How Greed Ruins Academia

Re: # 58
If this is what you imagine I have said below then you need an immediate consultation with a psychiatric.

viewer: yes indeed. proud muslim warriors should be attending the world famous Swat Institute of Technology (founded by Mullah Fazlulah, PhD).

Re: # 55

Kulharee writes: "You can sit and twiddle your thumbs all day long pretending everything is roses, or you can wake up to the reality that Pakistani higher education is going down the tube, and the quality of its graduates leaves a lot to be desired."

Re:

No one is saying that everything is roses. Please indicate who has said this.

My strong disagreement is with the wrong assumption of the mentioned professor that requiring our local PhD students to pass GRE test will automatically raise standards of the PhDs produced.

This is not going to happen.

As the record of ex-PhD or ex-MPhil students of the mentioned professor shows, the GRE exam has been quite helpful route in providing a sustained supply of the so-called "peons of the West" to the US universities.

If maintaining that supply is called an "achievement" then the mentioned professor has indeed achieved a lot.

What Pakistani nation asks and seeks is not a supply of those "peons" but the development of local infrastructure and helping our local students to grow themselves while being within this country.

Re: # 55

Who cares whether the letter by Charlie is "Professorial" or not? The letter raises valid points and describes facts along with a description of the recent right decisions taken by the academic council of QAU.

An academic's achievement are to be measured not by his/her media appearances, by his/her publishing in newspapers, by his/her “public lectures�, but only by the quality research articles published in professional research journals, the number of research thesis’s and PhDs s/he has produced.

Could you please disclose the mentioned professor's academic "achievements" during the last whole decade?

I believe in terms of academic achievements many young professors are doing much better than the mentioned professor.

Why is it so hard for Pakistanis to accept the reality? The letter below by a Professor is about as much Professorial as a donkey’s privates. The guy is so obviously green-eyed of Prof. Hoodbhoy’s accomplishments and his rank, and more over his courage to take on difficult issues; issues relating to the higher education in Pakistan. You can sit and twiddle your thumbs all day long pretending everything is roses, or you can wake up to the reality that Pakistani higher education is going down the tube, and the quality of its graduates leaves a lot to be desired.

Kindly find in attachment my response to Dr. Hoodbhoys article “How greed ruins academia�. I sent this letter to Dawn on Feb 10, 2009 but for some unknown reasons the Editor did not consider my response worth publication, while it has published letters in favor of Dr. Hoodbhoy.

Objectivity of Academic Council’s Decisions at QAU

Professor Pervez A. Hoodbhoy in his article “How greed ruins academia� appearing in Dawn February 09, 2009 has discussed the merit of two decisions taken by Academic Council of Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU).

The first decision was not to concede to the demand of Professor Hoodbhoy to transfer certain powers for faculty appointments from the University’s Selection Board to particular department. The Academic Council did not agree with the proposal in order to minimize the role of powerful chairpersons in victimizing candidates for teaching positions on the basis of personal and ideological liking or disliking. As an elected member of the QAU Syndicate I am aware of how Chairman of a department tried to misuse his authority in destroying the career of his junior colleague, a bright Assistant Professor. First, the chairman recommended termination of his colleague just because he could not perform well in a short seminar in which he was not allowed to speak freely beyond a few minutes. The chairman ignored several teaching evaluation reports filled by students, recommendations of foreign referees and an enviable research record of the concerned teacher, who produced many more research articles in the past five years than the chairman himself. The Syndicate, where majority consists of prominent academicians from outside QAU, a supreme-court judge and a senior officer from the HEC, rejected the chairman’s recommendation. The chairman then tried to deny his same colleague the right to join as Assistant Professor on Tenure Track System (TTS) despite recommendation of Selection Board and approval by Syndicate. The Syndicate had to intervene and the aforementioned Assistant Professor’s joining was finally accepted by the Vice Chancellor himself.

With this backdrop of nonacademic considerations, the Academic Council took a wise decision in not giving veto powers to departments and rather voted to continue relying on foreign referees’ reports and recommendations of Selection Board in which chairperson of the concerned department, two of his/her nominees as subject experts and Dean of the faculty also participate along with several external members.

The second decision taken by the Academic Council was to abolish the condition of passing Graduate Record Examination (GRE) for obtaining PhD degree in any subject. This condition was faulty to begin with for several reasons.

