And Dr. Shahid Hussain Bokhari Quits…

Re: # 24
Leaving in humility is worse than leaving in protest especially when you strongly disagree on policy matters. A humble resignation conveys the OK sign to the administrators sitting in HEC. It is also not question of leaving for greener grass. If that were the case, Prof. Bokhari must have had left much earlier. Policies of HEC during recent years are forcing existing researching to leave the country; while HEC is trying to bring ex-patriates at much higher pays in the so-called foreign faculty hiring program. In the first preference HEC must try to convince the existing researcher not to leave the country. Prof. Bokhari is not alone, Prof. Suhail Zubairy from Electronics Deptt of QAU also left a couple of years ago almost on similar grounds, I suppose. His departure, Like that of Prof. Bokhari`s, is damaging because no one of his stature in quantum optics is left in this country.

Sounds like Dr. Bokhari is an accomplished individual who loves to teach. I find tho that his litany of complaints is fairly trivial at one level (someone else got better labs, etc. which is a common complaint everywhere) and it`s not clear how his resigning would help matters at all. Maybe he doesn`t want to be a part of what he considers a failing institution and this is just an elaborate rationalization for him wanting to move to greener pastures.
He also seems to want to preserve UET as purely engg college surprising considering that he himself is in a very interdisciplinary field. A place like MIT is phenomenal precisely because the distinction between pure and applied sciences is deliberately blurred. In some departments like ChemE the faculty consists of renowned physical chemists who never studied engg but are at the cutting edge of ChemE!
Students need to be exposed to interdisciplinary thinking unless the purpose of UET is simply to turn out serviceable engineers in which case Dr. Bokhari`s complaints have NO merit at all.

sad how we continue to undermine the best minds ... but I not surprized the least and this kind of shame will go on ...

I was one of Professor Bukhari`s students in the mid 90`s. He was one of the best. As an undergraduate I did not know much about his research activities, but his teaching was inspirational. His departure is a big loss to the UET.

Omar:

It is obvious that you have a lot of respect and regard for your teacher. You have done the right thing by raising your due concern. In my opinion, Dr. Bokari should go where he has respect, better opportunity and intellectual satisfaction. Life is too short to waste on a system where your positive energies are spent in fighting. Why not preserve those energies and utilize them elsewhere? I agree with Kulhari`s brazen but well said thoughts. It`s time for Mr. Bokhari to move on. What is HEC? Higher Education Committee or Council?

Thank you Omer Cheema for bringing this very important piece of news to the attention of all the chowk members.
I am indeed deeply saddened by his resignation. I know a good deal about UET and I can tell you the only good thing that has ever happened to UET was Dr. Bokhari and now he`s gone.

Thanks Again.
Regards

Dr. Shahid Hussain Bokhari has an impressive resume. I am sure he will do well anywhere he goes. Wish him the best.

Dear kulharee,

Please enlighten us. Did you use to interact on this site under a different id? And since you make it a point to disclose your affiliation with a minority, maybe you`d also like to come out of the closet?

later
-sac

P.S:Where are the defenders of HEC and Dr. Ata alias God? They usually reside in places like France and Toronto.

Re: # 12

Dear Sac,

I am not sure what you mean. I am a newbie here.


Re: # 11

Finder: On top of that he is blowing his trumpet so loud in that letter that it makes you wana puke. He fails to make a single argument against any of the policy stances he does not agree with, but he doesn’t backout from bragging about his records and accomplishment. His letter sounds more like a job application than a letter of contempt. It could have been a lot more useful by stating the point in a clear and concise way:

Here’s how it should have read:

HEC people,

I am leaving.

Good Bye.

Thanks for your attention.

Whether or not I (or anyone else) support his cause is inconsiquential, but issues such as these can be handled in a lot more professional way. If he wants to leave, fine. I fail to understand that what does his long tenure and impressive credentials have to do (if anything at all) with his decision to leave? These two are mutually exclusive with one having nothing to do with the other.

My point is that it took the Professor 25 years to realize that UET is a Publicly funded institution and policies of it are made by the bureaucrats. And if he doesn’t like these policies, that’s perfectly within his rights, but if he wants to see them changed, he needs to learn to work the system.

I am sure Dr Bokhari is mad at the HEC, I believe all reaonable academics are.

However, some of the reasons given by Dr. Bokhari are not worthy of a man of research standing.

Please refer to the points in Dr. Bokhari`s writing

1. His foremost reason to leave is that he does not like the Tenure-track system. May I take the liberty of pointing out that this system is used the world over. Also, many great Pakistani scientists (there are a few) want to have that system implemented. I am talking about the likes of Prof. Riaz-ud-Din (Chairman National Center for Physics). If you think Dr. Bokhari`s credentials are impressive, please run a check on Dr. Riaz-ud-Din.

3. While the Oman Chair may cause a few problems, if it is reserved for only the most accomplished of researchers, there is no harm in attracting them by paying a lot of money.

7. I take particular offense to this point. The logic is pathetic. Because UET was a purely engineering institute is no reason for it to be good. In my opinion, introducing the sciences is a very good step. Why do we think the sciences are any lower than engineering. The world-over physics and maths are considered to be the most challenging fields. Plus all of engineering requires a lot of maths and physics to make sense of things. I do not understand why Dr Bokhari would write such a thing.

