Double education budget or die: vice chancellor

Prof Kamran warns Pakistan cannot compete while education gets 2% of GDP.


Express January 02, 2011

LAHORE: Punjab University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran has urged the government to raise spending on education to at least four percent of GDP to give Pakistan a chance to compete with other countries.

“All the technologically advanced countries including the USA spend five to seven percent of their GDP on educational promotion, while we are only spending two per cent of our GDP on this,” said Prof Kamran. “The real problem lies with the ruling class, which has so far failed to realise the importance of education in nation-building.”

The vice chancellor was speaking as chief guest at the 119th convocation of the Punjab University at Faisal Auditorium on Saturday, at which 790 MPhil/PhD, masters and undergraduate students were awarded degrees. The university also handed out 183 gold medals, 10 silver medals and 12 cash prizes to high-achieving students.

“The world is like a battleground in which nations incessantly compete with each other to achieve dominance and supremacy. Only the countries superior in the fields of education and research emerge victorious in this eternal confrontation,” he said.

Prof Kamran told the graduating students that Islam encouraged Muslims to seek out knowledge. The very first verse in the Holy Quran mentions knowledge, he said, and there are 750 verses urging people to ponder over natural phenomena.

He said Pakistan, with its population of over 170 million, had great potential and could play a leadership role in the world. Despite the lack of scientific education in Pakistan, it was the world’s first and only Muslim nation with atomic weapons and it was the fifth-highest publisher of research theses, he said.

Prof Kamran also listed some achievements of his administration. He noted that the university had produced over 100 PhDs in each of the last three years  105 in 2008-09, 126 in 2009-10 and 108 in 2010-11. This was a far higher rate than in the previous 17 years, during which the university produced 734 PhDs.

He said the administration had raised research allocations from Rs5 million in 2008 to Rs70 million in the current fiscal year.

There were also more PU research published in recognised journals, more faculty members writing books, and more PU representation at international conferences, he said.Prof Kamran said knowledge was behind the rise and fall of nations. “Only those countries accomplish the status of a global economic and military power which can unravel the mysteries of cosmic laws,” he said.

Eternal confrontation

Prof Kamran also warned students about the perils of the modern world, particularly unscrupulous capitalists. He said the real rulers of the United States were “filthy rich” bankers.

“Compared to the American GDP of $14 trillion, the Rothschild family alone possesses wealth amounting to $500 trillion. It is not difficult for this banker clique to control American and European regimes.”

The vice chancellor said this clique manipulated the American masses, who were good natured, sincere and open-minded. “The hardships which we are currently encountering are on account of this gang that is hell bent on taking over the entire wealth of nations,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 2nd, 2011.

COMMENTS (2)

MiP | 13 years ago | Reply I have all my sympathies for my alma mater (PU) in particular ... (1965-67), but sitting here in Islamabad, and knowing and observing the schnenigans of the powers that be, (from a very close quarter), l predict, that the next years budget for education would be even smaller than the current 2%. The 'khazana' (Q-Block) has never beed as 'khali' as t is today; and would be a lot more 'empty' the next year. For the rulers, 'Education' is at a "Z" priority, if at all - like all other social sector components. By the way, has anyone ever heard from or of the Federal Minster for Education?
Syed Nadir El Edroos | 13 years ago | Reply $500 trillion? Is he delusional? I hope its just a typo!
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