Help students develop particular skills and non-academic abilities
KARACHI: There is no denying that co-curricular activities help students develop particular skills and their non-academic abilities. They help students discover their interests and talents while developing competencies to prepare for professional life. But should these non-academic activities be allowed to take precedence over academic activities? Of course not! They should be limited to an extent that does not affect the typical pen and paper classroom experience. Unfortunately, the Sindh Madressatul Islam University — of which I am a student — has had an unreasonably big share of non-academic activities like picnics, workshops, local and foreign tours, music concerts, etc due to which classes often remain suspended. In sheer contrast, a research environment in the university is direly missing. There is no incubation centre or a properly-equipped computer lab or latest books available in the library. The money spent on non-teaching activities should better be utilised on research. I request the Higher Education Commission to restrain universities from indulging in activities that affect the academic environment and direct them to focus on research initiatives.
Syed Umesh
Published in The Express Tribune, October 12th, 2019.
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