Fake Degrees for the Big Boys in Pakistan Not to be left behind, here`s how some of the SMALL BOYS get degrees!


Daily Times, 4 December, 2004

Tragedy wrought to its uttermost

Sir: After I started writing about fake degrees in 2003, a young lad managing the computer systems in my university in Lahore sent me his account of obtaining a BA degree. I believe this is not atypical.

“The recent emails especially regarding ‘fake degrees’ I received from Dr Isa gave me strength to write about my personal experience with Pakistan’s education system. I am unfortunately related to an IT market which is sinking by the day. Anyway, I graduated from an institute which is affiliated with the University of the Punjab.

“In my sixth semester, I was somehow convinced by my seniors to appear for the university BA examination as a private candidate to get an additional bachelors degree. I thought it was not a bad idea and enrolled for the exams but never prepared for them since my main objective was to obtain a BCS degree from PU.

“I selected Education, Journalism and Statistics as my majors. But until the day my exams began, I had no notes or handouts. I had nothing at all to prepare from. Convinced that I would flunk, I sat through the examination, using my general knowledge to answer the questions.

“As far as I remember, every answer that I wrote was bogus, substandard and did not make sense. I usually heard from people that in BA, it’s the number of sheets a student consumes that counts, not the subject matter. Anyway, keeping that in my mind, I attached as many sheets (full of words) as I could.

“You will be amazed to know that when the result was announced I was declared successful. I didn’t believe it. My success in the exam shocked me and I wondered if the guy who checked papers was actually qualified for his job or not. From this, one can imagine the quality of education and the kind of graduates produced in the country. I am a graduate, like many others, with a BA degree, even though I did not prepare for my exams!”

You read this and ask, “What’s new?” Indeed, that’s the tragedy and it’s time we stopped demeaning our degrees.

Q ISA DAUDPOTA

Islamabad

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_4-12-2004_pg3_8

Fake Degrees for the Big Boys in Pakistan Here is a letter from Dawn of 2 Nov, 2004, which may be of interest.

HEC: why this belated move?

A few days back the Higher Education Commission (HEC) mentioned, in various
newspapers, more than 50 universities which are operating illegally. One
wonders as to where the HEC was when these universities were established.
Why were NOCs issued to these universities when it was known that these
universities could not operate before meeting certain requirements laid down
by the HEC?

Now, what`s the fault of the boys and girls who are studying in these
universities? Where has their parents hard-earned money gone?

AFZAL RAHIM

Islamabad

http://www.dawn.com/2004/12/02/letted.htm#5

Fake Degrees for the Big Boys in Pakistan Dear #11 and others:

No point being so pessimistic about this affair. It is important that we act and help change the dire situation. You may end up with a physician or, worse, a surgeon, who has got a fake degree. You may be on a bridge designed by an engineer who cannot do a simple problem in `statics`. One of these days that bridge is going to fall. And you may get your leg chopped off by a fradulent surgeon.

It is bad enough having sub-standard universities which are chartered by Pakistan`s Higher Education Commission (HEC), far worse to have people get mere paper degrees which can be used to get jobs. Both these problems require attention.

It is important that the HEC is pressured in the media to get its act together. It needs to look more closely at quality of education that is imparted rather than rush daily into the national headlines announcing new programs. Here is an organization that has more money than it can handle sensibly. It is time that an independent body, appointed by the national assembly, audited HEC`s guardianship of the country`s universities.

The problem in India is serious too. See my piece: ``Beware of the fake degree``, BusinessWorld, India, www.businessworldindia.com/Jan2604/index.asp .

Isa Daudpota

Wise Chancellors Since early 2003, when I started looking into the fake degree scandal, I kept Dr Atta-ur-Rahman and other top officials of the HEC informed. Names of institutions and individuals connected with a few of the cases I unearthed were made known to HEC, but it failed to move. It became clear to me that HEC would do nothing until the matter was exposed in the press.

Under pressure, the HEC has now published ads listing names of institutions that students ought to avoid. It however fails to list many of the institutions that the HEC/UGC/GoP has been party to giving charter to, and which are grossly sub-standard.

In 1985 there were only 25 universities, many of which were fairly rotten, but in one year alone, 2002, the government went wild and gave charter to 27 universities! The HEC was party to this, even though it tends to wash its hands off higher education in the provinces. What then of places like NUML which lies in the shadow of HEC within the capital?

Continuous media pressure and oversight by the PM`s and President`s offices will keep the HEC vigilant. If the HEC`s charter needs strengthening, this is the time to do it. We now need a tiger with teeth, not a docile cat that just dishes out money.

