How Greed Ruins Academia

sure, but you're blaming 'neo-liberals' (how many of those are there in Pakistan, anyway? I thought Dr. Hoodhboy was the only ) for your choice to support the Taliban. Anyway, nevermind.

well,
I mean, I've chosen neo-Taliban since it is either American onslaught or Taliban reaction. And you happen to be anti-Taliban, thus your obvious choice will be American Imperialism. There is no third or middle way, right?
-E

"oh u mean, now your and your likes' choice is neo-liberal War on Terror, since mine is against it."

what do you mean?

#23

oh u mean, now your and your likes' choice is neo-liberal War on Terror, since mine is against it.

Great.
-E

"Just imagine, where have your neo-liberalism policies led us to, that now leftists are supporting neo-Taliban. You should get worried, no?"

don't blame your own choices on other people.

Well, Anil. No need for apology. I realize now that it was mere slip of tongue, as your anti-Masadi pulse pushed you to go out of order for a while. :)

Meritocracy. Hmm. Well, I don't think local talent is only nourished in foreign universities, because I have seen a lot of Grammerians, foreign-returned kids who know nothing about what they are talking about. And since, social sciences have been my concern for past 10 years I can only talk about it, I guess.

First of all, state-run universities should maintain merit. (HOW??) Private inititiatives are welcome, but only a handful of students can make it to them. State-run universities have an advantage of activism and a larger social life, which is as much a part of individual development as academic lectures are.

And since, this is purely my hypothesis, we have no social scientists who can work in disciplines such as sociology, philosophy, etc, we can't develop a healthy attitude towards values and works of natural sciences. So the point is to create a vibrant environment at state-run universities. Now, who will do that? I don't know. Does anybody in power want to do that? I don't think so. Will Pakistani society evolve this way? I don't believe so. Can it be done by thinking people? I only wish so.

On another note, despite all my rantings for lower classes I could never buy this excuse that some of my mates give me that poor individuals, who make it to state-run universities could not compete with Masadi-like foreign-returns, just because their parents couldn't get them into Grammer schools. I think some people can do that. Call them exceptions, but I know a few who did. And those are the few I respect the most.

Now this elite class that you mentioned, deserves a kind of pity, I think. I've seen these kids, who know no language, have nothing to offer to society except stupid jokes and comic stories. So, never mind. I love them. And I pity them at the same time.
-E

#1
Masadi,

You are diseased with a virus of your own, I think. Nobody can cure you. I read your filtered comment on Hoodbhoy on Anil's insistence, and it made me puke, u moron.

Each individual has a right to speak about issues concerning his affairs of life n workplace. Dr. Hoodbhoy did not step in socialogy, as far as I can tell. As a professor, an educationaist, a conecerned citizen, he has merely argued against wrong policies or HEC and attitude of professors. Now you better shut up, cuz it ain't your area of expertise as well. Period.

-E

Re: # 18

bittersweetmojo:

I am sorry for my comment, and would like to take it back. My main point is that it is important to create meritocracy in Pakistan's education system. I am told that Pakistan's system, unlike Indian system, allows private initiatives. Pakistan must have a very large, in fact far larger than what can be admitted in QAU, number of kids who would excel and cannot go abroad. I know for fact this is true for India. Sending kids abroad for esoteric subjects like social sciences, is a luxury only elites can afford to offer their kids. These families are least interested in creating meritocracy, as their kids would have to compete and could not get into those merit based instituions. I have seen this happening in India also.

Who is going to create meritocracy? Please read what Masadi wrote to criticize Prof. Hoodbhoy, as if this professor of sociology is more qualified to tell the other off.

Now that I have apologized, let us discuss the main point. Meritocracy in education in Pakistan.

#17
Well, Rabia, make one correction in your worried-tense. Only ONE former KU leftist is supporting neo-Taliban, for now. Just imagine, where have your neo-liberalism policies led us to, that now leftists are supporting neo-Taliban. You should get worried, no?

Besides that ONE former KU leftist is going crazy by seeing KU being forced to wear Hijab. Strange. Seems so. But in Sociology, which Anil brushes aside by calling it a useless discipline, it is called: SOCIAL CONTEXT.

Good day.

-E

#16

"... for most useless of study like sociology." WHAT!
God, Anil, you made me stunned. I never expected this out of you man.

I mean, from your Dhobi washing your silly River Island stock to your kid going to American schools, all things need sociology to explain it all.

Tragic!
-E

#13
isn't it a cause of worry that leftist KU students are supporting the neo-taliban?

Hoodbhoy sahib:

I find it hard to believe the woes you have listed. Pakistani society too, like all other, produces excellence. Only a fraction can go to the U.S. or Europe. What happens to the rest?

Are you trying to say that 100% of the Pakistani excellence has elite parents like professor Masadi's to send their wards abroad to the most useless of colleges for most useless of study like sociology?

Yes, intellectually bankrupt and ideological empowered professor Masadi Amkrika return from a college in buckle of bible belt like should not have any place in meritocracy.

It must be a tragedy that a system of meritocracy has not been created or sustained in Pakistan. Without which it is impossible to bring out creme de la creme of excellence out in a society. I know in Pakistan you have private initiatives, why do you not start a private initiative, and keep it strictly meritocracy based. Please do not involve the corrupters like Professor Masadi, else you will be spending time eradicating cancer, rather than enforcing meritocracy.

#14

Apart from other aspects of this menace, I agree with what you have pointed out. I think when the coward runs for his career, the oppurtunist takes over!
I have often wondered as to what happned to once-progressive KU and its student movements. Later I realized that progressives left, right-wingers stayed besides getting scholarships abroad.
But who cares for places like KU or QAU! All liberals and secularists eye foriegn destinations. And so much true for their lives, that Individualism proovides ample food for their guilt-diet.

Good luck!
-E

#13 About ring wing professors taking control of Paki universities:

When I used to be a student, I felt that most of my religious minded friends opted to go back to Pakistan as they had trouble finding "Halal food", offering prayers during working hours, trying to find a lota for washroom (and some of them used to convert washrooms into swimming polls during their lotafication process) etc etc. They genuinely missed Pakistan and they ended up in Pakistan.

On the other hand, "liberal and secular" friends had no trouble with tissue papers in toilet, halal/haram and namaz stuff. Rather they were happy that they could have girl friends and evenings in bars and pubs. They got jobs in multinationals, opted to stay abroad to concentrate on careers instead of wasting their knowledge in Pakistan. (Exceptions are everywhere and I do have a lot of respect for someone who has the courage to sacrifice his career for his country.). So, most of them ended up in the west.

So, when all religious people go back to Pakistan and seculars remain abroad, what will happen to universities in Pakistan. They will be full of right wing Molvis. Well, That's what exactly happened to most of the universities.

Dr. Hoodbhoy,

Adding a few dots to your worry charts, let me tell you that Karachi University has been taken over by extremely right-wing professors (I doubt their scholarship anyway!). In social sciences, the epitome of knowledge is no more a learned fellow, but a rascal from the gutters of Dr. Javed Ansari's peepholes, Wahab Soori.

95 per cent KU students have no mercy for scientific arguments and critical thinking, as their cult figures teach them "Beware of Science, And Get Marriaged as asap!". What the hell one can expect?


-E

Hoodboy is an Indian Agent.

He wants scientists to be like bhikmange Brahmins who study for the sake of study.

Science must be Ummah oriented. Science must be full of Islamic values and must corrobrate Quranic Revelations.

Science must be studied for the sake of Islam and not for its own sake!!