HEC: Big ambitions, glitzy rhetoric

The Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan, was established in 2002 during the Musharraf era. Until 2002, universities were recognized by the University Grants Commission (U.C.G.), which drew its power from the University Grants Commission Act of 1974.

In 2002 this act was replaced by the HEC Ordinance which is now responsible for  higher education policy, quality assurance and degree recognition, as well as the development of new institutions and the improvement of existing institutions. Although the HEC Ordinance claims that its purpose is to promote a high level of research and education,  in reality it is a new tool in the hands of western imperialism to exploit the resources of a poor society in the name of higher education.

In some circles there is doubt (and I agree with them), that this institution will serve the cause of quality higher education and research. Its actual purpose or  hidden motive seems to be the export of more students to American and European universities.

According to information available on the internet (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higher_Education_Commission_of_Pakistan), approximately 5000 Ph.D. level scholarships have been awarded for study in the technologically advanced countries. For this purpose the HEC ordinance was allotted a hefty budget of billions of rupees. Prior to this its budget was rupees 48 billion.

During the Musharraf era about 10 billion dollars were showered on Pakistan in exchange for services as a front line ally in the so called war on terror. But Uncle Sam's math is not as poor as we may think. What he gives with one hand, he takes away with the other - with interest. Foreign university fees have increased threefold for local students as well as overseas students who already pay more than double the amount the citizens of respective countries in the West pay.

The creation of an institution like HEC, in a country where more than fifty percent of households are without a toilet, is utterly ridiculous. Despite this, glitzy articles and propaganda written in support of HEC by so called scholars and writers, including its ex- Chairman, extol its existence in widely circulated English and Urdu dailies.

The facts are that most government schools  have  no toilet facilities at all, or, as is reported by Ms. Najma Sadeque in “You” , The News , December 04, 2012, at best have toilets with plumbing in such disrepair  that many girls stop attending school before reaching puberty.( Invisible Violence). Clearly this means that it is not only the Taliban that conspires against girls' education, something Uncle Sam should think about as he sweeps all his rubbish under the Taliban carpet.

Literally thousands of our villages, those that  survive the brutal onslaught of Defence or posh Bahria Town- like housing schemes, have no or nominal basic amenities, let alone an educational institution with very basic infrastructure, that can offer meaningful education. All fundamental reforms should begin in education at foundation, at the primary level. If we ignore fundamental problems our utopia of higher education is doomed to fail.

Consider the current controversy surrounding the removal of the Executive Director of  HEC, Dr. Sohail Naqvi. This entire episode has nothing to do with education as the so called protesting civil society activists (three snobbish upper class ladies of Islamabad, the soulless city of mortar and bricks, whose picture appeared in Dawn, December 02, 2012 p.4), claim. It is purely an administrative problem. It is careerism with attendant benefits. At stake are perks, privileges, and status.

These so called scholars of the HEC and their ilk , prefer to erect their own ivory towers in the name of education. Acting  “highbrow,” they scornfully decline any opportunity to enter into discussion with people who they deem to be inferior in intellect and accomplishments. They publish in journals of “international repute” that no one reads,  to satisfy their egos and to augment their qualifications and increase their salaries. Mr. Naqvi received three extensions in his service since 2008, the receipt of which has been declared illegal by AGP, the party of the opposite camp.( The News, Dec., 06, 2012).

In his book "Educational Chaos", eminent scholar Mr. Razi Abedi, narrates a very interesting anecdote to illustrate the irony of the situation. He tells of a university teacher who demanded an increment based on his  contribution to a publication of  high international repute. It was later revealed that the contribution was the longitude and latitude of Lahore (page 26). 

Another important point, is that research done by these so called scholars in foreign/European universities, is irrelevant to local conditions and often serves only the agenda of our imperial masters. In fact the entire  educational system was imposed by our colonial masters, not to promote our economic interests or to encourage any meaningful scholarly pursuits, but to serve their (white men) interests. In view of this it is clear that the controversy surrounding Dr. Naqvi's removal has nothing to do with education, but  is a fight for perks, privileges, and position. Another  interesting fact, is that on December 02, 2012 , the same day that the  picture of the Islamabad Ladies protesting against the removal of Mr. Naqvi appeared on p. 04 of the Dawn, a letter to the editor complaining about the violation of merit and rules by HEC also appeared on p. 08. In this letter, a citizen, whose name was not published, wrote :
"Higher Education Commission needs to be told some truths. The commission advertised various posts of administrative and support nature like Project Directors, Programme Directors and other such positions. Hardly a few days were given to the candidates for the NTS test held on Nov. 04. Although all tests were held at the same date, some posts were advertised separately. The phone number mentioned in the advertisement was not picked by anyone during the period from date of advertisement to the date of testing by NTS. The candidates were asked to apply separately for each post to preclude competition. The whole scheme of induction has been designed and executed so intelligently that personnel of personal choosing may be inducted to specific slots. Instead of rewarding merit, the HEC channelized and legalized unfair practices."

In the end he asked, who will reform the HEC before it reforms higher education.

HEC is  like the proposal made to starving Parisians that they eat costly cake if they were unable to buy bread (according to unconfirmed sources) by  Queen Marie Antoinette of French Revolution fame. So if our Jiala P.M. Ashraf wants a share for his cronies, why are Mr. Atta and Leghari resisting? According to Mr. Abedi  it is not scholarship nor nobility but wealth that has become the measure of all excellence. In other words, the capacity to generate money is now the sole criterion for honour and respect. Knowledge is no longer  a virtue or distinction. It has become a source of power, or at least, an instrument of power. Culture, ideas, and enlightenment no longer flow from so called educated minds. Money can easily buy them. The problems regarding education do not stem from a scarcity of material resources, but from a scarcity of innovative and productive ideas.