Fixing education

To effectively meet its development challenges in 2019, Pakistan will require well-educated individuals. While there had been a substantial growth in the higher educator sector, it continues to suffer from different internal challenges. Despite the integration of quality assurance in the higher education system by the HEC, quality at education institutions remains devoid of any major improvement. The institutional quality system is not equipped with the skill sets to proactively identify areas of improvement. Unfortunately, local MPhil and PhD programmes aren’t producing internationally competitive scholars. Quality leadership is also in short supply. Because of the shortage of transformational leadership to head institutions of higher learning in both public and private sectors, major changes aren’t possible. Strict measures are needed to improve the higher education sector. Instead of establishing a new university in the PM House, the government should use the resources to bring improvements in the Quaid-i-Azam University whose performance had declined over the past many years. Let 2019 be the year of improving our higher education sector to meet our development challenges.

Dr Zafar I Qureshi

Lahore