Isa Daudpota

Dubious Universities This is to confirm what has been written in messages 4 & 5. The delay was due to my being away 11-22 Nov in Delhi.

Since early 2003, when I started looking into the fake degree scandal, I kept Dr Atta-ur-Rahman and other top officials of the HEC informed. Names of institutions and individuals connected with a few of the cases I unearthed were made known to HEC, but it failed to move. It became clear to me that HEC would do nothing until the matter was exposed in the press.

Under pressure, the HEC has now published ads listing names of institutions that students ought to avoid. It however fails to list many of the institutions that the HEC/UGC/GoP has been party to giving charter to, and which are grossly sub-standard.

In 1985 there were only 25 universities, many of which were fairly rotten, but in one year alone, 2002, the government went wild and gave charter to 27 universities! The HEC was party to this, even though it tends to wash its hands off higher education in the provinces. What then of places like NUML which lies in the shadow of HEC within the capital?

Continuous media pressure and oversight by the PM`s and President`s offices will keep the HEC vigilant. If the HEC`s charter requires strengthening, this is the time to do it. We now need a tiger with teeth, rather than a docile cat that just dishes out money.

Mathematics for All University Students Making maths exciting at the school, college and university levels has now become relatively easy. There is an awful lot of excellent free material (from complete lesson plans to animated graphics) that is available on the net, which teachers can use to first train themselves and then point students to it. Many students can also self-study using this. This can happen with the right encouragement from the government.

Looking back, I find that the maths I was taught at school in Karachi, was rather unexciting and poorly done. And this was at one of the better schools. Even the best teachers then knew little beyond the text books that we all used. What they were generally better at, than their students, was problem-solving.

Almost all problems that appeared in O and A levels were fairly routine and didn`t require much innovation on the part of the student. The overseas Cambridge curriculum has not progressed much (and Pakistanis sitting these exam ought to protest this). That however doesn`t hold for what the students are taught in Britain where their National Curriculum is rather exciting. It requires the students to develop good thinking and problem-solving skills through attemping challenging problems and using material (books, internet and audio-visual aids) that makes maths more relevant to life.

Providing affordable education for all is an important goal, but let`s not get side-tracked into discussing that. Right now maths teaching in even `good` educational institutes in Pakistan is pathetic. Changing this is what the article is about. One of the ways to do so is given in this note.

General’s Dress Code Confusion A little elaboration on what I intended to convey may help...

The general`s attempt to send messages through his dress fools no one. I wish one of his minions would tell him that. It in fact shows personal (perhaps national?) insecurity about how he/we behave with ``others``.

In the end it is irrelevant what garb the general appears in, but it is important to realise that our salvation lies in being totally honest with ourselves and others. Such an awakening will help solve our many problems - both within and with the rest of the world.

Isa Daudpota
Monday 18 Aug 2003. 0010 hours

An Open Letter to the Editorial Staff of Chowk Moderation is the solution, but who will do that efficiently? Chowk staff ( I assume that most are volunteers) are probably overloaded, and if authors were to chip in, responses will be slowed down. But what`s the hurry?

Less noise will improve the standard of discourse on this site. Moderation is essential and I suppose it is done to an extent. Chowk however needs more, or else well-meaning participants, such as the writer of this article, will leave.


Isa Daudpota
1 July 2003
13:10 Pk Time

The Jihad of a Humanist dost-mittar:

Commendations on the wonderful account of an outstanding man who rose above the terror that nearly destroyed his life. I circulated your story among friends who were all most appreciative of your writing.

I wish Chowk writers could provide such uplifting stories every so often.

Isa Daudpota
12:20 am, 29 June 2003

The Scandal of Fake and Madrassa Degrees The discussion on the syllabus used in the madrassas is most enlightening. It is also interesting to hear about what others think about the `real` wielders of power in Pakistan.

Questions remain:

1. Whether the clerics who have come to power ought to be ``allowed`` to complete their term in parliament. This despite the fact that they did so by getting their ``inadequate`` degrees recognized through unreasonable pressure on the government.

2. When is a unfairly elected government fair game for dismantling?

3. And who is to do it, and how?

4. How is the bureaucracy, the agencies, religious groups/parties, orthodox political parties and the military to be put in their ``right`` places, so they occupy a legitimate position in the country, unable to disturb a democratic government?

5. What does democracy mean in a society with so little literacy (and unfair licences to education and knowledge)?

It seems to me that without a strong and fair judiciary no lasting reform will be possible - justice seems to be the foundation of all societal change. Are there ways in which common people can work towards making our judiciary such?

Without being able to make a difference on a national scale in the short term, it seems to me that we ought to try and ensure fairplay in our neighborhoods and the institutions that we are directly involved in - that`s getting justice to work in our own lives!

