Learning the basics: ‘Better primary education needed for better graduate students’

Physics department mulling over four-year undergraduate programme from next year.

ISLAMABAD:

Dr Khurshid Husnain, Head of Physics Department at Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU), thinks that there is a strong need to improve the quality of primary schools in the country.

“The primary education system is the main problem behind low enrollments in colleges and universities,” he said adding that the government needs to focus on improving the academic qualifications of primary school teachers. The syllabus, too, needs to be revised to change the mindset of students to enable them to think more progressively, Husnain told The Express Tribune.

He said only one-third of students studying in universities have the skills to pursue higher education, which points to serious flaws in the primary school system.

Husnain said that the Physics department is planning to start a four-year undergraduate programme from next year to improve the standard of higher education, after which the Masters in Science (MSc) programme would be abolished.

The university would also offer a degree in computational physics, he said, adding that his department is the only one where Graduation Record Examinations is required for admissions.

“Since its inception, QAU has produced 129 PhD scholars, 690 graduates of MPhil and more than 3,000 graduates of MSc, while 46 PhD students, 122 MPhil students and 155 MSc students are currently enrolled at the university,” he explained.

He added that the research activities in the country improved dramatically after the establishment of Higher Education Commission. However, like every other field, the education sector has also suffered due to prolonged load shedding in the country.

“We have paid hundreds of thousands of rupees to IESCO (Islamabad Electric Supply Company) to link our campus with the Diplomatic Enclave. However, we have not received any positive response yet,” he said.



Published in The Express Tribune, July 23^rd, 2011.