News

Karachi, September 30, 2019

The Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC) Dr Tariq Banuri on Monday visited the Sindh Madressatul Islam University (SMIU), urging teachers and students to focus on quality education.

Dr Tariq Banuri along with other HEC officials attended an interactive session with the students, faculty members and staff of the SMIU at the Shahnawaz Bhutto Auditorium.
He said that it was an honour for him to visit the historical institution of Pakistan that has produced father of the nation.
Addressing the participants, Dr Tariq Banuri said that currently at least 3 million youth of Pakistan between the age group of 18 to 27 was enrolled in universities. “The number of students is constantly increasing,” he said, adding that less than 3 per cent of the youth was enrolled in universities across Pakistan when the HEC was formed in 2002.

“We did not have a son of farmer or of a carpenter in the universities but the situation is entirely different now,” he disclosed. “It is a kind of cultural change and we’ll have its positive impact on the society,” he maintained.

Expressing his concerns over the quality of education in the country, Dr Tariq Banuri said that there was a crisis of quality. He said that less than 300 aspirants passed the written tests of the Central Superior Services [CSS]. “These all graduates who appeared in the competitive examinations had [easily] passed our exams but couldn’t qualify the competitive examination,” he informed. “It is a matter of tremendous concern,” he said.
“All the money will be focused on undergraduate programs [now],” he announced, saying it will help poor students to get quality education. “We want no child left behind. If our students are successful, our country will be successful,” he added.

The HEC chairman also said that the National Academy of Higher Education was being formulated. He said that the research lacks right direction. “We want the research programs focused on the national problems,” he explained.

Sharing the new programs being launched by the HEC, he said that all students enrolled in the graduate programs need to register with the HEC so a uniform system for all students pursuing their education and professional careers could be built. “That’s a major transformation,” he added.

Highlighting the issue of financial matters of the universities, the HEC chairman said that he was trying to fix them.

“There is no difference of distributing resources [among universities],” Dr Tariq Banuri said. “There is a formula. And, we are bound to follow it,” he added.
The SMIU Vice Chancellor Dr Muhammad Ali Shaikh in the welcome address, said that the Sindh Madressatul Islam was one of the first institutions that introduced the modern education in the region.
The Vice Chancellor said that the universities were facing financial challenges and the current chairman of the HEC was being expected to resolve them. “The quality of education is not up to the mark,” Dr Shaikh said. He said that a large number of graduates failed to secure even passing marks in any examination. “We, as faculty members, are more responsible to address this issue,” he said. “This issue needs more attention.”

He also pointed out the issue of the standard of PhD scholars. “Now, we should focus on undergraduates instead of producing second-rate PhD scholars,” the SMIU Vice Chancellor advised.

“The research has gone in no direction,” Dr Muhammad Ali Shaikh said. “It should be more specific towards Pakistan,” he suggested. “The universities should be allowed to grow independently,“Dr Muhammad Ali Shaikh suggested. He said that the autonomy of higher education was being compromised.
The HEC chairman also visited various parts of the university, including the Jinnah Museum and interacted with the faculty members of the SMIU.