land. Can they not learn from Stanford, which owns a shopping mall to derive income out of? Some universities own hotels and commercial buildings. None of them give up their land, which by law is protected. But on a partnership basis they gain income from these properties. And over time these developed properties return to the university. Why can we not do this in Pakistan?
Political fiefdoms with no accountability: But then the VC often runs the university in Pakistan like a fiefdom. VCs in turn are selected on a political basis by a process that is deeply flawed. No academic is involved in this process, which is designed to rule out the best the country has to offer.
Advertisements for six or more vice-chancellors are given at one time by the secretary of education. A short list is prepared by the education department for the search committee to conduct one interview to decide on VC. Only in Pakistan is this called a search process and an interview committee called a search committee.
So-called search committees are appointed on a permanent basis and comprise government favourites, often those who know nothing of education. Search committees are supposed to be university, position and purpose specific and do active search not just an interview. Surely the HEC should know the difference between a search and an interview committee. Clearly they do not.
Reforming the HEC: There is an urgent need to reform the HEC system if we are to build human capital or build any world-class university. Plagiarism is a symptom of a poorly-designed university system that places no value on academics or research.
Like all other Pakistani government organisations the HEC too has built a moat around itself, protecting itself from any reform. The HEC administration has also learnt how to use student power to their own ends, and resist any effort to reform and improve the system. I was surprised how they used the student body to resist the move to decentralise higher education and even to interfere with HEC staffing.
The HEC seems to be on a divinely ordained mission, placing it above any questioning. They want an inordinate share of the pie with no responsibility. Much like the mullah they claim their performance measurement cannot be held in this lifetime.
Concluded
The writer is former deputy chairman of the Planning Commission.
Email: nhaque_imf@yahoo.com
Twitter: @nadeemhaque