Daily Times

Conscious nations prioritise the future of their young generation. The institutions concerned with educating, grooming, and preparing their children for careers and professions are sacrosanct to them. Teaching is looked upon as a highly noble and respectful profession. Teachers in such nations are also well-conscious of the respect that their profession commands in society. This realisation guides them to behave as citizens of superior character, consciousness and commitment as architects of the future of the nation.

Professor Karar Hussain was appointed as the first Vice-Chancellor of Balochistan University by Governor Ghous Bukhsh Bezenjo in 1972. On arrival at the Quetta Airport, the professor was received by the Governor’s protocol though Chief Minister Attaullah Mengal was also travelling by the same flight. At the Governor House, he was welcomed at the gate by Governor Bezenjo who not only took his handbag from him but walked two steps behind him despite protests by the professor. Professor Karar turned the newly-established university into a viable Institution during his tenure.

We have to show such respect to the architects of the future of our young generation. The higher educational institutions of Sindh, including the Higher Education Commission, need to be reconstituted; making them completely free from corrupt, unqualified, incompetent hands. The universities are the highest seats of teaching, learning and research and, therefore, should have autonomy in their internal financial and administrative matters.

In the present state of administration, our universities have become resistant to renovation and any change whatsoever. It is high time that we study higher education systems in developed countries and introduce changes in the teaching, management, examination and promotion systems of the universities. A merit-based system for all admissions, appointments, promotions and postings with a continuous linkage with performance in teaching, research and intellectual work in terms of published books and articles is the sine qua non for the efficient and optimal output of a university.

Many of our compatriots who go for higher education on scholarships or government expenses prefer to stay abroad.

Vice-Chancellors should be epitomes of impeccable academic career, intellectual calibre, irreproachable character, quality leadership to be selected purely on merit. We do not have a dearth of competent scholars. The lack of merit and fair play has been preventing such scholars to come forward to undertake responsibilities. A Vice Chancellors’ tenure should be linked with result-oriented performance and progressive increase in the ranking of his university.

The University syndicates should be reconstituted by appointing men of integrity, high qualification with substantive experience in education, teaching, management and administration. The political leaders should not treat this forum as a dumping place for their friends and acolytes. The syndicate plays a crucial role in working out the education and financial plans of a university and constitutes a check to the abuse of power by the Vice-Chancellor.

For the sake of the future of our children, we should keep these institutions free from sycophants, cronies and incompetent elements. The well-known universities in private and semi-private sectors hire the services of the retired Federal Secretaries, Ambassadors and Professors for teaching. If our universities have an aversion to engaging the outsiders in teaching or as guest speakers, the GoS can think of appointing them to the Syndicates.

The libraries of the universities are in a dismal situation with a shortage of new publications, standard books and periodicals. Libraries need to be refurbished every year with new publications and books of known authors to drive away ignorance. For the past 15 years, no substantive investments have been made in the purchase of books. Without well-replenished libraries, our students lag far behind their peers from Punjab and KPK in the competitive job market and the competitive examinations for superior services.

We should religiously avail of all international scholarships for higher studies while guarding against brain and talent drain. Many of our compatriots who go for higher education on scholarships or government expenses prefer to stay abroad mainly due to a lack of good prospects of a career in our country. This is to be curbed with seriousness. Rather we should have incentives for attracting talented and high degree-holders of Pakistan origin from abroad for our universities with separate salary packages.

The student unions were banned during the Zia regime. These unions were a check on the arbitrary exercise of powers by Vice-Chancellors to allocate funds for the welfare of students in terms of hostel accommodation, canteen, study tours, admissions, guest speakers, purchase of books and periodicals. They used to be consulted in all matters related to students. These unions were banned because of excessive politics and the ingress of political parties into the student community setting up their student wings.

These unions created political activists and leaders of great political and parliamentarian acumen. We can name a few including Rasool Bukhsh Palijo, Khurshid Shah, Dr Qadir Magsi, Bashir Qureshi, Ayaz Latif Palijo, Iqbal Tareen, Ayaz Soomro, Mir Yousaf Talpur, Late Jam Saqi, Amanullah Shaikh, Dr Shafqat Abbassi, Ali Gul Metlo, Asadullah Bhutto, Noaman Bhutto in Sindh. In Punjab, Liaquat Baloch, Shaikh Rashid, Javed Hashmi have proved political leaders of great resilience. These unions worked as the breeding and grooming places for leaders from the middle class.

I am glad that the Government of Sindh (GoS) has taken the pioneering initiative to unban the students’ unions. The GoS can work out the scope and extent of their activities on the analogy of the student unions in Western countries. The democratic governments should not be afraid of the people’s power. Student unions were playing an enormous role in creating political awareness in far-flung corners of the country.

All quotas of admission in universities should be abolished forthwith. A student successfully qualifying for the entry test for admission should have the freedom to choose his university. The division of seats in the urban and rural regions could not be justified rationally. A student from an urban centre should have the right to seek admission to a university in rural Sindh and vice versa. Let the students compete with each other and show academic performance in the universities.

The author was a member of the Foreign Service of Pakistan and he has authored two books.