Within our society, youngsters start to work very early without knowing how to define their career path. Education does not provide orientation to young aspiring professionals but emphasizes the idea that the primary goal is a degree with which they can apply for a decent job in order to earn money for the everyday spending. This obsolete system hasn’t changed since decades, still offering old syllabi to students in public schools and colleges. As far as the common man is concerned the quality of education seems to be the least important point. However, even the so called front runners in the education system do not challenge or try to change it over time – A fact that results in a poor educational framework which is only emphasizing recitation in order to pass the exams and get a degree.
Personally, I’m one of those youngsters described above who started to work very early in life and thus couldn’t complete their master studies. After the years passed by and I acquired a senior position in a local organization, I deliberated about whether I should enroll myself at the University of Karachi within the Public Administration Department for a Masters of HRM. My objective behind it was to gain greater knowledge about my working field, learn new tools and techniques of HRM and at last get a degree as well.
So finally my classes started in September 2013. Being the only one with more than 15 years of working experience in my class, I realized that the teachers didn’t provide anything useful for today’s market demand and only repeated what had been taught in the past years. They weren’t ready to change because of their lack of exposure to practical life while I was aware of the demands of the corporate world.
Old books and obsolete theories were the epitome of their teaching. Particularly the class participation was held at a bare minimum and instead teachers delivered their whole lectures without any break, not interacting or motivating the students to participate. The general perception of the students was similar: they just wanted to get the attendance in the classes in order to pass and achieve the next semester. Moreover, most of the teachers were members of the permanent faculty and thus didn’t even bother to give classes regularly. Instead of classes the students had time to wander around the campus, sit at a tea shop or drive the long way back home.
So while I was studying at the University of Karachi I didn’t get to know the experienced and qualified faculty people were talking about. Instead I was disappointed by the casual teaching style, the regular absence of the teachers, the lackluster administration of the department and the class rooms. But especially the utterly pathetic and obsolete educational system that only required the students to recite, pass and get the degree without the acquisition of new skills or corporate norms frustrated me the most. Therefore, I decided to leave the University of Karachi because my aim was not only to get a degree but to learn.
With all respect, teachers like Dr. Abuzar Wajidi, Dr. Shabib, Dr. Balouch and others are not fulfilling the modern educational standards which should prepare and enable young professionals for the real and cruel challenges of the corporate world. I’m aware of the fact that certain limitations exist when it comes to government institutions but nevertheless it should not prevent teachers and the mentioned individuals to impart quality education based on the demands of the current job market. I’m of the opinion that these educated people should finally realize the time they are living in and learn new teaching techniques and tools to train young professionals so they can become the leaders of tomorrow.
You are right about the deteriorating condition of education in our institutions, but I believe that this problem is not just limited to the public universities, private universities too excel as diploma mills!
The fact is there are only few universities in Pakistan that actually impart quality business education.
By the way as far as I’ve heard KU’s Dept of International Relations is actually a good dept and holds some really good teachers. But ironically students of Business school and/or Public Administration doesn’t even know may be they aren’t offered to study in other faculties (as subsidiaries).
I hope HEC could raise the standard of our educational institutions!
Even those universities in Pakistan who claim to have interactive sessions and discussions; are really pathetic and disappointing. Reason? We as a nation, are always looking for short cuts, we have NEVER read by willingness, we do not WANT to gain knowledge. Money can be earned by thumb imprinters as well. That’s what we are after.
And then I am sorry to say, though you should not have named anybody, these teachers end up as teachers because they can do nothing else. I am in PG right now, I do remember a school teacher, Bhen ki lori, abu jahel ki bachi, bhencod students ko school ma thappar mara krti thi k essay grammer se chappa q nhi?