Cheers

Re: # 11
higgsfinder: ``UET was a purely engineering institute is no reason for it to be good. In my opinion, introducing the sciences is a very good step. Why do we think the sciences are any lower than engineering. The world-over physics and maths are considered to be the most challenging fields. Plus all of engineering requires a lot of maths and physics to make sense of things. I do not understand why Dr Bokhari would write such a thing.``

Re: Certainly a right comment and I think Prof. Dr. Bukhari must answer it.

Prof. Bukhari: ``With the initiation of pure science and mathematics programs in the UET the level of teaching and research has started going down precipitously``

Re: I also don`t understand the meaning and context of such a comment from Prof. Bukhari. Could Prof. Bukhari post a reply?

Prof. Bukhari: ``We were able to achieve this status because the UET (and formerly the Maclagan College) were exclusively engineering institutions where the rigors of engineering education could be exercised in isolation from the overall poor level of our Nation`s general universities.``

Re: I believe the (high) ``status`` is indeed reserved for Prof. Bukhari only. Extending it beyond may be exaggeration. How come the (application of) ``the rigors of engineering education`` (without the impurifying effects of basic sciences) is guaranteed to lead to the so-called ``higer levels`` of the UET education? Could Prof. Bukhari please reply? I don`t think Pakistan, as a country, can be placed at significantly higher position in its engineering achievements if Prof. Bukhari is rated by ISI as one of the most cited author. However, I can certainly see a very strange sense of engineers placing themselves somehow higher in getting quality education, which I don`t realy believe can be justified just from the records of ISI.

Re: # 16

@ higgsfinder: ``UET was a purely engineering institute is no reason for it to be good. In my opinion, introducing the sciences is a very good step. Why do we think the sciences are any lower than engineering. The world-over physics and maths are considered to be the most challenging fields. Plus all of engineering requires a lot of maths and physics to make sense of things. I do not understand why Dr Bokhari would write such a thing.``

Dr. Bokhari`s point wasnt this at all. He didnt mean to say that physics and maths should not be a part of the institution. What he said was: ``With the initiation of pure science and mathematics programs in the UET the level of teaching and research has started going down precipitously.`` I being a current student of uet know that after the initiation of maths and pure science programs, senior professors of physics and maths who first taught engineering students their required courses, now only teach the students of these programs. Because of the shortage of senior teachers, the engineering students are left to the mercy of fresh graduates and new recruits who have no experience at all. This in turn affects the engineering students greatly as they require strong background of physics and maths to understand the concepts of engineering itself and freshly recruited teachers can hardly ever give them this.

Re: # 16

@ higgsfinder: ``UET was a purely engineering institute is no reason for it to be good. In my opinion, introducing the sciences is a very good step. Why do we think the sciences are any lower than engineering. The world-over physics and maths are considered to be the most challenging fields. Plus all of engineering requires a lot of maths and physics to make sense of things. I do not understand why Dr Bokhari would write such a thing.``

Dr. Bokhari`s point wasnt this at all. He didnt mean to say that physics and maths should not be a part of the institution. What he said was: ``With the initiation of pure science and mathematics programs in the UET the level of teaching and research has started going down precipitously.`` I being a current student of uet know that after the initiation of maths and pure science programs, senior professors of physics and maths who first taught engineering students their required courses, now only teach the students of these programs. Because of the shortage of senior teachers, the engineering students are left to the mercy of fresh graduates and new recruits who have no experience at all. This in turn affects the engineering students greatly as they require strong background of physics and maths to understand the concepts of engineering itself and freshly recruited teachers can hardly ever give them this.

Kulharee ``Pakistan’s (or EE department of UET’s) existence or survival does not depend on one little no body. All the teachers can go to hell for all I care.``

Re: If the HEC and the country will not care then ``all the one little no bodies`` that you have referred to, will indeed prefer to leave. The huge difference it will create will become apparant. Institutions in the present world are judged by their capacity to retain their faculty members who really make a difference.

Kulharee ``Now if you have some solid argument to make, let’s hear it. Otherwise go and do whatever the hell you do.``

Re: The argument has already been given by the Omer Cheema in his article. I am just trying to protest against the abusive language you have used for a senior teacher of UET.

Kulharee: ``Go and check out lines at the foreign consulates in Islamabad some day``
Re: Do you really think that all the people lining up are Dr. Bukharis?

Kulharee: ``The letter the professor wrote to the HEC would get a D- if written by a junior high student elsewhere``

Re: The comments you have made about Dr. Bukhari will surely lead to your expulsion from any self-respecting junior high school.

Re: # 8

Einstein, Do you know what keeping an eye on the ball means?

I don`t know Professor Bokhari personally but his research career is impressive. How many are there of Pakistani origin who have such impressive record. I don`t know the internal mechanism and politics of HEC but I do respect his decision. If he believes he can continue his research career more profitably (not in terms of money only) some place else, so be it. In the end, it`s a loss for UET and Pakistan.
To produce one meaningful research paper is neither trivial nor ordinary. I respect Professor Shahid for his work. After reading the sentiments expressed in the paper, it appears that Professor Bokhari did his job quite well. Motivating the students is imprtant part of teaching.

Mohammad Gill