The number of PhD students enrolled in universities has increased by over 40 per cent [from 6,937 to 9,858 students] in the past year.
MULTAN:
The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has produced 8,161 PhD scholars up till 2012. As many as 10 to 15 scholars are currently completing their degrees each week, HEC Media Project Manager Murtaza Noor said on Tuesday.
As many as 1,039 scholars have completed PhDs in agriculture and veterinary sciences, 1,211 in arts and humanities, 1,692 in biology and medical science, he said. As many as 1,978 scholars have been awarded PhDs in social sciences, 1,810 in physical science, 288 in engineering and technology and 143 in business education.
“Pakistan is publishing more research papers per capita than India,” he said.
The scholars completing their PhDs are placed in different universities under the Interim Placement of Fresh PhDs Programme (IPFP), said Noor.
The HEC provides several incentives to these scholars, including a Rs0.5 million research grant to each returning scholar, he said.
“Hundreds of fresh PhDs from foreign universities are being inducted into universities across the country,” Noor said, “The number of PhD faculty in public universities has increased by almost 50 per cent...from 4,203 to 6,067 over the last two years.”
“Scholars are also being sent abroad to pursue studies in leading universities,” said Noor.
The number of PhD students enrolled in universities has increased by over 40 per cent [from 6,937 to 9,858 students] in the past year.
More than 28,122 students are registered for the MPhil/MS. The number of MPhil/MS students has increased by 65 per cent [from 16,960 to 28,122] over the past two years, he said.
The number of PhDs awarded has increased from 628 to 927 in the last three years. The number is expected to surge exponentially in the future as more PhD faculty and students join universities, Murtaza said.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 17th, 2013.
COMMENTS (8)
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Ali has rightly said writing only research papers is useless. All over the world research in universities is meaningful. Different organizations give their projects to universities and they invent new things and provide innovative solutions. In Pakistan, the research papers are written only for gaining incentives and promotions in jobs. We are wasting the tax revenue taken from poor people.
@Hamza: Good joke
Can someone please clarify me... umm I heard in a documentary once that Pakistan has the highest number of scientist in the world... Is that true?
Believe me these research papers are of no use in Pakistan's progress & development. We are not inventing/making anything (using these research papers) which can contribute in revenue generation for Pakistan. Alas HEC is just wasting money of poor people of Pakistan. HEC should not look only the number of publications but the overall benefit against the money which is being utilized on these PHDs
Higher Education Commission has certainly been able to took the lead by its scholarship program and other bold initiatives. They spent more than 50 billion rupees on scholarships for the students, every year Many have returned home after completing their doctorate. It all started in the Musharraf era and still continuing, Well done HEC.
Wait before the statistics provided here be shown as spurious. Why does HEC have to invite ridicule of everyone?
I am surprised how these statistics were never quoted when the government responsible for them was in power. I suspect the media has will do the same with Nawaz making it all gloomy looking and just like the PPP led government where now we are told inflation declined significantly in last two years, investment increased, retail increased, corporate profits reached record levels and so did PhDs.
Media is clearly bent on putting Pakistanis into a state of mental depression
As many as 1,039 scholars have completed PhDs in agriculture and veterinary sciences, 1,211 in arts and humanities, 1,692 in biology and medical science, he said. As many as 1,978 scholars have been awarded PhDs in social sciences, 1,810 in physical science, 288 in engineering and technology and 143 in business education.
Brilliant.
This is what we should be competing in. Not bombs, or terrorism. I hope the Indian readers of Express Tribune will be gracious for once in their comments.