Glocalising higher education in Pakistan
PAKISTAN is passing through the most challenging times because of volatile political harangues and polarization of the worst type which is plummeting the futuristic survival of the upcoming generation. We live in the 21st Century with all manifestations like information technology, the internet and now Chatbots (AI). But, alack! We are not equipped to meet these challenges because of the loopholes in our higher education system which can produce very few critical thinkers and successful entrepreneurs. The increasing influence of globalization has left Pakistan and its people lagging behind in the race for progress which has further left us only bemusing our history and incapacity to synchronize with the highly innovative technical world around us.
The newspapers recently highlighted that India had developed a car that can travel more than 700 kilometres without requiring the next charge and our nation is busy deciding when the election will be held. This is not just one example; much can be traced to our failure to grow sufficient food for our people and not reaping enough industrial benefits from whatever technology we possess. Multiple factors contribute to this dismal situation but the failure of higher education to deliver the path for aligning with global trends properly. We have not revamped our higher education system for quite a long time to provide a befitting footing to our young people.
The world is about to take up artificial intelligence rapidly as a tool for progress and control of the world and its systems. The need of the hour is that we must revamp our curricula and teaching methodologies to cope with such a quiet but mighty revolution; otherwise, if we miss the bus, we will misfit in the highly sophisticated technological development. Universities must ensure proper research and practicums in such fields, which may produce young people capable of participating in rapidly moving technology. There is no harm in inviting competent professors in the area to train our people. We can engage locally produced skilful minds as soon as we get our people trained.
The global environment requires skills to work with and to provide a job. Unfortunately, we are lacking in this training. Take the communication effectiveness in English at the oral and verbal levels. Only one or two percent of our students can do so. Higher education must ensure very advanced communication skills for our young people. Besides, handling large amounts of data and operating machines are again the need of the hour. Our universities must come forward in developing state-of-the-art technologies and training material. This is even more compulsory in this age because we need to revolutionize our agricultural system because of the rapidly increasing population and rapidly depleting resources. There is no harm in training a few individuals in America or Australia who have developed such technologies as can produce more food with limited resources. An effectively designed and managed agricultural system can make Pakistan the breadbasket of at least the whole of Asia, if not that of the world.
All multinational corporations follow the model of less investment and more profit, for which they install production plants in cheaper labour countries. We are very rich in human capital, but that is only useful if trained as per the world’s needs. If our youth is trained in the modern patterns of technical requirements, it is possible that multinational corporations would request labour. This would give a significant and valuable boost to our economy and jobs for our youths. The Higher Education Department must also come forward by setting up technical schools, colleges and institutions and, with flawless monitoring, must ensure that work is done honestly and responsibly at such places and that advanced technical-level training is being imparted to the students.
Besides these socio-political changes, we need to introduce intra-higher education reforms also. Firstly, the syllabi must be thoroughly revamped to match the international and global demands of skills. Besides, only workshops and laboratories must be invested very heavily to create an adequate infrastructure in the country. Secondly, later, collaboration must be established within and without these workplaces to develop and share knowledge and experience. Thirdly, three months annual training plans must be created and every year the expertise and training may be refreshed by sending the people to work with the most advanced institutions of higher learning. It must be ensured that the people who receive training from abroad successfully must, in return, train our local people with responsibility and engagement to develop a pool of highly skilled and trained individuals. Fourthly, in higher education, besides creating a collaborative model with the other advanced nations, the examination system must be more practicum instead of just theoretical in almost every field. Fifthly, the global market and the local market must be analyzed periodically to insert the changes above into the system. Working with local higher education regarding global trends is the quick fix to put our higher education on the path to national development to compete with the global world.
—The writer is a Professor of English at Emerson University, Multan, and has a vast international exposure.
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