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"Measuring graduation rates is indeed a charade. Yes, some programs have a “respectable” rate of graduating athletes, but these grads often take gut courses, major in fields that have little academic rigor (coaching, general studies), and are placed in courses taught by profs who wouldn’t recognize an academic standard if it slept in their bed. The whole enterprise ought to be called academic gerrymandering."
—Gary
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May 13, 2008
Pakistan Announces Big Increase in Education Budget
Pakistan’s prime minister, Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani, announced on Monday that the government would increase its education budget to 4 percent of the gross national product over the next three years, with about 30 percent of the money going toward higher education, according to a local news report.
In recent years, Pakistan has put a lot of money and effort into improving its higher-education system, although even now higher education accounts for less than 1 percent of the gross national product.
The reforms have been controversial, however, with critics saying that they have led to corruption, plagiarism, and favoritism. At the heart of the criticism has been the national Higher Education Commission, formed by President Pervez Musharraf in 2002 to regulate public universities.
In a separate news report, another local newspaper quoted an unnamed Ministry of Education official as saying that control of the commission would be handed over to the education ministry, rather than report directly to the president.
Ahsan Iqbal, the education minister, has been an outspoken critic of Mr. Musharraf and believes that putting the commission directly under the education ministry would deal with some of those problems. —Shailaja Neelakantan
Posted on Tuesday May 13, 2008 | Permalink |Comments
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The rulers in the developing countries should focus on strengthening the rapid expansion of the education sector. A very positive, powerful and healthy first step towards the country’s development.
— NMKG May 13, 10:52 AM #
As someone who has taught at the higher education level in Pakistan, this is indeed good news. My experience there was an excellent one; however, much remains to be done to increase the education offerings at the lower grade levels.
— Barbara Cole, Ph.D. May 14, 12:06 PM #
India spends 6% of GNP on Education, Pakistan less than 1%. increasing to 4% is good , rather should be at least 10 % if the country wants to develop and progress in the future
— Sajjad-ul-Aziz Prof. May 18, 07:47 AM #