Pakistan have total 185 universities both public and private sector and the number is increasing but the quality of education is debatable. The public sectors universities are 59% while 41% are private sector. About 1-5% population is enrolled in universities. Public universities have 81% students’ enrollment and in the private student enrollment is 19%.This enrollment at Bachelor level subject is possible with 80% to 95% or even with higher marks that depicts the highest level of competition. This gives an optimistic future of the high intellect and high level of skills if the number game is measurement scale. Education is the fundamental agent of socialization and crucial institution which helps to nourish and socialize the youth and articulate them for their practical life. The purpose of of the education is the development and socialization of individual in productive way and help them to shape their personality and provide them life skills.
However, hardly anybody find any serious scholastic contribution, innovation, discoveries or even self-enlighten or even a sign of better life skills of university graduates in the country. Job market does not depict this state of affairs of the academic excellence. Unemployment is increasing day by day. Even if these young graduates are employed, many of them are unable to demonstrate adequate job skills to their employer.
These graduates are with degree but they are unable to write an adequate job application. Students are entering into the educational institutions just like a factory material and got printed degree with high marks. Some of them are with gold medals, but if one asks them how many books they have read during university education? The answer is”no” book at all or even not a single text book majority of them have finished during or even after their degree completion. If one may ask them the names of the eminent writers/ scholars of their respective discipline. These graduates are hardly able to name 2-5 scientists/ scholars of their field of specialization. Meanwhile, these graduates are on the information super highway but why they are still unskilled or semiskilled and universities are honoring them with high grades? This is the big challenge for the academicians, educationist and university management as well as policy challenge to the Government.
A student often spent 13-15 years at the Bachelor level and 16 to 18 years in school and college if they enter at the Master level education.However, these students are unable to produce a couple of pages quality write up
Generally, university is responsible for this kind of the state of affairs but one may not exclude school and college education. A student often spent 13-15 years at the Bachelor level and 16 to 18 years in school and college if they enter at the Master level education.However, these students are unable to produce a couple of pages quality write up. We found that schools and colleges are awarding over 95% marks to their students or students are getting these marks in the intermediate and secondary education level exams, but they lack critical thinking and writing skills. This raises a big question on the school and college education. This mess deteriorate the universities quality.
Personal and collective motives of the students are important to achieve academic excellence. In some cases, one may find some serious students who are dedicated, work hard and pursue academic excellence. Many students hardly focus on their education or skill development. In private universities, they are engaged in fun, thrill and pursue for high academic grades. Students are engaged in strikes, violent activities and malign the system. Meanwhile, if they have to write a term paper, it is burden for them. They plagiarize their text and for them paid services are available for thesis/ dissertation writing and they have nothing to do but invest the money and get a “piece of paper” called “degree”.
It is a big challenge for a serious teacher to get their concentration for five minutes of those students as many of these students are engaged on the phone and using social media.It is observed that a person spends hours on social media. Overindulgent of the students in social media is making them dull, obsessed and drowsy in the classes and they seem to be highly demotivated to excel. It is believed that social media gives freedom of expression, brings enlightenment but its results are questionable and may need to investigate as it is producing a generation of highly demotivated. They feel are bored, need break and it is a big shock for them if teacher ask them to read a book or paper and get engaged in scholarly work. Often a teacher gets a response from student “teacher, your expectations are too high”. They raise eyebrow and labeled him or her as a “strict teacher”.However, if a teacher is engaged in gossips, give chance to be absent from the lectures and hardly ask to read any literature, he may be termed as a favorite teacher. Both students and teachers are evaluated positively with latent understanding. Only a few students in this case may get success with personal efforts and not the institutional support.
Quality education is being affected due to multiple reasons including but not limited to schools, colleges and university systems. Meanwhile, the excessive use of the social media contributed in the deteriorating education of Pakistan.
The writer teaches sociology at Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad