Education in Pakistan: All Demand and Little Supply

I would like to speak about education in Pakistan at two ends of the spectrum-- at one end higher education in the private sector, and at the other end NGO schooling for the very poor. In each case, I will try to identify criteria that successfully meet parents' demand for education, and then address the question of how successful initiatives can be sustained.
Providing education to its citizens is clearly not a priority for the Government of Pakistan. Policy makers do not seem to realize the immense importance of investing in the people of the country, and not only in roads and airports. Lack of skills and high illiteracy levels are as great a barrier to economic development as inadequate infrastructure. This will become increasingly evident as Pakistan is forced to compete in world markets where most developing countries already have more skilled workers.
Low investment in girls education also imposes a high cost on society. When women are more educated, labor force participation rates increase, their children are better nourished and educated, and of utmost importance to Pakistan, fertility rates are lowered. The population of Pakistan is estimated to grow to 250 million in twenty years and the country does not have the resources to sustain this increase. Female illiteracy will be an important contributor to this population increase.
DEMAND FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR The need for colleges and universities to provide quality education cannot be emphasized enough. Good institutions of higher learning are essential for building leadership and professionalism in our country.
Unfortunately government institutions no longer enjoy the reputation they used to 20 years ago. The spacious campuses of Punjab University, Government college Lahore and Karachi University, are not perceived as institutions of high academic standards anymore. At the core of this deterioration is the public examination system. Malpractice in the system have made the Intermediate, Bachelors and Masters degrees unreliable measures of student competence. Public institutions of higher learning have also become a hotbed of student politics, and student and teacher absenteeism is high.
The inability of degrees from government universities and colleges to serve as screening devices for selecting graduates in the job market has led to a substantial demand by parents and employers for private higher education, where students are willing to pay high fees. We are all familiar with the traffic jams caused by private colleges and institutions that have mushroomed in rented houses in cities all over Pakistan. However these institutions are mostly commercial ventures, some of them playing a role in providing marketable skills. Most serve as tuition centers to prepare students for board exams, rarely providing quality education and opportunities for intellectual growth.
A few universities in the private sector have attempted to fill this vacuum for quality higher education, of which the best known two are the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and the Aga Khan Medical University in Karachi. These universities provide successful alternatives to poor quality education in the public sector. In the case of the Lahore University of Management Sciences, the initiative came from businessmen, who supported and funded the setting up of a private school that they perceived would meet the demand of Pakistani industrialists and bankers for well qualified local MBAs.
I will highlight the experience of a relatively recent establishment in the private sector, the Lahore School of Economics. The Lahore School originally aimed to provide a graduate degree in Economics and Management and eventually expand to an undergraduate program. The Lahore School was established in 1993 and received a charter from the provincial government at the beginning of 1997. I was teaching at the School during this formative stage, and it gave me an opportunity to gain some insights into the mechanics of the birth of an institution. It was clear that there is substantial demand for quality higher education in the private sector. Parents are willing to pay over Rs. 100,000 a year for educating sons as well as daughters which is several times higher than the cost of an equivalent degree from a public university, but at the same time lower than the cost of sending students to foreign universities. Parents' demand also reflects the job market demand for education. For instance, bankers and industrialists often commented on the preference for well trained local MBAs over those with foreign qualifications as the local graduate adjusted better to the Pakistani business environment. For this reason, banks and businesses are also willing to support private institutions because they need well trained graduates to work in their organizations.
There are many interesting features and stages in the setting up of an institution. My focus here is to identify three features that served as important criteria for meeting the demand for higher education.
obtaining a charter by the government to award the institution's own degrees
ensuring well qualified faculty willing to work intensively with students
creating an atmosphere of learning through regular assignments on current topics, regularly inviting speakers on a variety of topics and supplementing lectures with tutorial sessions.
Obtaining the Charter. The process of obtaining a federal or provincial charter that allows a private university to award its own degrees is a fairly rigorous one, and although the government has allowed many educational institutions to flourish, there is a long review process before official sanction is given. Therefore a private institution's willingness to go through this process and open itself up for review is important for establishing credibility. One of the primary objectives of the Lahore School was to obtain a charter from the government to enable it to award its own "recognized" degrees. The process of obtaining the government of Punjab charter took three years of active pursuit. This was a frustrating experience, requiring a high level of persistence. Since the School had announced its intention of pursuing the charter from the outset, students and faculty participated enthusiastically in the process. Obtaining a charter is therefore an important milestone in meeting quality standards expected by parents and employers and setting an institution apart from other commercial ventures.
Qualifications and dedication of Faculty. Even before the charter was obtained, enrollments were rising. The school started with a first batch of about 20 students. Just before the charter was obtained there were about 100 students enrolled in the program and now there are over 200 students. This was partly in anticipation of the charter, but also because well qualified teachers were recruited and were expected to work intensively with the students. Teachers were also given independence to design their own courses. Recruitment of well qualified staff is one of the biggest challenges in maintaining high standards.
Creating an Atmosphere of Learning. Another criteria for success is enabling the student to analyze the material being taught. When students entered the Master's program, although they were bright, eager and confident, their creative and analytical abilities had not been given an opportunity to develop in college years where the emphasis was on reproducing materials from textbooks for end-year examinations.
Tutorials were an important feature of each teaching session where material covered in lectures was reinforced through assignments based on the lecture and discussions among students divided into smaller groups.
Inviting outside speakers regularly to discuss real world situations relevant to the class material kept students abreast of current events and gave them an opportunity to exchange views with professionals and policy makers. Another important feature of many courses was assignments in which students were required do independent research. Although students were not used to independent work, or even using libraries, with faculty guidance and persistence, students overcame their initial reluctance and handicaps and often came up with creative projects.
Sustaining Standards in Private Higher Education Behind successful ventures there are always individuals or a group of people who are committed and persistent in achieving goals for their institutions. However when the institution expands, individuals may lose the momentum to maintain high standards. It may also not be possible for one person or a small group of persons to effectively continue maintaining the same level of interest and high standards. Once an institution is successfully established it is important to also establish a clear organization structure for sustaining quality to guide those who work in it.
To remain financially viable, it is important to be able to cover running costs through fees, and avoid unnecessary costly investments in facilities since parents and students attach a lot of value to the substance of the material taught, the competence of the instructors, and the ability of the faculty to work intensively with students. And investment in these inputs is in fact essential to meeting the demand for quality education.
In conclusion, how does one example aid us in thinking about the future of higher education? Does the solution lie in handing over higher education to the private sector? s to What about the public resources tied up in the infrastructure and staffing of the many government universities? Can these be salvaged? Although the majority of Pakistanis have access only to the cheaper state provided education, there is scarce evidence of reform in state universities. In one case, in an effort to reclaim its former reputation, Government College Lahore pursued autonomous status to give its own examinations and award its own degrees, independent from the Punjab examination board. This will be a challenging undertaking, since drastic reform of existing teaching methods, curriculum and funding will be required. The results of any committed efforts in this direction will be very instructive for similar experiments in other government colleges and universities.
Let me now turn to another vital area of schooling for children from low income families.