| February 20, 2006 | Monday | Muharram 21, 1427 |
To send a letter to the Editor
Click here
Iran’s nuclear stand-off
Iraq occupation
What have we achieved?
Banking hours
Cartoon controversy
Wedding meals
‘The day he died’
Road crossing
Traffic lanes
Residents’ woes
Import of festivals
IN reference to Dr Rashid Mateen’s letter “HEC alert notices” (Feb 15), I doubt that the HEC is serious about tackling the problems of quality education being imparted by both public and private universities. And if it is serious then I am sorry to say that its policy is either flawed or misconceived. It should worry more about the precarious state of education in public sector universities than in private ones.
The HEC should ponder over the fact as to how private universities have mushroomed in such a short span of time. Probably, this is due to the space created by the failure of the public sector universities to impart quality education and meet the growing demands of students in different disciplines especially business administration, computer science, IT and engineering.
The educational standard and quality of research in public sector universities has totally crumbled and teachers are drifting away from their primary task of teaching and research. Quite a few of the motivated and dedicated teachers serving there are leaving and joining private institutions. This exodus is rendering public sector universities intellectually bankrupt and academically shallow. Whatever teachers are left behind are either sidelined or victimized on personal grounds.
The burgeoning growth of private universities is a natural phenomenon taking place world-wide which the HEC cannot contain. Even international institutions like the World Bank and WTO are pushing for privatization of education. With the globalization of economy, education is emerging as a billion-rupee business in the market today in the subcontinent and multinational corporations are hunting for quality graduates. And today one of the criteria for investment is the quality of human resource produced by the universities. India is fast becoming the hub of investment by high-tech businesses and companies like Microsoft, Intel and AMD. They are keen to invest there not because of low cost, which is 40 per cent below the US level, but due to the quality of graduates being produced by Indian universities.
In comparison with Indian universities and educational system, our universities, as well as our educational system, are weak producing graduates not only lacking the competitive edge but also the confidence required for responsible jobs. How can such students be produced and nurtured in an environment which is marked by academic instability, administrative corruption and political interference?
Honestly speaking, if the HEC is serious about improvement in the standard of education, it has to change its approach and see education as one whole, without detaching higher education from college and primary education. Focusing only on higher education and leaving college and primary education to rot won’t bear positive fruits and it doesn’t matter how much the HEC spends. Ultimately, universities have to get students from colleges and colleges from schools while education in schools and colleges is just decaying to which the government hardly bothers to pay any attention.
Another problem with the HEC policy is that it is striving for quality without ensuring to have what Dr Grace Clark, executive director of USEFP, calls respectable knowledge, intellectual integrity and academic and administrative accountability. These values are weak in our educational institutions and no attention is being paid towards strengthening such values due to bad governance which in turn has given rise to financial mismanagement and favouritism.
It is unfortunate that the HEC instead of working as an institution committed to the growth of R&D is operating as a corporation or bank, giving advice to academically sick universities to follow its prescription about quality education and research failing which its financial help will be withheld. This approach is repressive and is bound to fail to produce any concrete results. I strongly believe that the HEC’s one prescription formula for all will not work successfully until university- specific remedies are worked out as public sector universities are suffering from different problems since their size, intellectual and academic capacity, physical and technical infrastructure vary. To diagnose these problems the HEC needs to devise more teacher and knowledge-based policies, involve all stakeholders and formulate policies keeping in view the peculiar nature of the problem each public sector university is facing.
Given the scenario depicted above how can the standard of education be raised without possessing a credible system of accountability? I shall advise the HEC to stop publishing huge advertisements in newspapers and spending millions of rupees criticizing private universities. It should strive to diagnose the problem ailing the system of higher education, establish an iron-fisted processes of administrative and academic accountability, transparency and work to thwart political interference in universities which are considered job factories by politicians. This is the only way we can come out of this mess and catch up with our neighbour India. It needs political will and a changed perspective of thinking.
MANZOOR ALI ISRAN
Department of International Relations, Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur
MOST economists in Pakistan have written on the effects of Iran’s nuclear stand-off against US pressures. Chances of the matter being solved by dialogue and diplomacy exist, but given the history of the region the outcome may be otherwise.
Elections are approaching in Israel in the next few weeks where the exit of prime minister Ariel Sharon will leave a power vacuum that is likely to be filled by a hardliner, especially after the victory of Hamas.
If that happens then the chances of a unilateral strike by Israel on Iran would rise considerably and change the world scene.
It is believed that Iraq was due to start trading oil in Europe in euros against the all mighty dollar. And what happened? The Iraq war started.
