Daily Times

According to the World Bank’s list, as mentioned on weforum.org, Israel, South Korea, and Switzerland lead the world when it comes to the ratio of GDP spent on research and development (R & D). As per the reports, nearly 4.95% of GDP was spent on research and development by Israel in 2018. In the same year, South Korea spent 4.81% of GDP on R&D. In 2017, Switzerland spent 3.37% of GDP on R & D. Such figures do not denote mere numbers but show the significant steps taken by these countries towards progress and evolution. Despite what the world may think about the religious inclination of the citizens residing in these countries, their governments pay due heed to conduct research.  When taking the example of Switzerland, the data from the Federal Statistical Office (2019) states that 23.8 million watches were exported with a value of 21.2 billion. The landlocked nation may not have a seaport or may not be competing directly with the US or China, but it has been focusing on producing watches, a product it has become an expert in producing and exporting.

According to academiamag.com (August 2019), UNESO Institute of Statistics (UIS) states that Pakistan spends only 0.3% of its GDP on R&D. Such a meager figure will not bring progress and development in its various sectors. The government needs to strengthen and empower the educational sector so that the universities and business schools become avenues of research. The public-private partnerships must be created, nurtured, and expanded so that the academia collaborates with the industry to find problems, conduct research, solve social challenges, and share the results with key stakeholders. Scientists and researchers in Pakistan must be given due credit for their services and experiences. Pakistan must create an association comprising of scientists, researchers, architects, doctors, engineers who work as one body to solve the many social predicaments the country is facing. While offering consultancy to the government, public and private sector, the corporate sector or offer their services while serving in their respective organizations, they will continue to provide ample research in various domains.

Each university must resolve to avail the services of the PhD professors they have along with the MPhil candidates, to pursue research in their domains of interest. Furthermore, the education system at the grassroots level must be redefined and restructured

The problem with Pakistan is not that a small amount of GDP is spent on research. The challenge is for the scientists and researchers already working in various sectors to strive for excellence. According to academiamag.com, Pakistan is at the 46th spot in the world having an H-index of 217 and 127817 published documents from 1996 to 2017. This amounts to around six thousand publications in a year. This number should have been at least five times more but the dark reality is unbearable to fathom. According to the PhD Association of Pakistan (PAP), more than 3000 PhDs will be jobless by the end of 2020. PAP has raised the issue and asked the government to pay due attention to address the problems PhDs are facing. The report also claims that varsities from the public and private sector prefer recruiting non-PhD faculty members that is a violation of the directives given by the Higher Education Commission (HEC).

To address this plight, the concerned authority needs to propose a holistic strategy to address several problems. First, find the causes of why over 3000 PhDs are jobless. Second, why is the sector of research being neglected, and third, to analyze the impact of not producing enough researches. Academia needs to take the lead in this regard. Each university must resolve to avail the services of the PhD professors they have along with the MPhil candidates, to pursue research in their domains of interest. Furthermore, the education system at the grassroots level must be redefined and restructured. The system must implement such guidelines that make primary school students curious to know and learn. This will inculcate into them the seeds to remain inquisitiveness, comprehend concepts and theories, study for learning, not for grades. Such a system will produce researchers who are fond of asking questions and seeking answers.

The writer is an independent researcher, author and columnist