Isa Daudpota
10:25 am PST, 17 June 2003

We Cut When Asked -- PTCL’s New Censoring Role responses to earlier commentators:

#1 You are right about the need for people to articulate and fight for their rights. As for SAT, I feel it does sometimes tend to sensationalize the news, thereby hurting its credibility. People ought to read it and make their own judgment. The government has no business blocking it.

#2 Al Jazeera being blocked by the US (private or govt instigated) is bad. As for porn, no one has been able to define it. Adults ought to be free to make up their own mind about what they wish to see. People rightly draw the line at child porn as this relates to innocent individuals who are powerless.

#5 - #8 These are comments that attack the integrity of the author (& his lineage) and suggest that words from some this imaginary being (amazingly cooked up) needn`t be listened to. To set the record staight, my grandfather was a poor carpenter, and my dad through his hard work (studied under street lamps) and intelligence became a scholar of some repute. His outstanding service to education of the poor and the down-trodden in Sindh can be read in his autobiography for those who know Sindhi.

#9 The note rightly point to the issue in question (Does the govt have a right to block information on the Net?). I wish its sentiments had been voiced earlier so that outbursts (#5 - #8) needn`t have been broadcast. That`s of course based on the assumption that people learn from what is being said in these columns and through this kind of exchange of views.

Peace,

Isa Daudpota
12:45 pm PST, 13 June 2003.

Smoking in PIA response to several earlier comments:

1. most good airlines do not permit smoking at all. no airline flying into or out of the usa is permitted to have smoking on board.

2. these airlines do not provide nicotine patches. people who are addicted can purchase them before boarding. shops in the departure lounges should carry these cigarette substitutes & people should be allowed to buy them during the flight as well.

3. let`s not bring religion into everything that is discussed at chowk. religious injunctions needn`t be tranferred to what happens in a cabin 30,000 ft above ground level, or for that matter to societal affairs at ground level!

4. moderate drinking is allowed on most good airlines since it does not harm other passengers. crew members are empowered to refuse drink to those who are about to become a nuisance.

5. people should be free to kill themselves as they wish as long as they do not hurt others. it is for this reason alone that smoking ought to be stopped in our airline. it is purely a health issue, with absolutely nothing to do with religion!

isa daudpota
9:30 pm pk time sunday 1 june 2003

Smoking in PIA response to #1

It was Mr Nawaz Sharif who stopped smoking on internal flights. I believe General Musharraf smokes; not sure about Mr Jamali.

The General, instead of making those endless speeches could come on the box and declare that he had given up the weed. It would get him a lot of brownie points and a hug from Gro Harlem Brundtland (sp?), WHO supremo, who has worked hard to come up with the comprehensive anti-tobacco legislation.

I had only been to Beijing and at that time the place was considered safe - 8-15 April. Clearly it wasn`t! In fact I was the only Pakistani on the flight with the mask. My experience with the mask and my positive impressions of Beijing will shortly appear in the Friday Times (www.thefridaytimes.com).

Smoking in PIA response to #2

The latest research report in Time and elsewhere, such as the British Medical Association journal, has been sponsored by Big Tobacco. Such tobacco company research has in the recent past been discredited - company documents revealed that scientists were `bribed` to push forward reports and papers in prestigious journals that showed tobacco to be harmless or less harmful that previously reported by anti-tobacco activists.

The US Courts ordered these companies to reveal all these incriminating documents and these are available on the net. At one time one could access them through the Guardian web page (www.guardian.co.uk) and also the Multinational Monitor`s page.

Even if passive smoking is not as harmful as previously thought, there is no reason why smoker should be allowed to subject others to any risk.

Pakistan and India - Lets Compromise
I was just forwarded this petition, which may interest Chowk dwellers.

Isa Daudpota
9:20 pm, 14 May 2003.


Petition to the citizens of the South Asian subcontinent
and peace loving citizens or the world
7th May 2003

This petition is intended to seek the civil society`s
support in encouraging the governments of India and
Pakistan towards finding a permanent peace. Both
governments have taken some steps in the right direction;
with support from the civil society, they will find it
easier to move forward by shedding the baggage of the
past and bringing peace and prosperity to over 1.3
billion citizens of the subcontinent.

