Daily Times

Educational institutions are fundamental for changing the lives for the better: to create, maintain, and continuously develop a good society that would enable human beings to lead long, healthy, active, peaceful, virtuous and happy lives. Universities have unceasingly been researching and innovating modern technologies that not only help in economic growth but also in better health, ease in life, connectivity, modernization, social and cultural diversity. Pakistan has a decent number of higher education institutions to cater for national needs and volume is soaring with time.

Several cases of student extremism are reported yearly all-around Pakistan, especially in public sector universities. Some of the incidents that took place in recent past are attack on MQM leader Khwaja Izharul Hasan, the terrorist attack near Safoora Goth on Ismaili minority, lynching of Mashal Khan at Mardan University, terror plan of Noreen Laghari, a medical student, beating of student’s husband at Punjab university and other unreported cases of student extremism exist as well.

The question is what makes students extremists? Why they do not care about their parents, family and own future? Psychology enlightens that personality development which comes from nature and nurture plays vital role the way we react to accomplish the needs and respond to situations. Nature refers to the genetic factors while nurture refers to environmental factors. These two distinct factors make humans behave differently. Research shows that there are seven deep personal needs of a human being like power, achievement, affiliation, importance, purpose, morality and excitement. Humans try to gain some of these needs or all by every means, however the way of achieving varies from person to person depending upon their personality traits. Like all humans, students have the same needs. Deprivation of personal needs lead them to depression, frustration, anxiety, social isolation and pain. In such a situation, student come up with two state of affairs. One is committing suicide, which is very common in western countries and less in Pakistan and other is indulging themselves in wrong doings and extremism, which is common in Pakistan and less in western countries. In Pakistan extremist factions exist almost every part of the country and their presence in many universities have also been reported by law enforcement agencies. Depressed, frustrated, anxious, socially isolated and pained students are the easy targets of extremist recruiters.

Now let us talk how can higher education institutions of Pakistan can avoid depression, frustration, anxiety, social isolation and pain of students at universities. As suggested by research catering for personal needs of students at university level can make them responsible and peaceful citizens. Sports, curricular and extra-curricular activities, professional and community engagement programs, trainings and workshops on social, political and religious ethics and recreational activities are proved strategies for a happy and successful students life.

In Pakistan extremist factions exist almost every part of the country and their presence in many universities have also been reported by law enforcement agencies. Depressed, frustrated, anxious, socially isolated and pained students are the easy targets of extremist recruiters

Our education system is need based and purpose is to produce graduates for job market and same is the purpose of students. Academia has not been much successful in producing law abiding citizens along with catering for the needs of market. In our universities, we rarely witness a culture where students are engaged in sports, curricular and extra-curricular activities, professional and community engagement programs, trainings and workshops on social, political and religious ethics or recreational activities. Academia and state responsibility does not end at teaching a graduate 4-5 year curriculum and its assessment, however they must make sure that student is continually exposed to academic and nonacademic activities, which will nurture their personality as a powerful leader, higher achiever, strongly affiliated, purposeful life with moral values and excitement.

Universities must own their students and seek for opportunities for their social engagement and professional growth. Sports facilities and their engagement in sports be assured with the help of teaching faculty and student advisors. Those universities, which does not have sports facilities, state must provide budgets for arranging facilities or should arrange the facilities in the vicinity. Now a days there are several professional and student bodies, which engage students in academic and nonacademic activities on their own funds and resources.

Let me give examples of my department, Chemical Engineering at Dawood University of Engineering and Technology. In last two years, we have affiliated our students with two professional bodies of chemical engineering and chemistry like American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) and American Chemical Society (ACS). Both student societies have organized more than 100 academic and nonacademic events since their inception. Three students visited United States on three different occasions, two students visited South Korea and five students, and a faculty adviser visited Bahrain. Most of the international trips were sponsored by the mother international societies AIChE and ACS. This culture has brought our students at a competition for being better in leading, social relations, academic achievements and finding a purpose for their higher education.

Lack of student counseling is one of the major issues at our universities, especially in government sector. Neither, our management nor faculty feels for the need and direction of students. Student teacher engagement is very crucial for a positive approach of students in the right direction, which must be mandated in universities. Along with student faculty engagement, universities must develop student personal and professional conseling sections where students should discuss their personal and professional issues for solutions.

Apart from universities, role of parents is critical in mitigating student extremism. Majority of the parents do not ask about the personal growth and problems of their children, however professional growth in terms of CGPA, passing of subjects and their curricular activities are asked and appreciated, if they have performed well otherwise criticized and sometimes threatened for discontinuation of studies or pocket money. For academically underperforming students, these situations lead them to frustration, depression and lies.

Parents must understand the situations of their children and provide them with opportunities to express their sorrows, worries and debilities. Besides parents’ care and behavior with their children, their routines and wife-husband relations have been reported to have a great role in the personality development of their children. It has been reported in media as well in research that parents are the role models for their children, if a son sees his mother being abused by his father he shall abuse his wife and same goes for daughters. Even universities cannot do much for those students who witness home abuse and the harsh behavior of parents. Self-confidence can only come in children if their parents are appreciative and good listeners.

Role of parents as well as universities is equally genuine and prerequisite for the personality development of children and students. Student extremism cannot be mitigated unless parents and universities play their role in nurturing their children and student through providing time and opportunities for attaining power, achievement, affiliation, importance, purpose, morality and excitement.

The writer is an Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering and Director for Quality Enhancement Cell at Dawood University of Engineering and Technology Karachi, Pakistan. He can be reached at shaukat.mazari@duet.edu.pk

Published in Daily Times, November  6^th 2018.