The vice-chancellors (VCs) of different universities pointed out flaws in the country's "ill-planned" education policies and system on Saturday, during a session at the three-day Sindh Literature Festival.
Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences VC Dr Bikha Ram was of the view that entry tests in medical colleges were introduced as the role of intermediate boards remained ambiguous.
While he appreciated entry tests being included in criteria for admissions to medical colleges and universities, Dr Ram was critical of the recently introduced uniform medical and dental college admissions tests, MDCAT, conducted by the Pakistan Medical Commission.
"First you [the government] will have to streamline the standard of education across the country and then work towards enforcing a uniform policy," he said.
Then, veering the discussion towards the quota system, he said in Sindh, quota on the basis of the district of residence was needed, particularly when it came to admissions to medical colleges and varsities. Explaining the rationale behind his argument, he said, "Students who have studied in Karachi will [obviously] not opt for rural areas [for higher education]."
According to Dr Ram, Sujawal fares the worst in terms of education in the province.
"Even Tharparkar and Umerkot have better [education] systems than Sujawal," he said.
Sindh Madressatul Islam University VC Dr Mujeebuddin Sahrai Memon pointed out the lack of planning in the education sector.
Responding to a question about the role of the Sindh Higher Education Commission (SHEC), he said, "Planning has been an issue since the birth of the country."
He added, "It would have been better had the subject of higher education been discussed during Council of Common Interest meetings after the 18th Amendment was introduced."
Dr Memon went on to say, "As of now, there is no proper office of the SHEC. They work from a bungalow taken on rent, [and] we have been facing losses after the formation of this body."
Mehran University of Engineering and Technology VC Dr Mohammad Aslam Uqaili said, "After the 18th Amendment, we neither see an education system here [in the province], nor there [in the Centre]."
"The government needs to decide what path it will take," he stressed, decrying that over the past 70 years, the authorities had not even been able to decide whether they wanted to adopt the education system similar to the one in the United Kingdom or the one in the United States of America.
He added, "And now, after decades, the universities are asked to adopt a new system. Now, learning Chinese language is compulsory."
Along the same lines, Iqra University VC Hunaid Lakhani pointed out that countries in the West adopted long-term policies.
"We need to bring modern education to Pakistan. Elsewhere, people invest in electronic gadgets than in clothes. The world is changing at a rapid pace," he said, implying that the Pakistan needed to cope up with the rest of the world.
In this regard, Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University Lyari (BBSUL) VC Akhtar Baloch was of the view that Pakistani universities had been modernised over the last 30 years.
"The situation was worse in the past," he said.
Dr Uqaili echoed these views, stating that universities had progressed over the past three decades.
Digital Sindh, Startups and Youth
During another panel discussion titled 'Digital Sindh, Startups and Our Youth', panelists advised the youth to start their own businesses rather than relying on government jobs.
"The youth is willing to start their own businesses, but they lack access to proper platforms for the purpose," said Dr Mazhar Ali Dootio of BBSUL. He noted that while an office of research, innovation and communication (ORIC) had been set up at each university, it failed to establish the much-needed link between varsities and industries.
Writing novels
During another session, which focused on novels in Sindhi, Sindh culture department secretary Akbar Laghari said there were very few Sindhi novels before the 2000s.
"The number of novels is increasing with each passing year. We had 16 novels [published] in 2016 and 20 in 2020. The number is increasing, but the quality is declining."
Published in The Express Tribune, March 14th, 2021.
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