Oil plays a crucial role in the global economy of every country in the world. Yet it is traded in only two countries in the world: at the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) and the London International Petroleum Exchange (IPL) and only in US dollars. And when Iran, Russia and a few other countries break that monopoly and start a Euro oil bourse the world should expect volatility to rise dramatically.
What I am trying to say is that the greatest threat to global economic stability right now is not a nuclear armed Iran but rather a euro-trading Iran. In any case it leaves the US with Hobson’s choice.
The government of Pakistan should convert their foreign exchange reserves from US dollars to euros and also foreign exchange reserves invested in foreign banks into euros.
Generals, bureaucrats, industrialists, politicians, and all those who have stashed their sterling pounds and US dollars in foreign banks should have second thoughts.
A. REHMAN
Hyderabad
I WAS shocked beyond words as I watched on the BBC British soldiers ruthlessly beating up Iraqi children. The children were helpless, but as if to underline their defencelessness, their hands were tied and they were made to lie face down on the road as the soldiers whipped their backs.
The incident merely highlights the fact that the Iraqis are asking the Americans and the British to leave their country. They want them to leave them alone.
I am sorry if it’s hard for the Americans to digest the fact that people do not need their help.
I say to the Americans: yes, you discovered how to make atom bombs, you created Microsoft and, yes, you learned how to make hamburgers and fries. Sadly you were not able to understand what help means.
While I was watching the video that has been dug up after two years of its making, the commentator also hinted that the fact that British soldiers were beating up the children nothing to do with the rest of the western world.
The abuse of Iraqis could be classified as something acceptable by the rest of western society.
Well, then why are the Taliban (who are actually not even guilty of any terrorist activities) always associated with the Muslim world? Why have blasphemous cartoons been published, equating Islam with terrorism?
If you want to make fun of terrorists, make a caricature of President Bush himself, or the USA. For the US is the only one that has actually used the destructive power of nuclear weapons on other countries. The Japanese are still suffering from the effects of radioactivity.
KANWAL KHALID
Karachi
LOOKING at pictures in Dawn on Feb 15 made one’s blood boil. There is absolutely no justification for the arson, destruction and hooliganism that materialized in Lahore.
What happened ‘last year’ was in Europe, and Pakistan has condemned the printing of those cartoons in a diplomatic fashion, the way its supposed to be done.
These so- called defenders of Islam and people’s values decided to take the law into their own hands and go on a rampage and destroy everything in sight while conveniently ignoring the fact that they were destroying public property of their own country and doing so will not make one iota of a difference to Denmark and the other European nations. What has been achieved by these actions? Do they think that this behaviour is advocated by Islam? Who has given them permission to ‘protest’ in such a fashion?
I cannot and will not accept such people as patriotic and law-abiding citizens and I feel ashamed that they call themselves Pakistanis. They deserve nothing short of the harshest penalty for what they have done.
They have done nothing but cause death and destruction and once more given Islam an image of a violent and non-tolerant religion.
MOIN ABBASI
Karachi
THE managements of some private sector banks have rightly decided to extend banking hours for the public with a view to providing extra facilities to the business community. Some of the private banks are now open to the public from 9 am to 5 pm. Public sector banks should also follow the same practice.
In the case of the national saving centres, too, this will be a good practice.
There is always a great rush of clients at almost every centre. It takes hours and hours to take profit or encash a certificate. If the working hours could be extended to 5 pm, the situation would be considerably eased.
The clients, mostly senior citizens, will get sufficient time for transactions.
The ministry of finance and the State Bank of Pakistan are requested to issue necessary directives to the National Bank of Pakistan and the national savings centres to extend their working hours for the public from 9 am to 5 pm without any break.
S.W.A. MAULAI
Karachi
ROBERT Fisk (Feb 7) should be thanked for exposing the argument of freedom of speech cited in defence of the publication of the deplorable cartoons by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten. Both the US state department and Russian President Vladimir Putin showed responsible behaviour in this regard. The state department strongly condemned the sketches as offensive.
European states, however, continue justifying the outrageous act of publishing the cartoons by invoking their right of freedom of expression.
Freedom of the press? Yes, but does it mean freedom to publish hate material? There is a limit to it, which is always observed by policymakers of a newspaper. A serious newspaper in Europe will never publish something indecent only because there is freedom of the press. They know that it will not be received well by their readers. Why then publish such outrageous cartoons which injure the sensibilities of more than a billion Muslims in the world? There is more an element of mischief in it than a desire to uphold the cause of freedom of expression. Robert Fisk has pointed towards a few taboos practised by European societies and newspapers including legal sanctions against saying (or publishing) that the Jewish holocaust did not happen. So there are limits to free speech, based either on law or social and moral values. Some Europeans have started playing up the notion of a “clash of civilizations”. If at all there is a clash, it is between civilized and uncivilized behaviour.