It was about one year ago when the standoff between India
and Pakistan was threatening us with a nuclear holocaust.
Thousands of ordinary people of the world then endorsed a
petition demanding of the governments of India and
Pakistan to find a peaceful solution. Most signatories of
the petition were from Indian and Pakistan. The gist of
the comments made were that people of the subcontinent
had a lot in common and wished to live in peace with
economic well-being as the primary concern. The petition
was put up on the Internet on 27th May 2002 and may be
viewed at:


http://www.petitiononline.com/bawabeg/petition.html



As a follow up of the sentiments expressed by the
thousands of persons signing the earlier petition, this
petition is addressed to the civil society and urges
ordinary citizens to endorse a ``Friendship Treaty``
between India and Pakistan, which proposes a road map for
peaceful co-existence.

You are requested to add any suggestions in the comments
column and very importantly, after signing the petition,
select ``Send this to a friend`` at that bottom of the page
and send the petition to as many contacts as you can. You
are also requested to propagate this petition in any
other manner you can; you could run signature campaigns;
draw in local citizens groups; involve the local press
and the electronic media and find support from NGOs etc
where you live. The idea is to get the civil society
involved in a dialogue towards an ultimate solution that
governments can adopt once they are aware of public
support for the solution.

Friendship Treaty - The Proposed Declaration

1. Peaceful co-existence - Both countries
hereby declare that they wish to live in peaceful
co-existence, respecting each other`s sovereignty, with
the principle of non-interference in each other`s
internal affairs;

2. Economic co-operation - both countries
shall work towards economic co-operation with a view
towards gradually removing trade barriers and ultimately
creating a common market under the auspices of SAARC.
Both countries recognise that it is imperative to
allocate the maximum resources towards human and economic
development and that this can only be achieved through
curtailment of military expenditure.

3. Arms reduction and nuclear disarmament - In order to
avoid any future threat of a nuclear conflict and in
order to divert resources towards economic development,
both countries agree to work towards reduction of both
conventional and nuclear forces. Both countries also
agree to co-operate in working towards an ultimate
elimination of nuclear arms from the region and the
world.

4. Protection of the environment and sharing
of natural resources - Both countries wish to co-operate
towards protecting the environment in the subcontinent,
including the oceans around it and towards equitable
sharing of natural resources and this regard reiterate
their commitment towards sincere implementation of water
sharing treaties.

5. Enhanced role for SAARC - Both countries
wish to see an enhanced role for SAARC, including the
development of an ultimate common market in the SAARC
region, which will protect, compliment and enhance the
existing economic activity in the respective member
countries; a move towards an open-borders policy
facilitating travel and human contact and interaction
within the region; a supervisory role for developing and
implementing an environment protection policy for the
region; and a role in developing minimum standards for
human rights within the region.

6. Conflict resolution - both countries commit
themselves to:

a. Using peaceful means, with maximum public
participation, in resolving any current or future
disputes;

b. Co-operation in working towards elimination of
religious, sectarian, ethnic and all other forms of
communal extremism;

c. Resolving the Kashmir dispute through sincere
dialogue, with public involvement and with the following
simultaneous steps to be implemented immediately:

i. Recognition that both countries are in disagreement
as to the de-jure sovereignty over Kashmir and that
pending resolution of this issue through dialogue, both
countries recognise the de-facto sovereignty each country
has over the territories under their respective control -
such territories are separated by the Line-of Control
(LoC).

ii. Urgent steps towards a complete de-militarisation
and de-weaponisation of both sides of Kashmir. With joint
policing of the LoC.

iii. Formation of a Common Market
of Kashmir, with free trade between the two parts;
economic co-operation between the two sides including
promotion of tourism, Kashmiri culture arts and crafts;
and freedom of travel between the two territories for
persons domiciled in either part of Kashmir.

iv. Dialogue to commence between
the two governments, with meetings every three to four
months. However, an essential principle of all dialogue
between governments shall be on the basis of ``public
participation``. This would be achieved through a process
of public disclosure of the discussion after each meeting
followed by public debate. Both governments would
disclose the position taken by each, with the arguments
and counter arguments on both sides and also the
disclosure of any fears and apprehensions if the position
of the other side were accepted. The public would have an
opportunity to debate the matter in the media and through
their representatives in the parliament. Cycles of
meetings and feedback will follow with the benefit of
public participation, which will remove the fear of
agreeing to something not acceptable to the public at
large.

v. Encourage continuation of dialogue on ``Track-2`` and
also possibly on a new ``Track-3`` between Kashmiris on
both sides of the LoC.

Pakistan and India - Lets Compromise
For those willing to look at the issue of Kashmir seriously, may I recommend:

FRAMEWORKS FOR PEACE
a symposium on efforts to broker
peace in Kashmir

http://www.india-seminar.com/semframe%20kashmir.htm

I have only just come across this excellent mag on the net that is produced in New Delhi.

Isa Daudpota
5:15 pm, 13 May 2003