During the 1970s and 1980s GRE used to be considered as one of the several yardsticks for measuring suitability of candidates from all over the world with diverse educational standards, seeking admission in certain American universities. But years of experience has shown that the value of these examinations is quite limited because it is much easy to secure good marks by mastering specific tricks to minimize the proportion of incorrect answers with little knowledge of the subject. This is the very reason why GRE has remained confined to a few North American universities. Most top-ranking universities in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Scandinavia, Australia and Japan do not require GRE in any subject. GRE in certain subjects, like economics has now been abolished and even the top-ranking USA universities such as Harvard, MIT, Chicago, Columbia, John Hopkins, no more require GRE in these subjects.

Another reason why GRE was scrapped was that it was recommended as a requirement for obtaining PhD degree, not for obtaining admission into the PhD program for which it was originally designed. Imposing this condition will degrade the value of our PhD degree.

Yet another reason was that GRE examination is offered in few subjects only. In most of the disciplines, like electronics, geophysics, statistics, computer, IT, economics, international relations and history, no GRE is offered. What is the merit of developing a local GRE test in these subjects if the masterminds of the test did not consider GRE desirable, in certain cases after years of bad experience?

As regards greed, the amount that the University pays for successful supervision of a PhD thesis is Rs 60,000, which is equal to just six working days salary of Professor Hoodbhoy, who considers himself head and shoulder above the rest of his community. In the subject of economics of which I have a fairly good idea, if a supervisor gives two hours a week to his/her PhD student for three years it amounts to about 300 hours. If this amount of time is used to teach an undergraduate course in a private-sector university, one can earn five to ten times more money. A plumber with little formal education earns about twice as much in 300 hours as a PhD thesis supervisor The only reason a university teacher supervises a thesis is that it adds to his/her research profile.

Being an old colleague of Professor Hoodbhoy I am aware of his enormous academic potential. Unfortunately over the past few years he has lost his race in academics and has turned his attention to media for glorification. I, like most of my colleagues, do not have unlimited time and energy to respond to his continuous criticism through print and electronic media. All I can ask him is to disclose to general public the number of PhD theses and research articles published in academic journals to his credit during the past 10 years. I also request him to disclose to general public the data source for his magic number of 80% of the university teachers who do not know the art of teaching.


Dr. Eatzaz Ahmad
Professor of Economics
Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad
Emails: eatzaz@qau.edu.pk

I agree with you, Kulharee.

I don't get such attempts of owning or disowning a particular universal value or truth by a nation or a region.

-E

Viewer Sahib, not being able to pay is one lousy excuse. Government can chip in as easily as it chips in the stipends, etc. Your arguments about Pakistani academic values being different from the American is ludicrous, in light of the fact that almost 90% of texts in undergraduate courses are pretty universal. There is nothing American or Pakistani about Physics. You either get it or you don’t. And those who dont get it should not be pursuing PhDs, because they will then end up producing students that won't be able to pass high school.

I believe that GRE test should not be a requirement for PhD entrance or to obtain a PhD degree from a Pakistani university because:

a) For an average Pakistani PhD candidate (as Mubasher has argued earlier) it is very hard to pay the GRE testing fees

b) The GRE test is representative of American academic values, as many American authors have also raised this point in their writings. It is, therefore, irrelevant to our higher education system

If Prof. Hoodbhoy and his associates really want to put in place the GRE test then they should ensure that:

a) The admitting university or the government pays the testing fees

b) They should come up with a detailed report justifying why the testing system is useful for Pakistani higher education even though there is growing and strong resistance against this testing system in the US

c) They should arrange free preparatory classes for the GRE tests in Pakistani universities

d) They should justify the costs and gains of doing the above actions in front of the costs and gains of helping to improve our local testing system

Re: # 49
Kulharee writes: "Prof. Hodbhoy has always made valid points when it comes to issues of higher education in Pakistan."

I don't disagree with that.

My point is who is supposed to pay the GRE testing fee and why. Especially, why should we accept that GRE is the right and appropriate testing system for our local PhD candidates. A detailed justification is requested in light of the following:

a)Jeff Schmidt (who was the editor of Physics Today magazine for nineteen years) has argued in his book "Disciplined Minds" that in the GRE testing system "...a successful student is the one who either shares the testers' values or senses those values and adapt them for the examination."

b)Why should we adapt those (predominantly American) values and why should not we (even though gradually) develop our own values by putting in more efforts (which Prof. Hoodbhoy and his associates remain disinclined to do) in developing a faithful and reliable testing systems of our own.

At this point I would like Prof. Hoodbhoy to please also have a look at a 1962 book by Banesh Hoffmann, who was Einstein's collaborator, titled "The Tyranny of Testing."

