Daily Times

Walls of ignorance and retrogression cannot be dismantled without creating a society which is knowledge friendly. Tolerance, enlightenment and wisdom create conditions for a country aspiring to excel in science and technology. Why Pakistan, despite 71 years of independence from the colonial tutelage of Britain has failed to create a knowledge economy and society? Why there is reversal as far as standard of education and adhering to proper work ethics is concerned?

In 2002 when the University Grants Commission (UGC) was transformed as the Higher Education Commission (HEC) the total enrolment of students in state owned universities was not more than 150,000. At that time, there were around 50 universities and their number in 2018 has risen to 180 with more than two million students. The budget of UGC was not more than 4 billion rupees a year whereas HEC gets the annual funding from federal government amounting to Rs 90 billion. So far HEC has sent more than 5,000 students to study in foreign universities out of which around 500 have defaulted and have refused to return to their country. Despite enormous funding and other facilities not only in higher education but also at school and college level, one can observe erosion of standard of education. Quest for knowledge which was prevailing four decades ago has declined to a great extent thus negatively impacting on the country’s economy, justice system, rule of law and mode of governance.

Creation and use of knowledge is a process which is only possible when there is a culture of reading and research. If a society is highly conservative, backward with a feudal mindset, there is no question of acquiring knowledge as a priority for those who are influential and the wielders of power. Near absence of scientific innovation; discoveries and presenting new ideas for scientific progress industrial and agricultural fields is because Pakistan lacks a critical mass which can bridge the knowledge gap.

Walls of ignorance pose major threats to a country than external dangers. Bridging the knowledge gap is an uphill task but not an impossible one

Pakistan with a population of more than 200 million people and standing at 147 in human development index is facing enormous challenges like improving socio-economic standard of people; enhancing per capita income; GDP, GNP, balancing the budget; bridging the trade gap of 30 billion dollars; improving its depleting foreign exchange reserves; huge foreign and domestic debt of 160 billion U.S. dollars; circular debt of 500 billion rupees; ameliorating the quality of life of people by providing access to the basic necessities of life like clean and safe drinking water; better housing and transport facilities. Unemployment; rise in the prices of essential commodities; frustration among the youth population; extremism, intolerance, violence and terrorism are other challenges which reflect failure of state to provide good governance and ensure the rule of law. All such challenges can be effectively met if Pakistan focuses on providing free compulsory and good quality education to all school going children so that the generation which is well educated and equipped with basic knowledge will help the country catch up with the rest of the world.

There is enormous knowledge gap between Pakistan and some of its contemporaries like South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and UAE. These were the countries which were behind Pakistan in key sectors of development but now can match with any developed country. China is another model of development as since the revolution of October 1949 till today it caused miracles by pulling more than 500 million people from the poverty line and transforming a backward country to modern and educated. Only through a visionary, honest, efficient and hardworking leadership such countries were able to rise and create their respectable position in global affairs. Pakistan is now far behind those countries which used to seek advice and expertise during the decade of 1960s from Pakistan as it was perceived as the miracle of industrialisation and development.

One can examine three strategies which can be thought about to bridge knowledge gap between Pakistan and the rest of the world. First, promotion of the culture of reading, analytical reasoning, critical thinking and research will go a long way in inculcating skills and expertise in the younger generation of Pakistan to remove the baggage of ignorance and social backwardness. This would require the creation of good libraries which should provide access particularly to school going students of materials which can build knowledge reservoir and open their minds.

Creativity and innovation which comes with knowledge will certainly turn around things for Pakistan within one generation. Knowledge about history, geography, economy, philosophy, sociology and subjects of science will certainly equip young minds with clear concepts and ideas about the world, its past, present and future. Second, undoing with the culture of corruption and nepotism is the need of the hour if Pakistan wants to prevent itself as a failing or a failed state. Appointments and promotions on merit will weed out mediocre and below mediocre people from positions and provide space to those who are deserving, efficient, committed and with integrity.

Pakistan has paid a heavy price of institutionalising the culture of corruption and nepotism thus creating frustration, anger, antagonism, chaos and disorder in society. If ignorant, inefficient and incapable people are given space, the result will be lethal and disastrous for the country. Genocide of merit in Pakistan particularly since 1971 caused massive brain drain particularly of knowledgeable and capable people thus resulting into knowledge gap. In order to reverse brain drain, Pakistan will have to change its culture; replace nepotism with merit based appointments and exercise zero tolerance for corruption. Pakistan must learn lessons from role models like Nelson Mandela former President of South Africa, Mahathir Mohammad former Prime Minister of Malaysia and Le Kuan Yu, former Prime Minister of Singapore. One common characteristic among the three leaders was their pursuit for knowledge, commitment, dedication, integrity, inefficiency and merit based approach. All the three role models instead of pursuing their personal agenda or family interests focused on nation building by unleashing the process of social and human development.

Finally, mitigating the influence of so-called religious groups who in the name of religion exploit people so as to retain backwardness and retrogression in society is essential in order to mitigate social backwardness. Anti-women, anti-development and anti-modern stance by such groups is a major impediment as far as transforming Pakistan as a knowledge friendly state and society is concerned. For that purpose, Madaris (religious schools) must be transformed as a bastion of knowledge so that students enrolled in such schools are equipped with modern tools of education, science and learning.

It will take several decades for Pakistan to match with knowledge based economies of the world because of structural reasons which impede the culture of reasoning and research to take roots. Walls of ignorance are the major threats faced by a country than external dangers. Bridging the knowledge gap is an uphill task but not an impossible one.

The writer is Meritorious Professor of International Relations at the University of Karachi. E. Mail: amoonis@hotmail.com

Published in Daily Times, March 16^th 2018.