Commercialization of Higher Education in Pakistan.

After the orchestration of Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, the education sectors scenario was changed dramatically and many private institution came into being. During the emergence of this sector, many businessmen and big wigs noticed this boost and jumped in to satiate their thirst of making more ampler profits and blemished this sacred profession. That was the conspicuous step when higher education in Pakistan was commercialized at a larger scale. Pakistan is an alleged Islamic Welfare state where neither Islamic laws are implemented nor any welfare activity is taking place. Being a welfare state, it is its responsibility to cater their countrymen, basic necessities of life which are being barely got by them actually due to the presence of incompetent and inept Govt setups after the assassination of Shaheed-e-Millat, Khan Liaquat Ali. Beside the other sectors, Pakistans education sector has been spoiled severely and Govt is yet unable to provide groovy and better educational facilities. In Pakistan unfortunately the literacy rate is staggeringly low while a person considered as literate who barely writes his name. Due to paucity of proper institution and universities, many businessmen took this vacuum as their opportunity and started opening private universities/institutions for making massive profit in the garb of educationists. Their utmost agenda is not the propagation of better education and serve their country whereas to engulf the potential market which is quite lucrative for them. As we see today, hundreds of universities which are offering programs of almost every field of education, most conspicuously Engineering and Business Administration and the local newspapers are just swarmed with their adverts to get the alertness of the young aspirants who want to excel in their desired field, having so many ambitions in their eyes but many of them remain despondent after get aware of their massive fee structure and expense, they cannot endure. And those who barely get enterance in, get remorse within their hearts after experiencing them. With the exception of few, almost every second institution is just fulfilling its formality of giving education to its students as it neither has qualified and dedicated faculty nor has proper structure of curriculum and its management. This element is ravaging the career of many aspirants as they dont have thorough knowledge of their subjects and neither has the attributes and vigor which is required by the employers and the market opportunities. As a result, only graduates of few renowned institutions are getting appropriate positions who are maintaining the standards of education and dissertations while others are just peering around for seeking better jobs. Having all this fuss in this sacred sphere of education, our Govt authorities are still oblivious and behaving as usual in a doltish way while busy in plundering national wealth to fill their big tummies. HEC is also not taking any step to uproot this

sarcoma, our education sector is suffering from. In my perspective, HEC should take some rigorous decision to halt this mayhem, in which first one is that, it orchestrates a proper fee structure for Public and Private institution and they must be obliged to follow it so and fastens a criteria and structure of curriculum for each and every field of education and so will they follow. Faculty must be hired by keeping international standards in sight and there should be a sound system for their evaluation and persistent check. I would like to culminate this column with the saying of our Pakistans Founder, Quaid-e-Azam, Muhammad Ali Jinnah: Without education it is complete darkness and with education it is light. Education is a matter of life and death to our nation. The world is moving so fast that if you do not educate yourselves you will be not only completely left behind, but will be finished up. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) had enjoined his followers to go even to China in the pursuit of knowledge. If that was the commandment in those days when communications were difficult, then, truly, Muslims as the true followers of the glorious heritage of Islam, should surely utilize all available opportunities. No sacrifice of time or personal comfort should be regarded too great for the advancement of the cause of education.

(Broadcast Message February, 1948) May Allah, remain Pakistan established and give us a honourable, dignified and honest leadership which is extremely required for its prevalence and to extinguish this moth-eaten system who is ravaging its soul, Ameen.