Chartered universities must not be allowed to grant franchising thoughtlessly, just for the sake of revenue.
LAHORE: After spending considerable time in the private sector higher academia of Pakistan, I have experienced some appallingly unethical practices. The students are being taken for granted. They are being imported and exported from one university to another, on false pretexts, as if they were sheep. Corrupt promises are being made regarding passing the students through illegitimate means and thus, compromising on the knowledge-giving aspect of education. Education has become so commercialised that the sole criterion of hiring faculty is how many students s/he has under their belt. It seems that the qualification and experience of academic administrators does not matter anymore.
The Higher Education Commission should take serious notice of this grave issue. Chartered universities must not be allowed to grant franchising thoughtlessly, just for the sake of revenue. We have witnessed universities housed over a mere two to three kanals of area; how can the requisite facilities of a university be provided over such a limited area. To make matters worse, such universities have become the breeding ground for marijuana, rather than intellect. The prevalence of “ghost” students has also been observed, whereby students obtain degrees without attending classes. Earning a degree and having a degree are two different things; it is high time the difference is made clear.
Amir Ikram
Published in The Express Tribune, July 4th, 2013.
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