Higher education in peril: prescription for progress

Two a long time in the past, Larger Schooling Fee launched a brand new system, primarily based on quantifying analysis output, for hiring and promotion of college in universities in Pakistan. This was a part of a world development in direction of quantification as a part of good administration. The system was supposed to advertise goal evaluations, and forestall nepotism and favoritism which had been then rife. The brand new system has produced a monster which couldn’t be imagined on the time it was launched.

The main target shifted from high quality to amount. As a substitute of making an attempt to publish in top quality journals, which requires extra effort and time, college shifted to the bottom ranked journals within the classes outlined by the HEC. Many unhealthy practices got here into vogue. Every paper has a number of authors as a result of a publication counts for every creator individually. Many faux journals sprang up, which might publish for cash. Many universities launched journals, permitting their very own college to self-publish. I’ve personally examined CVs the place the professor in query had zero publications till a sure yr after which over 100 publications inside the subsequent two years. It’s horrifying to ponder the big period of time, effort and cash spent on this meaningless pursuit of publication rely utilizing papers which add nothing in any respect to our data. However much more disastrous than losing time, this race has led to the rise of people who find themselves incompetent to the highest. The perverse incentives created by this technique create hostile outcomes for real students who create top quality analysis.

Earlier than happening to counsel options, it’s value pausing briefly to level out the deeper supply of the issue which is the positivist philosophy which emerged in early 20^th Century. In accordance with positivism, we will by no means have actual data of unobservable and qualitative phenomena until we scale back them to observable and measurable manifestations. This led to the try and measure issues that are inherently unmeasurable, like intelligence, love, religion and corruption. In Enterprise Faculties, this led to widespread perception within the fable that “you can’t handle what you can’t measure”. There are lots of examples of disasters which end result from making an attempt to measure what shouldn’t be measurable. For instance, when police efficiency was measured by the variety of challans, the police began handing out challans for every thing, indiscriminately. That is an illustration of “Goodhart’s Legislation”: “When a measure turns into a goal, it ceases to be a very good measure”.

So, what ought to be achieved? I believe it is very important begin with the popularity that this technique of quantifying analysis by counting papers has been an unmitigated catastrophe, and have to be abolished as quickly as potential. I suggest two cures. First, we should shift focus from counting publications to “related” analysis. Second, we should emphasise educating over analysis.

By related analysis, I imply analysis which makes an attempt to supply options to issues going through Pakistan. Many of the analysis presently being achieved at universities fails to do that. Impartial third events can simply assess relevance and applicability of analysis, which has nothing to do with publication rely, nor with rankings of journals. The truth is, extremely ranked journals wouldn’t contemplate domestically related analysis as it could not be of curiosity to Western academia. The present system discourages analysis on burning points going through Pakistan, similar to widespread malnutrition, bettering high quality of schooling in public faculties, healthcare, and governance. Encouragingly, PIDE has not too long ago taken the lead in selling native analysis for options to native issues, and is offering grants through a aggressive course of to students for this function. However, shifting from small initiatives to a nationwide emphasis on related analysis is an enormous process, requiring pressing consideration.

Good educating is an important basis for creating good analysis. Sadly, making enhancements on this dimension is a really tough process. Within the bodily sciences, we have to give attention to utilizing current applied sciences to unravel native issues, reasonably than on advancing the frontiers of information. Trendy social sciences train us methods to form our societies on Western patterns, beneath the Eurocentric assumption that progress is outlined by resemblance with Europe. Whereas the struggles between capitalists and labourers occupy centre stage in superior capitalist economies, the social struggles and lessons which form trendy Pakistan can’t be present in current textbooks, written by Western authors. We should purchase the boldness to analyse our personal social issues and develop our personal theoretical frameworks for this evaluation. However that is unimaginable in an surroundings the place publications in Western journals carry the best weight in hiring and promotions. Far deadlier than the financial disaster brought on by extreme imports is the mental disaster brought on by imported data. The trail ahead requires a shift from imported insights to the cultivation of our mental autonomy — a change important for the way forward for larger schooling in Pakistan.

Printed in The Specific Tribune, January 23^rd, 2024.

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