Dubious Universities

This is to confirm what has been written in messages 4 & 5. The delay was due to my being away 11-22 Nov in Delhi.

Since early 2003, when I started looking into the fake degree scandal, I kept Dr Atta-ur-Rahman and other top officials of the HEC informed. Names of institutions and individuals connected with a few of the cases I unearthed were made known to HEC, but it failed to move. It became clear to me that HEC would do nothing until the matter was exposed in the press.

Under pressure, the HEC has now published ads listing names of institutions that students ought to avoid. It however fails to list many of the institutions that the HEC/UGC/GoP has been party to giving charter to, and which are grossly sub-standard.

In 1985 there were only 25 universities, many of which were fairly rotten, but in one year alone, 2002, the government went wild and gave charter to 27 universities! The HEC was party to this, even though it tends to wash its hands off higher education in the provinces. What then of places like NUML which lies in the shadow of HEC within the capital?

Continuous media pressure and oversight by the PM`s and President`s offices will keep the HEC vigilant. If the HEC`s charter requires strengthening, this is the time to do it. We now need a tiger with teeth, rather than a docile cat that just dishes out money.

#4 SRJafri

Here is a letter published in today`s (Nov. 14, 2004) The News:

Sub Standard Universities

Naeem Sadiq

Dr. Isa Daudpota, project leader Center for Frontier Technologies, Islamabad was fired from his job on 8th November 2004. He spent past many years, advocating and writing on issues that concern raising the standard of science and education in Pakistan, preservation of water and environments, human rights and social causes. Why was then such an eminent, pragmatic, and forthright person abruptly shown the door at a few days notice?

One does not expect the academic institutions, research organizations, universities and Higher Education Commission to adopt a mafia - like approach of ganging up against some one who raises questions about their working and standards. In a series of articles, written over past several months, Dr. Daudpota exposed the racket of many fake and substandard universities in Pakistan and how they award worthless Ph. D. degrees in as little as six months. He wanted Higher Education Commission to use its mandate to investigate if NUML and Islamabad University Vice Chancellors themselves have valid Ph. D degrees, and if these degrees came form correctly accredited sources. It was also suggested that HEC should carry out an academic audit of NUML (and many other universities) to determine if they are involved in granting those fast-food restaurant style, six monthly PH. D degrees, specially to gain favour from people in important places. HEC, perhaps because of its own oversights and omissions, has decided to take the side of those who are following these fake and substandard academic practices. Instead of appointing an independent commission to look into these issues, close down such fake universities (43 of them only in the province of Sindh), declare the names of false or fake degree holders, and oust some vice chancellors for themselves possessing inappropriate degrees, it chose the easy way out. It fired the messenger who brought the message.

Would the prime minister who is himself a graduate of an institute of repute and holds a valid MBA degree, appoint an independent commission to investigate the fake degree awarding universities and their fake vice chancellors. A society that tolerates unethical and substandard institutes of higher learning would have little to look forward to.

Karachi.

I hear that Isa lost his job following the two articles he wrote on the dismal situation of higher education in Pakistan. His criticism of the NUML did not impress the GHQ and/or the HEC costing him his job at COMSTECH. COMSTECH is headed by none other than the chairman HEC Professor Dr. Atta-ur-Rehman.

Can somebody confirm that?

C`mon guys there would be no need for pakistani or muslims students to cross several oceans to get better education if OUR education system was good or more advance.

Once there was time when the entire world use to come to muslims for education but its opposite now. I too have the same problem with the universities ,i am doing A level in Physic and Maths for engineering but there`s a clash some universities requires A level chemistry and some don`t, no one gives me the correct info.

On the contrary nice article Sir jee

[Preston’s latest newsletter (Preston News, Vol 4, No 2, July-Sept 2004) reports the appointment of a new Vice Chancellor, Dr Nazir Mughal, at its Karachi campus. Dr Mughal has been associated with Sindh University (SU), Jamshoro, and Edinboro University, Pennsylvania. The latter too, is not accredited by CHEA, the US Council for Higher Education Accreditation (www.chea.org).]

Edinboro University of Pennsylvania is actually a state teacher`s college whose name was upgraded about 20 years ago from Edinboro State College to Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. It has accreditation by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA) and the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

Students of Edinboro University with a BS in education serve as elementary and secondary school teachers throughout the US.

Some students in the fine arts department such as Sharon Stone achieve success in Hollywood.

Isa Sahib
Thanks for writing such a good article. I think that many people are realizing the importance of higher education in Pakistan. I believe that we will improve over the time.
We have a great talent in pakistan. It is just that we have to provide an environment, where education will flourish.Many nations go through decadance before they rise up. Pakistan is no different. We need to be positive, and keep the hope alive.

Regards.