Sustainable university

A weak university system is not just a problem for those seeking education but is highly concerning for our future

The health of the national university system is not good. It isn’t because there is a lack of demand — not at all. The demand is off the charts. It’s largely because the university system is in desperate need of cash at a time when the government has little to give. A weak university system is not just a problem for those seeking education today but is highly concerning for our future — not just in science and innovation, but in creating citizens who are ethical leaders and decent humans.

Before we break down the finance challenge, one thing should be clear. Those who created the “system” in the Musharraf era, which has unraveled in little over a decade, should be kept far away from any planning whatsoever. They did their bit, and did so with plenty of fanfare. Unfortunately, it gave us little in terms of quality, but did plenty in terms of plagiarism and a dysfunctional system. Their ideas didn’t work then, and won’t work now.

Now let us get to the problem at hand — the fact that the universities are severely short of cash. Universities, the world over, have four main sources of revenue. First, direct support from the government or philanthropy. Second, tuition fees from students. Third, endowment that generates revenue; and fourth, returns on inventions, patents and licenses. For Pakistan, only the first two apply. There is no real model of endowment and even if we create one it will take a long time to mature. The innovation sector is also not robust enough to generate revenue for the university. We may want to create one and should aspire to do so, but even in the most advanced higher education systems, it’s not as easy and is more a Russian roulette than a guarantee.

That leaves us with two options: government support and tuition. The government provides support in two forms, direct support to the university for its expenses or grants (such as HEC grants in Pakistan’s case). Globally, research grants cannot be used to sustain the university (real research costs more than what the grant pays for and is often a net loss to the university). The concept of philanthropy for university is also not mature in Pakistan, particularly in the public sector. This leaves us with direct government support or money from tuition. The government has made it clear that the support is not forthcoming, leaving us down to raising tuition which would mean dissatisfaction among students, possible strikes on campus and the system coming to a halt.

So how do we get out of this? There is no easy solution, but there are some options. First, relevant ministries and HEC should ask universities for 5-10 year strategic, practical and implementable plans on sustainability. A year-to-year impulsive approach is neither productive nor prudent. Second, universities should increase fees and create need-based scholarships instead of merit-based ones. Those who can, should pay and those who can’t should be supported by the institute. This is the model at leading US universities that have now moved away from merit-based scholarships.

Let us now get to the hardest question — what should we do this year and the next? The answer requires analysis on a case-by-case basis. In some, the provincial government may have to roll back some development projects and move the cash to keep the university afloat. In others, it may mean starting new revenue generating degree and certificate programmes, or raising tuition for those who can afford to pay.

The solution, ultimately, will lie in clear, transparent and ethical long-term planning that will vary from institution to institution but one that needs to be instituted and implemented. That is if we care to take our universities off life support.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 12^th, 2019.

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