IBNE MAHDI MANSUR
Lahore
WE have not protested against those who made the offensive cartoons but only taken out our personal grudges against the government. A better way of protest would have been to handover a petition to the ambassadors of the countries concerned, asking for an apology, rather than killing each other and setting ablaze our own properties.
It seems that Pakistanis do not want to understand others’ point of view. They have been hijacked by fundamentalists and extremists. I have thought of moving back to Pakistan but when I see what has happened in Lahore, I say to myself that it’s better to live in the West.
GULL LARIK
London
OUR Holy Prophet would not have approved of what some of us have been doing protesting against the cartoons. Who gave the right to these people to burn buildings and cars and destroy the livelihood of other poor Pakistanis?
The government should have a zero tolerance policy on this and arrest anyone who indulges in violence.
SHAHRYAR BASEER
London
VIOLENT processions were taken out against the blasphemous caricatures of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). A law and order situation was created and traffic was blocked at various places adding to the misery to the people.
A civilized way of protest could have been adopted. Muslims all over the world could have held meetings inviting non-Muslims to speak on the glorious life of our Prophet and condemning those responsible for the blasphemy.
The present agitation has resulted in loss of lives and property.
S.A.MAJID
Lahore
THE current rule for wedding meals is creating a mess in the country. The powerful ones are flouting the law one way or the other. On the other hand, our cultural tradition make serving of meal at marriages a “must” for us Pakistanis. Wedding meals are also good for the poultry industry. One, therefore, fails to understand the complete ban on wedding meals.
The best solution is to allow the serving of one dish at weddings. This is actually what the poorest among us are asking for.
A one-dish meal is affordable and it meets all our cultural and religious obligations. Let us resolve the issue once and for all by allowing the serving of one dish at marriage ceremonies.
BARRISTER RAHIMULLAH
Jhelum
I WAS a bit hesitant to write the day “Ardeshir Cowasjee was supposed to have died” but knowing his style his column (Feb 12) gave everyone a good laugh.
First, I was going to write on his “death” when I got a call on my mobile while out. “Terrible news”, “Sad news”, “Karachi is finished”, we exchanged messages.
But to tell you the truth, it was indeed a big relief. His courage in standing up to the mafias in Karachi is no mean task. Not many would risk their necks for their city.
This sort of patriotism is what we need to save this city and country.
S. BABAR
Karachi
THIS is to draw the attention of the Karachi nazim towards Singer Chowrangi Road 13000, Karachi, Industrial Area. After the completion of the bridge over the Malir River connecting Shah Faisal Colony and Korangi, this crossing will cause horrible traffic jams.
It is, therefore, requested that orders should be passed to construct a crossing instead of a “chowrangi” and to install traffic signals at this point.
PROF TARIQ SIDDIQUE
Karachi
THERE was recently a news item, informing the public that the government of Sindh plans to ban all public transport vehicles from I.I. Chundrigar Road to ease traffic congestion. Commuters will be provided with a shuttle service instead.
Such a ban will create serious hardship for citizens working and living in the vicinity and seems totally impractical. Some years back, Helpline Trust and Mr. Omer Morio, a former DIG Traffic, had tried to convert this road into a model road and had introduced traffic lanes to control and regulate the heavy traffic.
The campaign successful but unfortunately, once again, it was discontinued by the traffic police on the DIG’s transfer. I suggest that instead of stopping commercial vehicles from using roads to solve traffic problems, traffic police must concentrate on enforcing traffic laws and use traffic lanes.
H. MAKER
Karachi
I AM a resident of Clifton, Karachi. We are facing a great problem due to the road which is dug up right in front of our house. It was heard that new telephone cables are being put in. One day we woke up seeing our road full of workers and new cables. The mud that came out was not filled back.
On one side shops and encroachments have taken a lot of place. Haphazardly cars block the other half. All in all, there only remains room for only a simple car to travel on the road. I would be thankful to the authorities concerned for taking notice of the problem.
FARAH RAZA
Karachi
ISN’T it the identity crisis which has jolted the world and we see deplorable uniformity all over the world? As Bertrand Russell said: “No great civilization has ever been uniform”.
Such is the poverty of our society that we have to import festivals from abroad. Why just one day for saying: “I care for you.”
This we should say everyday. Shouldn’t we?
ADILAH INAAM KHAN
Karachi
You can also send letters to the Editor
Just send your message to the following address: letters@dawn.com
Make sure you include your full name, postal address, e-mail address, and in the case of Pakistan your day-time telephone number.