Letter to the new HEC chairperson

Letter April 23, 2014
Each time a new chairperson takes over, there comes a new set of solutions.

REGISTRAR, QARSHI UNIVERSITY, LAHORE: This is with reference to the article by Mr Hamid Zaman, “Letter to the new HEC chairperson” (April 22). I believe that the author is a distinguished educator and has, no doubt, a very honest opinion on how to steer the Higher Education Comission (HEC) clear of the troubles. But since he seems to be out of touch with the real issues plaguing the HEC — owing to being thousands of miles away — his opinions, in all probability, are out of sync with ground realities.

His innocent wish, for example, to “foster and sustain synergy and collaboration” might look fascinating for the simple reason that it has high sounding philosophical undertones, but it does not lead to a credible solution to the plight of higher education.

Not for a moment do I doubt the acumen of the incumbent chairperson, but then, the maladies are so severe and the resources — both men and material — are so scarce that one wonders how on earth even a man of his calibre could single-handedly correct the falling standards.

There can be no two opinions about the tremendous contribution of private sector universities towards higher education. And there could equally be no two opinions about the stringent standards set by the HEC for higher education. But then, after awarding W4 categories to a number of private sector universities, has the commission ever gone back to such universities to verify, for example, teacher-student ratios? Has it ever made surprise visits to private sector universities to see how many students are (literally) herded in a classroom?

Let’s see how the HEC functions. Each time a new chairperson takes over, there comes a new set of solutions. The moment he is gone, the new incumbent comes up with his own set of answers to the maladies of higher education. If that’s how it is, then what about continuity of policies and strategies? What to do then? How about constituting a super committee of distinguished professors and vice-chancellors to devise a workable strategy and ensure its sustainability?

Iqbal Muhammad

Published in The Express Tribune, April 24th, 2014.

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