An IBA graduate from the class of 2000 with a Master’s degree in marketing, Saima Husain has been teaching students at university level for a little less than a decade now. She opted to pursue a career in teaching since she felt she was not cut out for an office job, and with domestic responsibilities at hand, teaching, besides catering to her interests, seemed manageable and enjoyable and suitable to her life pattern.
Her ability to deal with different types of personalities, and her skill at understanding things and transferring her knowledge across to people are two personal strengths that she has found helpful in her teaching.
During her time as an educationist, Saima has encountered several students who are either de-motivated as a result of the struggle that they have to face due to the challenging environment of the universities, or are just plain disinterested.
“The trick to show these students the light is to guide them and counsel them outside class, and if the need arises, to talk to them at their level and try to stir their interest towards their studies. This increases respect in the student-teacher relationship. As far as disruptive students are concerned, such cases require a judgment call.
The first week of the semester decides who runs the show in class: the teacher or the students. It is important that teachers draw a line and when need be and take strict measures,” she explains.
The biggest challenge facing students in this age of competition, where young people are racing each other to get what is best, is job insecurity and the slow market. Saima states that job prospects are not promising and the options limited.
“It is sad to note that the only professions recognised as being safe, well-paying and lucrative are those of doctors, engineers and business administrators. Although lawyers, civil servants, chemical engineers and economists are also there, they are not part of the mainstream.
Even literature is a subject that one would think twice about before pursuing.
“Another challenge that students usually face during their first year at university is the clash of backgrounds. Students coming from various backgrounds vary in their approach towards the subjects. Some might find the curriculum simple while some have problems in coping with them,” says Saima, who finds this a challenge for herself, too, as bringing the entire class up to the same level is not an easy job.
Regarding the subjects that she teaches, Saima says that marketing is extremely interesting on its own.
“Its nature of being accessible to everyone, and the fact that a wide part of it is based upon observation, makes it easy to teach. However, students tend to take the subject lightly and, given the way marketing is evolving these days, this attitude is bound to cost them a lot.
Today, every statement that is made requires research to back it up. This day and age does not welcome judgments, it demands the skill to analyse. A drawback with the subject is that most of the textbooks are American. Had the theory been Pakistan-based, it would have been easier to boost the students’ interest,” she points out.
With a subject like marketing, students respond better to examples from their own environment. This is the reason why Saima has taken to the technique and involves as many instances from the home environment in her lectures as possible in order to gain her audience’s rapt attention. According to Saima, a teacher who is well researched and who has done her homework is always appreciated and respected by the students.
Furthermore, as far as the differences between international universities and Pakistani universities are concerned, Saima feels that the styles of teaching in both vary.
“Foreign universities give a lot of independence in terms of learning.
It’s like pushing the students into a swimming pool and expecting them to resurface on their own. On the contrary, teaching in Pakistan at the undergraduate level is usually lecture-based,” she observes while stating that the students here are not willing to read extra text, which could turn out to be a disadvantage for them.
“Also, it is important to note that the outlook of a student matters a lot when s/he comes to study. Here, it is the parents who usually pay the fee and the children, unfortunately, do not feel anything for that money. On the other hand, the students studying abroad often work to pay for their studies. This instills in them a sense of responsibility and they realise the worth of education. So when comparing universities at home and abroad, it is also important to take into account the differences in attitude,” she adds.
However, the bright side is that universities in Pakistan have now started adopting a methodology where classes are a combination of student participation and the teacher’s lecture.
“Whereas upholding your own values is important, there is also no harm in adopting what is right,” she says.
Finally, Saima feels that she has developed as an individual and as an educationist over these years.
“There was a time when I used to feel nervous upon entering a classroom, but I quite look forward to it now, she says while adding that each year ends with the realisation that she has learnt a lot herself, too, and that her horizons have broadened immensely.
