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| India-Pakistan |
| Pakistani HECÂ’s unconvincing mega projects |
| 2007-02-10 |
| By Pervez Hoodbhoy THE on-going efforts at reforming higher education are turning into a disaster. Billions are being spent on mindless mega projects. The 15-fold increase in the funding of Pakistani universities over the last six years may have delivered a marginal improvement, but it is superficial and likely to be temporary. These facts are the subject of a researched article, “In Pakistan, the Problems That Money Can Bring”, published in the January 2007 issue of the well-respected New York based Chronicle of Higher Education. The Chronicle notes that in Pakistan the failure of the HEC (Higher Education Commission) to create and adequately implement rules has caused an explosion of substandard universities, fake and substandard degrees, meaningless research publications and a massive wave of unpunished plagiarised academic papers. More grand folly is in the works. Among the government’s most expensive projects are the nine new engineering universities to be spread across the country. Officially associated with France, Sweden, Italy, Austria, Germany, Japan, as well as other countries, these universities are supposed to meet the acute shortage in Pakistan of international quality engineering education. Contrary to the general impression that these are foreign funded, in fact 100 per cent of the development, recurrent and salary costs will be paid for by Pakistan. This would be okay if the basic ingredients for success were there. They are not. |
| Posted by:john |
| #4 They never mentioned the millions of teachers just next door in India. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2007-02-10 19:18 |
| #3 They have little interest beyond the pecuniary So? |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2007-02-10 18:09 |
| #2 They have little interest beyond the pecuniary So? |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2007-02-10 18:08 |
| #1 Worse may lie ahead. Suicide attacks within Pakistan are now averaging two a week or more. An interesting tidbit. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-02-10 13:39 |