Reputable accreditation bodies of higher education focus on the quality of teaching and research in rating and ranking of universities at the national or international levels. There are, of course, other criteria that are considered: physical infrastructure, student-faculty ratio, library, lab and IT facilities, co-curricular activities, students’ societies, philanthropic work or corporate social responsibility initiatives. However, the highest priority is given to the standard of faculty and originality of research indeed.
Quality enhancement at our universities is reflected from the social and economic conditions of the majority, not of the handful of our population. There are other factors that have a positive or negative bearing on life at large such as leadership, law and order situation, unemployment and inflation etc. But quality enhancement at our universities, especially with pertinent, original and practical research, quietly plays an important role in determining the quality of life of our people.
The essence of higher education and research would be of no help to society if concerned benefits do not reach or are not shared by the common man. Can learned head of departments and faculty members of our universities offer a minute of a thought each on how their lofty higher education and research masterpieces have trickle-down public benefits in their respective field of specialisation, be it economics, human resource management, marketing, finance, information technology, psychology, media or social sciences?
It is a challenging, gutsy and thought-provoking question, breaking away from the standard and stereotypical practice of research that stays mainly in the libraries. It is presented as research papers to be shelved sooner or later, or brainstormed in guest speaker sessions, conferences, seminars and symposia for projection and for reference. There is generally no follow-up and feedback amid degradation of arts, sports, culture, business, economy, education, law, government, politics, education, health and so on.
Our private and public sector universities have excelled in the set and standard criteria of university rankings as carried out by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. These specialised ratings are pursued by the National Business Education Accreditation Council, National Computing Education Accreditation Council, and international rankings as those pertaining to ASSB standards, Ed Universal ranking of business institutions, and so on. But seldom do these universities now produce scientists, researchers, engineers, doctors, economists and heads of institutes who have an overall positive bearing on the social, educational, economic and developmental perspective of Pakistan.
Specialised writing is expected of specialists in various fields. While it needs to initiate with all its ingenuity at masters level, it is not required of under-graduate students. Writing flair needs to nurture at school and develop at Intermediate/A-Levels or during bachelor’s programme towards study and career excellence. Career-focused writing plays a vital role in the development perspective of developed societies be it social, environmental, biological, medical, physical or nuclear sciences, or in education and any field of socioeconomic development. It is not just the highly advanced status that some countries enjoy as a result of their intelligentsia’s original thinking, research and writing but the individual financial and social worth of the concerned contributor is rejuvenating indeed.
A specialised writer is one who writes in a newspaper, journal or magazine, or as a workshop or seminar paper or for research and reference in a potential field. It is when a doctor writes on medicine, an IT person writes on computers, a physicist writes on physics, a teacher writes on education, an economist writes on economy, a politician writes on politics, a philanthropist writes on social work and so on. A pre-requisite in specialised writing is sound language ability with vocabulary, grammar, punctuation and presentation. What counts is the concerned knowledge through books, journals, media, travel and field trips, and through social and career-oriented interaction. Aptitude and inquisitiveness, knack for intensive reading, flair for reading beyond textbooks and devotion to reference and research remain important. Reputation enhances through writing for and contributing to specialised media sections and self-initiated or officially sponsored papers and publications. What matters in professional credibility is marketing research at concerned outlets and looking for continuous ingenuity, excellence and feedback.
As such, the whole gamut of developmental activity flourishes with ingenuity and inspiration stabilising the subsistence levels and raising the living standards of the concerned society where sky is the limit in innovation, enlightenment and rewards in contemporary living. All fields blossom whether arts and culture, education and research, health and recreation, business and industry, banking and insurance, trade and commerce, shipping and aviation, science and technology etc. The urge to write in one’s own field makes one more research-oriented and more investigative as fresh ideas, insights, information and initiatives abound in human breakthroughs in arts, humanities and commerce, and in natural, biological, environmental and physical sciences. As the concerned society benefits through inspiring and rewarding lifestyles and standards, the initiators of creative writing deserve that well-earned financial and social credibility. Rewards are aplenty for specialised writers who sure have an edge over stereotypes whether in teaching, journalism, law or public affairs, or for those pursuing careers in medicine, engineering, management, information technology or in any profession.
Meanwhile, the concept of experiential learning, sharing and applying becomes indispensable amid advancement in wide and varied fields of education. Geared up to experiential learning and sharing are universities the world over: those linked to Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, Erasmus Mundus Consortium of European Universities, Association of American Universities, Association of Australian Universities, Association of Commonwealth Universities, Universities of the ‘underdeveloped world’ fostered by the Organisation of American States, and Organisation of African Unity, universities fast endeavouring for educational and research excellence in India and Pakistan, individually speaking Global and Communication Studies at Helsinki University, Institute of Social Studies at The Hague in the Netherlands, Institute for English Speaking Students, University of Stockholm, Experiment in International Living, Brattleboro, Vermont, and emerging universities in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Dubai etc.
What remains of importance for the least developed, under-developed and developing countries are endeavouring for such a model of survival, sustenance and development that is in consonance with their objective conditions. It is seldom realised consciously or subconsciously the intelligentsia, men at the helm of affairs or the policy-makers of such countries are mostly bewitched and bewildered by such imported or alien concepts in planning and development, which have nothing to do with their sorely, objectively and indigenously needed socioeconomic development planning and practice.
The writer is Head of Department, Public Affairs, and Senior Faculty at CBM, Institute of Business Management, Karachi, and can be reached at [email protected]