A Wand or a Yardstick

Dear author,

Your article is a collection of disjointed paragraphs with no real flow of thought connecting one to the next. The only real deduction I could make from your article is that analytic testing of people for HEC scholarships is unfair, due to the fact that (a) we are not taught analytical skills in school and (b) it is subject and domain agnostic.

If my conclusion is correct, I have a few remarks. First off, the HEC test is supposed to be taken by aspiring graduate students. It's not too much to assume that the cream of our undergrad crop should have a certain bare minimum of analytic ability no matter what their domain or how bad their primary/secondary schooling. The second reason, that such tests are domain agnostic, is easily addressed by taking into account subject scores from undergrad transcripts, but at a very small weightage since our institutes are so wildly divergent in quality.

Regards,
Irfan.

Re: # 2
GoP made a good decision to end O/A Levels till 2010-2011

That decision was crap, bullcrap. O and A Levels were the one and only way a Pakistani student could get anything like a quality education.
The Matriculation system in Pakistan is utterly outdated, rote-based and kills analytic ability. They give you questions in subjects like physics and chemistry where you're supposed to fill 3-4 sheets with learnt material, basically acting the role of a photocopier, a friggin parrot! If the government wants to unify the education system, it should first IMPROVE the local system; otherwise, the result will be catastrophic.

I completely agree with Emma Alam when she says that the NTS questions should be based on the subject on wishes to study. My youngest aunt is wanting to do her masters in architecture but she is being forced to study mathematics due to the NTS examination she has to take. Where is the justice and common sense in that?
Sana Gulraiz

I completely agree with Emma Alam when she says that the NTS questions should be based on the subject on wishes to study. My youngest aunt is wanting to do her masters in architecture but she is being forced to study mathematics due to the NTS examination she has to take. Where is the justice and common sense in that?
Sana Gulraiz

Emma,

The situation with the education system is similar to that with the democracy, one has to persist with it for some time to iron out the problems. The testing system is india for a long time, it started with the masters, and now it is there for the bachelors in engineering and medicine. Typically a student has to appear for tests to 3 to 4 systems.

Again, the notion that cramming type fo education do not develop analystical skills are not very true as well, Indian continue to do well in the tests including the GRE, GMAT tests as well.

What you have identified is the general malice afflicting the pak society, there are no secular values, no notion of merit and scholastic achievement, it is all about favoritism, connection and the lot. There are no local heros, no one has come up in the pak society based focrce of the personality and hard work, there is no andul kalam, no narayan murthy, no ambani,

Emma, thing is the world is moving towards what we call 'specialized education' - education which is directly linked to the industry .
a) HEC regulates most of the higher education in Pakistan and is doing a fairly good job - although a lot more is needed.
b) I am concerned about the primary education - which needs more attention.

You made some valid points - but a system based on SATs and GRE will not work in Pakistan . GoP made a good decision to end O/A Levels till 2010-2011

Author appears to be an ignorant peon of the West who is completely blinded by the US elite. Maulana masadi has already finalised the draft for the Higher education in pakistan. This draft has been submitted to the Minister and the honourable minister has already agreed to implement it.

There will be a phenomenal change in the scheme of things. Education in Pakistan will be revolutionized. Long live Masadi. May his tribe increase......