GRE general tests analytical/verbal reasoning as well as ability to think critically (a basic requirement for pursuing any graduate studies). The subject tests only measure the understanding of a subject at the undergraduate level. If Pakistani students can’t show a competency in the subjects that they supposedly studied before pursuing a PhD program, they should then either join the Army (like other dungars produced by our educational system) or open a pakoRa stand. Leave PhDs for those who can show a little competency and can demonstrate an ability to think critically. Prof. Hodbhoy has always made valid points when it comes to issues of higher education in Pakistan.

Re: # 47
Zeeba writes: "its not fair to the author if one absolutely fails to grasp his point here. The point that he is trying to make here is of academic quality, standards..."

Re: Of course, we should have a testing system for entering PhD candidates to ensure quality. No one is denying that.

My point is that the GRE represents the mindset of the US universities and may be best suited there. Why our poor PhD students should pay heavy fees for a test that is completely irrelevant for our higher education system?

If Prof. Hoodbhoy desires that the Pakistani PhD students should take the test then our universities should also offer GRE test preparation classes and should provide other support in this regard. As a Head of Physics deptt at QAU, is Prof. Hoodbhoy willing to start GRE preparation classes?

Also, if in any case GRE is required by a Pakistani university for entrance into PhD program, the university should be willing to pay all the testing fees.

Without these measures, asking our PhD students to take the GRE test favours students coming from certain financial and academic background.

Secondly, I would like to ask Prof. Hoodbhoy that instead of paying heavy GRE testing fees, and having preparatory classes for a testing exam which is completely irrelevant to our education system, why should not we put our best efforts to improve and develop existing Pakistani testing system initiated earlier by HEC.

"This business is, therefore, surely irrelevant to Pakistani higher education system. It, however, certainly helps to provide the US the so-called #Peons of the West.#"

Though I might agree that the GRE is a business and has already created monopoly over the international education system (particularly in the US) same goes for ETS, IELTS, TASP, SAT, LSAT and what not.that is there to check an individual's standard.
The business is indeed profitable, even to the point of being exploitive (for eg. exam retakes to ensure validity every two years) but this doesn't mean one can discredit the testing systems which are aimed at testing a candidate's academic aptitude.

I think, its not fair to the author if one absolutely fails to grasp his point here. The point that he is trying to make here is of academic quality, standards, and filtering out student based on their capacities before enrolling them into sophisticated degree programs at recognized institutions. If these standards are not maintained, then this very seriously undermines the quality of a unversity which once was considered among the good lot. And of course, if the lack of control over quality will eventually result in its irredeemable demise.

If you agree with ensuring quality of education, then is it really true that Pakistan has devised its own testing standard yet that can ensure a student's credibilty? Is it right to declare each and everyone a Phd. candidate, even after he has miserably failed the standard test?

Mubashir in his previous post has raised a very god question, which is how in Pakistan, with its national economy doom, can a student afford to pay a 12000 Rs. test in order to get into the program. It is not that I can't sympathize with those who can't pay, but my support is for those who are genuinely serious about a Phd. and know it well that a doctorate degree is not everybody's joke.

Is it not really a joke that almost everyone with little or no academic capability to become a Phd. student in Pakistan?
If I had found it to be funny enough, I too would have joined any Phd. program anywhere in the country because its so easy to call every other person a "scholar" or a "doctor" here. But I'm in no mood of risking 12000 over something which I know is probably not meant for me.


Sad indeed!

Dr. Hoodbhoy.... i am sure you will agree with me.... it's time to stop worrying and abandon ship. This country is beyond the point of no return in its senseless sink.
The entire general mindset, the entire system has rotten to the core (tell me one example, in any given field that indicates that this country will survive the next 4 years and not become Afghanistan.)
It will... messers viewer and mubasher are making sure that they put in their two cents worth towards that goal. only a general indicator of the collective mindset.
Mediocrity is not shameful. trying to pass mediocrity as excellence, and stubbornly defending this act is. but mediocrity wont pay the bill of existence.

Hoodbhoy reminds me of "Zakir-e-Sham-e-Ghariban". Now, it is debatable if education system in Pakistan is as horrible as was the death of Hussain and co.

Re: # 42
I wonder then how and why Prof. Hoodbhoy, in his writings, often makes reference to "wonderful" Indian and Iranian academic institutions, while Indians and Iranians both deny that they are infact not so "wonderful" and troubles with them are similar as they are with Pakistani institutions.