Random thoughts
In the second part of this series, the deliberation on education and technology continues. At first, economic prosperity evaded the third world, which was manipulated by the West to restrict itself to the production of primary commodities. Since the demand for primary commodities is extremely elastic, the developed countries were free to impose an international system of tariffs and quotas to ensure that the terms of trade would be perpetually unfavourable to developing countries.
Concomitantly, the latter were neither able to generate sufficient capital to industrialise at a viable pace nor could they develop a technology comparable to the West. This was a deliberate policy introduced by developed countries to ensure that developing countries wouldn’t be able to compete with the economies of the developed nations.
The Muslim world was, therefore, reduced to a position of having to depend on external aid and importing technology and armaments, which became a drain on the tattered economies of most of these countries. Even where enormous revenues were later indigenously generated – as in the oil-producing countries – political subservience to the West prevented them from developing a viable industrial and technological infrastructure. Finally, the conditions imposed by donor agencies like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, are not necessarily conducive to economic and technical development in third world countries. A brief delineation of the situation in Muslim countries will corroborate the preceding analysis.
Although the Muslim world contributes towards 60 percent of the world’s crude oil, 40 percent of its natural gas, 80 percent of its rubber and 75 percent of jute, these commodities collectively constitute just over 50 percent of world trade. The combined GNP of all the Muslim states was about $1.1 trillion (when the data was last available) while the GNP of France alone is $1.5 trillion. This reflects the Muslim world’s lack of scientific and technological expertise, which is a prerequisite to converting its raw materials into competitive, finished products.
State education, which is one of the essential indices of development, highlights the disparities between the developed world and Muslim countries, where approximately half of the school-going population between the ages of five and 19 years and more than three-quarters of the adult population are bereft of formal schooling.
Despite much rhetoric, higher education – particularly in science and technology – has been criminally neglected. Compared to an estimated 50,000 scientists and engineers in the entire Muslim world, there are 35,000 in Israel and 400,000 in Japan. In the Muslim World, there are only 100 scientists and technologists per million population as compared with 3,000 in the developed world.
A survey conducted in the US shows that, on the basis of research papers published in world-class periodicals, the US ranked in the first position, India stood in the eighth position and Israel was at the fifteenth position. None of the Muslim countries deserved even a mention as their collective contribution was dismally low.
That the impact of imperialism and neo-colonialism has distorted and delayed development in the third world is an irrefutable fact. However, after more than half a century of their independence, the Muslim countries cannot continue to ascribe their relative backwardness to historical factors or the stranglehold of the developed world on the international economic/military situation. This claim has been counterproductive and also ignores internal developments within Muslim countries. Independent of non-indigenous factors, this attitude has also acted against the acceleration of scientific research and technical expertise. We must then do what we can and the following suggestions are necessary to achieve some degree of literary and scientific respectability.
First, literacy must be increased. It is true that some countries have a high literacy rate – Malaysia with a literacy rate of 80 percent and Jordan with a 90 percent literate population. On the other hand, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan have a literacy rate of a mere 40 percent. It is imperative that these states strive for an optimum literacy rate. Priorities have to be reset and higher allocations must be made for education. In Pakistan, for example, less than four percent of the GDP is earmarked for education. Simply because the returns are not immediate, a lower priority is assigned to education and, specifically, science and technology. In other words, long term national interests are often sacrificed for short-term political expediencies.
Second, a critical mass to provide the reservoir for specialisation cannot be built up in science and technology without an equal emphasis on the qualitative aspect. Far greater effort must be put in the teaching of science and scientific research. To encourage initiative and innovation in the scientific and technological sphere, financial support for science and scientists is imperative. India – with its much larger GNP as compared with Pakistan – allocates around one percent for research and development and has quadrupled the salaries of its academics.
Third, even where the paucity of funds is not a prime factor – for example in Saudi Arabia – there appears to be a lack of commitment to the development of forefront scientific research and technology. Statistics indicate that Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States have within a single year spent more than about $15 billion on military imports. This is an example that indicates that Muslim countries must establish long-term priorities and display a more resolute will to develop scientific and technological expertise to withstand the external pressures that reduce them into dumping grounds for second-rate imports from the developed world.
Muslim scientists do not, on an extensive enough scale, have access to cutting-edge scientific research and state-of-the-art technology. There must also be a greater demand for the transfer of advanced technology as opposed to the acceptance of turnkey projects. Therefore, a collaboration between competent Muslim scientists and their counterparts in the developed countries must be increased and adequately supported financially.
In Pakistan, lessons have to be learnt from instances where there was political will, financial support, competent group effort and an uncompromising scientific leadership. Pioneering success in the indigenous enrichment of fissile material and missile technology brought Pakistan to the forefront of the Muslim world in 1998. Sadly enough, those who are responsible for financial matters in our country have never allocated enough money for science and technology and it has always been given a low priority. We must mobilise political will, integrity and adequate financial resources to overcome our sorry state of affairs. For that, we need technocrats who understand the importance of technology.
To be continued
Email: dr.a.quadeer.khangmail.com