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In Pakistan there have been quite a few insurance policies for the training sector, however for the primary time throughout 2001-2002, the Job Drive for Enchancment of Increased Training focussed solely on larger training. One of many Job Drive’s suggestions resulted within the institution of the Increased Training Fee (HEC) in September 2002.
The HEC has a large mandate, however its core features are to channel funds to public universities; and formulate insurance policies, set up requirements and regulate larger training establishments within the nation. The HEC has since spent appreciable treasure and brought quite a few steps to, ostensibly, enhance larger training. Nevertheless, because the institution of the HEC, the standard of most graduates, particularly of public sector universities and schools, has not improved, and in reality appears to have deteriorated; causes for that are briefly described under.
The general tradition of the HEC is marred by bureaucratic centralisation with focus of energy within the workplace of the Chairman. The Chairman is just not solely the chief head of the HEC, but additionally chairs the HEC Fee (akin to a Governing Board). So, the Fee, that supposedly holds the Chairman accountable, is chaired by the exact same particular person, and the de facto Chairman is accountable solely to the Prime Minister. Additionally, the mode of appointment of the Chairman is extremely questionable, with politics and nepotism being the first determinants. Additional, the assorted structural elements (known as Divisions) of the HEC appear to have been put collectively fairly haphazardly, with unclear tasks and overlapping features, which unsurprisingly fosters inefficiency and poor decision-making.
Operationally the HEC itself doesn’t adhere to even the naked minimums of institutional functioning like transparency, accountability, effectivity and meritocracy. Reasonably, it’s extra just like the Chairman’s fiefdom, and there’s no room for questioning or essential examination of HEC choices and actions. Externally, universities are ‘directed’ to do that or that by way of notifications and directives, which is primarily enforced by tightening or loosening of the purse strings. Internally, the Chairman patronises yes-individuals, who’re coddled by way of promotions and different perks, and people elevating questions are sidelined or just proven the door.
Regardless of being a core perform of the HEC, policymaking has been a low precedence. As an alternative, the HEC addresses coverage issues by way of poorly drafted and at instances contradictory notifications or directives. For instance, till 2020, the HEC didn’t have a coherent PhD coverage that would guarantee minimal requirements and high quality. Issues have been addressed by way of official missives written by people with no sense of what a PhD diploma entails academically. Equally, till 2020 the HEC didn’t have a coverage for undergraduate training, and issues have been equally addressed. Even after the issuance of the PhD coverage and the Undergraduate Training Coverage, each in 2020, the strongest resistance to their implementation in letter and spirit got here from throughout the HEC.
The HEC measures its achievements by the quantity of (public) cash garnered and spent, with out a lot regard to the achievement of educational objectives and functions. So, many expensive tasks are undertaken which have negligible, if any, educational advantages. A tradition of rent-seeking is rampant and the blue-eyed get pleasure from windfalls, which has resulted in quite a few distortions within the sector, largely academically meaningless, and plenty of detrimental.
Lastly, the HEC focusses on amount (or quantity) of levels, with inattention to their high quality. For instance, a flagship aim of the HEC has been rising the variety of PhDs. A number of measures are in place that hundreds the cube to rising PhD manufacturing, and consequently there was a veritable PhD gold-rush. This quantitative tunnel-vision of the HEC has resulted within the nosediving of the standard and educational worth of most native doctorates. A military of PhD-holders has been produced, with poor data, abilities and competencies, and who’re largely unemployable. All method of capability constructing and college placement programs have been tried to accommodate the unemployed PhDs, however nothing can restore the injury wrought by awarding sham doctorates within the first place. In a phrase, the HEC failed in its position of making certain and regulating the standard of doctoral work, and has as an alternative, inadvertently, or in any other case, led in the wrong way.
Linked to the above is the truth that per HEC coverage, school profession development is tied totally to the variety of analysis publications. This has spawned spurious analysis, rampant plagiarism, unethical inclusion of names in one another’s publications, and a pretend publications business. Additional, the college ignores instructing and different educational providers as they don’t have any bearing on their careers. Importantly, this has resulted in an educational tradition wherein dishonest trumps educational honesty.
The important thing efficiency indicator of the HEC is enchancment within the high quality of graduates. Nevertheless, regardless of excessive publicity and heavy expenditures, general, the standard of our graduates stays poor: telling proof of which is the extreme shortage of competent people who can ably run affairs of society and state. As at present constituted and run, on steadiness, the HEC is doing extra hurt than good to larger training. Due to this fact, the necessity is to rethink and reconstitute the HEC, in order that it will probably contribute to enhancing the standard of upper training, which is its raison d’être.
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