RECENT events at the Higher Education Commission (HEC) have once again highlighted the fact that Pakistan lacks a concrete vision related to the domain of higher education, and our policymakers in Islamabad prefer to remain complacent about the whole affair. The sudden removal of the HEC chairman has underlined the sad state of affairs. The abruptness of the action suggests he might have stepped on some lofty toes and has been made to pay the price.

In any case, higher education in the country largely depends on the priorities set by individuals rather than on impactful academic programmes carved out by consensus.

Those in the know of things are aware that there are two major camps in terms of higher education. One camp wants a steady stream of PhDs, especially on foreign scholarships, ignoring the actual impact in terms of quality research output in academic centres, and implications for technological and socioeconomic development. The other camp wants to start from scratch by auditing the entire research process, including the funding policy.

From a professional viewpoint, both camps suffer from the same disease of myopia and lack of vision in education that has destroyed our national policymaking in other areas.

Why is it that we do not want to learn from past mistakes and devise a comprehensive vision of our national education mission with particular objectives to be achieved? Why is our educational planning so lopsided and careless in its ramifications and consequences? Why is higher education still all about personalities, personal vision and personal clashes than national goals?

Our national leadership needs to address this flawed thinking of highly respected academics who suffer from the same problem of egoistic thinking in policy matters that is the hallmark of other branches of the government.

We have learned nothing from China, South Korea and other such countries in the region that have risen to unprecedented levels of socioeconomic development by utilising science and technology research done in the universities. They have progressed just as well in social sciences to develop their societies with discipline and social maturity.

We, on the other hand, have remained a mob of 220 million just because there is no vision for national cohesion, development and future planning in any field.

Our academics must rise above petty personal interests that characterise the rest of our socio-political elite. After the failure of the typical trial-and-error approach, at least now they must demonstrate emotional maturity, deep critical thinking and breadth of mind to formulate a comprehensive national educational strategy that could take us into the future with dignity and hope.

Mehnaz Zainab

Islamabad

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2021