Dr. Yaqoob Bangash, a distinguished professor, researcher, and historian hailing from Lahore, Pakistan, addresses the critical issues plaguing higher education in Pakistan. This interview dives deep into the alarming state of higher education in the country.
Dr. Yaqoob begins by shedding light on the disturbing trend of rapid university charter approvals by the Pakistani Parliament, both in the private and public sectors. He asserts that this practice has been ongoing for decades, resulting in a proliferation of substandard educational institutions. These institutions, some with questionable names and locations, risk diluting the quality of education and churning out graduates with degrees of questionable value.
Moreover, he exposes the issue of fake knowledge generation and publication in academia, which further erodes the quality of education. He highlights the urgent need for regulatory bodies like the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to address these challenges rather than focusing solely on numerical expansion.
The interview further delves into the dire consequences of this educational crisis, emphasizing the potential for rising unemployment and social resentment among the youth, a significant demographic in Pakistan. Dr. Yaqoob makes a compelling case for the need to differentiate between colleges and universities, emphasizing that universities should be centers of knowledge creation, not just knowledge dissemination.
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