Emerging trends and challenges to higher education in Pakistan
Islamabad
May 10, 2021
Education, especially higher education plays a very pivotal role in transformation and development of a nation. Higher education institutions impart the knowledge and skills to youth and make them ready for shouldering future responsibilities of running the whole system of a country. Moreover, besides teaching and learning universities are the places where knowledge is created, which further adds to importance of these institutions in the development of a nation. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic besides other walks of life also badly affects the educational activities throughout the world. Pakistan is no exception, however, the question arises here that even prior to the present pandemic higher education institutions in Pakistan were discharging their responsibilities which they were supposed to perform. Was there any pragmatic linkage between university and industry? Could the university graduates get jobs as per their qualification? Were the higher education institutions conducting applied research keeping in view the needs of the society? Did good governance prevail in our universities? Did our universities adopt new educational innovations in their teaching, research, and other academic and administrative operations which have already been adopted by universities and other higher educational institutions in other countries? And more importantly, did the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC), which is regulatory body of higher education in the country, was taking any serious and practical steps for alleviating this miserable situation of higher education in the country? Unfortunately, answers to these questions are “no”.