Tuesday, May 4, 2021
Is national education emergency a need of the hour?
Muhammad Murtaza NoorIt is unfortunate that rather than increasing the education budget, it has been decreased and due to this, universities and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)have suffered the most. Certainly, it should be the first and foremost responsibility of the governments, education ministry and the concerned authorities, like the Higher Education Commission (HEC), to examine existing problems and come up with the best possible solutions At the same time, it is the responsibility of academia to give their feedback and recommendations to the education ministry so that education standards can be uplifted. A close review of HEC’s budget for the last five years reveals that it remained stagnant at Rs.63.183 billion in 2017-18, Rs.65.020 billion in 2018-19, Rs.64.100 billion in 2019-20 and the same allocation of Rs.64.100 billion in 2020-21. This budget seems quite insufficient to meet the requirements of the 138 public sector universities in the country. That is why, during the last few years, we have witnessed chaos and unrest among the universities due to strikes by the faculty members and staff due to the non-payment of salaries and pensions. Concerning the involvement of academia in suggesting policy recommendations to the government, a live webinar on the topic titled, “Budget 2021-22: Needs & Expectations of Higher Education Sector” recently held in which Vice-Chancellors of different universities participated. While addressing the webinar, Prof. Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman strongly recommended an increase in allocation to education by federal and the provincial governments by at least 0.5% of the GDP annually until it reaches 5.0% of GDP over the next 5 years. He said that 33% should go to higher education and the rest 67% be spent on schools, colleges, and technical education. Prof. Rahman also suggested that at least 5% of all colleges should be converted to high-level technical colleges with foreign collaboration to ensure high-quality skilled workers. He also emphasised that 5,000 students should be sent on scholarships for PhD to top 200 universities abroad annually to pursue emerging technologies. He further added that major national programs for technology parks, promotion of innovation, entrepreneurship, funding for knowledge economy taskforce projects in emerging areas of industrial and agricultural importance and promotion of high tech manufacturing of value-added exports through appropriate policies and incentives. Also, he was of the view that the Tenure Track System (TTS) of appointment of faculty members in universities should be revised to attract top foreign faculty to Pakistan. He recommended the expansion of the matric-tech program in schools across Pakistan to provide technical training at the matric level. The Vice-Chancellor of Quaid-i-Azam University, Dr. Muhammad Ali Shah, suggested the allocation of 150 billion rupees in the new budget as a recurring budget to overcome a years-long deficit and financial problems being faced by Pakistani universities. Other speakers recommended allocating 5% of GDP for education, involvement of stakeholders and end-users across Pakistan in the policy formulation process, equal opportunities of scholarships, research grants and faculty training both for the public and private sectors, one window facility for issuance of NOC and the accreditation of academic programs in order to avoid unnecessary delays, and the establishment of a contributory fund for payment of pensions and encouraging the role of the private sector in the higher education sector. They also vowed to undertake collaborative efforts in order to overcome challenges being faced by the higher education sector. In the end, Prof Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman assured that these important recommendations made by the stakeholders would be communicated to the concerned quarters. Simultaneously, issues being faced by the Tenure Track System (TTS) faculty are also great headaches as well. Resolving the TTS promotion and salary issues, special bailout package for the universities which are unable even in paying salaries & pensions and allocating special budget for the universities with student hostels are some of the issues that must be tackled immediately. In summing up the whole discussion, it is quite clear that the Federal and Provincial Governments have to consider education as their top priority and, as it is obvious that due to a rapid increase in population and the youth bulge, it is high time to give due importance to improve standards as well as provide quality education to every citizen of Pakistan. For this, let’s join hands together and move forward collectively for making the future of our contemporary as well as future generations of the country brighter. https://nation.com.pk/03-May-2021/is-national-education-emergency-a-need-of-the-hour
Pakistani journalists' group vows to fight for press freedom
