A Step in the right Direction
by Sabiha Mansoor 

posted: May 05, 2002

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The announcement in the press regarding recommendations for bringing about improvements in higher education by increasing the existing two-year degree programme to a four-year one, made by the Task Force on Higher Education set up last year by President Musharraf, is a welcome step.

All the major areas from curriculum and materials to teacher training and testing and evaluation have suffered due to lack of importance attached to education, particularly higher education, in our country as seen in the financial allocations made to the education sector in the past. As a result, Pakistan finds itself lagging behind developing countries in South Asia such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and India both in terms of literacy as well as quality of education. These sad facts are all too familiar to students and teachers and have been discussed so frequently amongst academic circles that there is no need to further elaborate on them.

What is required, however, is an attempt to understand the implications of this bold step taken by the Task Force to increase the two-year degree programme to a four-year one, both in terms of the usefulness of this recommendation as well as the measures that should be considered by the government to implement this policy successfully.

The significance of this step is to be seen in the fact that in all the education policies and reports of education commissions set up by various governments in the last five decades, no mention has been made to increase the duration of the degree programme to four years so as to bring it at par with international standards. The only exception is the National Education Policy of Nawaz Sharif (1998) that recommends a three-year BA/BSc (Honours) course parallel to the two-years degree course, all the others are silent on this issue.

The problems that our graduates face with regard to the present two-year degree programme are numerous. Foremost amongst these is the fact that the Pakistani bachelors degree is not recognized anywhere in the world and is rather seen as a fourteen-year course that our students have undertaken. As a result our graduates cannot obtain admission in postgraduate programmes abroad as all international universities of repute have a four-year degree programme. Indeed, our degree students have to join the ranks of the high school graduates who have completed their A-levels or Higher Secondary School (12 years schooling).

The other option that many of us have exercised is to first do a local Masters (16 year study) and then proceed for an International Masters abroad. In other words, 16 years study is required to be eligible for entry to postgraduate studies abroad. In addition, our graduates are also not paid for work abroad on the same terms and conditions as others.

All major employers in the country are also questioning the quality of Pakistani graduates. Under these circumstances the extension of the two-year degree programme is but a necessary requirement for our students to get their degrees recognized internationally. This recommendation needs to be implemented despite expected resistance from some quarters, particularly from the segment of students and teachers for whom the obtainment of the degree is more of a commercial requirement than an academic pursuit. The litmus test of this recommendation will depend ultimately not on the length of the degree programme but on how successfully it is implemented to bring about the required changes in the quality of the programme that the four-year period will allow it to undertake.

The following factors will need to be considered:

* The approach and design of the new BA/BSc curriculum that ensures that the program is intensive and rigorous and meets the challenges of the 21st century. The selection of courses in various disciplines should divide the four-year program in a way that the first two years help provide a broad base of inter-disciplinary knowledge in liberal arts and humanities and the next two years enable the students to major in areas that will help prepare them for their future professions.

The courses would need to incorporate updated knowledge available and construe it in a manner that is interesting and relevant to our learners. Again, the emphasis would have to be on problem-solving and application of theoretical principles that stimulate the mental abilities of our students so as to make them active and responsible learners, and not on rote learning and cramming of textbooks that reduce their role to a passive and dependent one.

* The curriculum should also include a course on research methodology that would help to introduce a culture of research and critical inquiry amongst Pakistani students. This course should focus on indigenous research that not only equips our students with the latest and most reliable methods of research, but also helps them to understand the importance of relating theory with practice. In addition, research in local issues would generate an interest in the educated youth about problems in their own community and would motivate them to discover ways and means to find suitable solutions. This course would help our graduates to become citizens who are civic minded and responsible and thus useful members of society.

* Teacher training should be made mandatory for those wishing to enter the profession. In almost all developing countries in South Asia such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, and Malaysia, both pre-service and in-service training of teachers is mandatory. Teachers would need to be trained in all aspects of delivery that is planning lessons, designing teaching materials, and assessment. In addition, teachers would have to be made aware of the new humanistic approaches to teaching/ learning as well as techniques that make classroom teaching more interactive and useful.

* Modern methods of assessment that are efficient and updated should be incorporated as part of the new course design. The end-of-course external examination would have to be discouraged and a continuous mode of assessment would have to be introduced. The practice of on-going assessment would help impart more autonomy to the teacher as well as help the learners to be involved with their progress throughout the year.

* A clear statement regarding language policy in higher education is required so as to provide sufficient linguistic support to our students. The present flexi-approach where English, the official medium of instruction in higher education, can be supplemented by teachers explanations in Urdu as well as the students having the option of taking their examinations in Urdu, is leading to a further decline in educational standards.

This is a no-win situation where teachers and students lack teaching and learning materials in Urdu, nor do they have the required language proficiency to cope with their studies in English. The attitudes and English language needs of students and teachers involved with higher education should be studied so as to come up with a viable language policy for colleges and universities.

If English were to be the medium of instruction then the introduction of an efficient and suitable English language support program in place of the outdated and literature-oriented English course presently in use, would be very necessary. These programs would provide English language support to LEP (Limited English Proficiency) students, particularly the Urdu medium students on the basis of access and equity. Both subject teachers as well as English teachers would also need support through in-house courses to be proficient in English.

* The masters programs in all disciplines would also have to be revamped to make them more challenging and to meet international standards. This has implications for all the course designers and faculty involved with postgraduate programs in the country. At present, the masters program is in fact only the second part of the undergraduate courses and does not meet the necessary requirements.

* The provision of more technical courses that can absorb the high school students, who do not have the ability to cope with more intensive degree programs, would have to be made. An increase in skilled labour would also have beneficial long-term effects for the students and the employment sector in the country. At present, many graduates are unemployed that has led to frustration and an increased crime rate in society.

* Adopting well thought of measures involving teachers and students would also be necessary to deal with resistance to change. Strategies that involve seminars and workshops on the changeover would help ease the transition especially for those teachers and students who will see the change as threatening. Possible problems related to the cost of the degree program for students could also arise. Sensitizing students to the importance of the four-year degree program and its long-term benefits in both higher education and work prospects, especially abroad, would need careful thought and strategic planning. Student counselling at high school level would also be useful in imparting information to students regarding their future courses.

In light of the above, it can be seen that the implementation of the recommendations put forth by the Task Force is not an easy task. It will require a commitment from all those interested in improving the quality of higher education. The step to extend the duration of the degree program from two to four years should therefore be seen as the first but necessary step, in a series of initiatives undertaken by the government in the right direction.

from http://www.dawn.com/weekly/education/education.htm