By MUNIR AHMEDThe media is facing growing censorship, attacks and harassment in Pakistan that are threatening freedom of the press, a committee of journalists said Monday. The government said there are no curbs on journalists in the country. But Pakistan has long been a dangerous place for journalists. There were 148 documented attacks or violations against journalists in Pakistan from May 2020 to April 2021 - an increase over previous years, according to The Dawn, the country's English-language newspaper. It said these incidents included six murders, seven attempted assassinations, five kidnappings, 25 arrests or detentions of journalists, 15 assaults and 27 legal cases registered against journalists. In an editorial marking World Press Freedom Day, the paper said the space for journalists in Pakistan was shrinking, and "a media in chains cannot hold the powerful to account and serve public interest as it is meant to do". Pakistan has long been a deadly place for journalists. In 2020, it ranked ninth on the Committee to Protect Journalists' annual Global Impunity Index, which assesses countries where journalists are murdered regularly and their killers go free. According to the CPJ, Bangladesh, Russia and India are ahead of Pakistan. Although the Pakistan government says it supports freedom of speech, rights activists often accuse Pakistan's military and its agencies of harassing and attacking journalists. On Monday, President of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists Shahzada Zulfiqar and Secretary-General Nasir Zaidi said freedom of the press is their hallmark and they "will not surrender this cause at any cost." They said journalists were also facing cuts in pay and thousands had become jobless. Mazhar Abbas, who often reports for Pakistan's independent Geo Television, told The Associated Press that curbs on media and attacks on journalists increased in recent years. So far, he said, it's not known whether the state has punished those linked to the abduction or harassment of journalists. He said the country's media regulatory body issued more than 12,000 notices to media people, newspapers, and news channels. Abbas said media in Pakistan was facing censorship for which the state uses different tactics, including telling media through the media regulatory body what can be reported and what cannot be reported. News channels are taken off air by the media regulatory body if press advice is not complied with, he said. However, Fawad Chaudhry, Pakistan's information minister, said in a statement that Pakistan's government regards the freedom of the press as a "fundamental, democratic and constitutional right." He did not address the allegations by the leaders of the journalists' association. https://www.startribune.com/pakistani-journalists-group-vows-to-fight-for-press-freedom/600052922/
Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari slams the selected PTI government on the record rate of inflation in the country.
Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has slammed the selected PTI government on the record rate of inflation in the country, warning the puppet Prime Minister that monthly inflation rate had gone through the roof at 11.1 percent. In a statement, the PPP Chairman pointed out that while the annual rate had reached 14.1 percent, according to the WPI, the inflation rate had reached 16.6 percent while according to the SPI, the inflation rate in the country has reached 21.3 percent. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that Imran Khans government had unleashed a maelstrom of inflation and to add insult to injury there seems to be no intent to decrease inflation and ease the burden on the working classes. ‘How can a country survive economically when its imports sugar and flour while producing wheat and sugarcane in abundance?’, he questioned. He said that the bare dastarkhwans of the poor in the holy month of Ramazan were quite telling of Imran Khan’s incompetence at best, and indifference at worst. “People have been squeezed dry trying to survive this unbearable inflation under the selected government, whilst Imran Khans regime is adamant in not listening to anything but sycophantic praise for the puppet Prime Minister,” he added. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the Sindh government was trying to heal the wounds of inequality of the poor by issuing Benazir Mazdoor Card in these days of spiraling inflation. “History will bear witness that when Imran Khan was wreaking havoc through increasing inflation, poverty and unemployment, the PPP was employing innovative ideas to provide relief to common man through the limited resources available to it,” he added. PPP Chairman pledged that the PPP would form government in the Federation , it would issue Benazir Mazdoor Cards to labourers and workers across the country. “The puppet Prime Minister cannot handle the increase in prices of staples such potato, onion and tomato, while the cost of oil, ghee, sugar, flour, pulses, fruits, vegetables and meat have also skyrocketed. Name a single commodity, which has not registered an unprecedented increase in price during this selected government,” he concluded. https://www.ppp.org.pk/