OUTLINE
1. Introduction
2. Rationale behind the Privatization of Higher Education
3. Merits of Privatization of Higher Education
i. Bridging gap between demand and supply of higher education
ii. Increase in the variety of subjects
iii. Improvement in the efficiency of the educational institutes iv. Boost in healthy competition amongst the educational institutes
4. Alarming Drawbacks Visible in Privatized Institutes i. Commercialization of higher education
ii. Maximizing profit by charging higher fees
iii. Lack of equitable access to higher education
iv. Lack of proper physical infrastructure
V. Substandard research
vi. Absence of talented and well-trained faculty
vii. Rampant plagiarism
viii. poor standard of assessment methods
5.Comparison of US and Chinese Institutes in Order to have a Better Perspective of the Issue
6. Conclusion
ESSAY
Pakistan has seen missive increase in the number of private institutes in the higher education sector over the last couple of years. However, if looked objectively, one comes to the conclusion that privatization of higher education in the country has proved a mixed blessing Honestly speaking, the privatization of higher education is not without its merits. It has proved extremely beneficial in different ways It has not only added to the efficiency of the higher education system with respect to the propagation of knowledge as to variety of subjects, but it has also enhanced the element of quality in the domain of research in some institutes, if not all. Besides, privatization has also granted much needed independence in the domain of curricula, leading to enhanced interface between educational content and modem requirements Needless to say, absence of government regulations in the sector has resulted in boosting competition, a prerequisite for efficiency in any sector. However, the negative side of the picture is also undeniable With no checks and oversights from the government. privatized educational institutions are being run as commercial entities, leading to accumulation of wealth Most of educational institutions have not only degenerated to money-making factories for their owners, but have also become degree-awarding factories, resulting in marked increase in quantity of knowledge but at the cost of quality. Adding fuel to the fire, the influx of lowly-educated business class in the system has further curtailed the element of quality in higher education sector. More importantly, with privatization of higher education, higher education has become a rare commodity for majority of the masses, especially lower classes of the society It has become a luxury enjoyed by the privileged few The negative side of the picture does not mean that privatization of higher education should be discouraged Reasons are obvious With population increasing at unprecedented rate, it is really not possible for the resource deficit state to cater to the higher education needs of the population. Besides, the prevalence of abysmal conditions in primary and secondary tiers of education in the public sector further conoborates the fact that leaving the higher education sector completely at the disposal of the state would, no doubt, turn the higher education institutes into a picture of disappointment.
Before we resort to analysis of privatization of higher education in Pakistan, it would be quite appropriate to shed light on the fact as to why privatization of higher education is prefered in most of the countries, and the primary and secondary levels of education are kept mostly under the state's control Lower tiers of education are provided free of cost for multiple purposes by governments all around the world. Education especially primary and secondary education, is a basic right of every child which is not only recognized by all governments of the world, but is also articulated in various UN conventions. This is because the immense importance of nurturing and grooming of human mind is undeniable in early years of life so that it can distinguish between good
and bad. In other words, a human mind if left untrained has greater chance of being wayed by the evil nature within him Education enables man to distinguish between ood and bad, identifying the path of good leading to order in a society Apart from that, ducation encourages a man to think and investigate. It also tries to order one's social and moral life by various ethical elements involved in education. All these objectives are part nd parcel of lower tiers of education, providing necessary grooming in early years of fe Imparting early primary and secondary education is thus a necessity and this explains the fact why it is provided free of cost in almost every part of the world.
Higher education is an altogether different affair. It is sought after for other easons. The primary objective of seeking higher education is to obtain such a degree that can support one's self financially Most forms of higher education, for instance, prominent of them being engineering, medical and law in today's world are acquired with sense that it will provide financial support later in one's life. A degree is leaned so that could later be employed for the purpose of earning through it later Second important actor in acquiring higher education is eagerness of research. Research is a field that equires investigation and experimentation in sophisticated, high-tech labs. Research in The fields of higher education especially in engineering and medical has proven out too much expensive in recent years It becomes quite evident that higher education with the form of technicalities involved in it is costlier than its other two tiers of education. Hence, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for the government to finance it wholly.
Another factor that has contributed to the privatization of higher education is the sky rise of population Earlier, higher education was extremely selective affair. Today, higher education has become a necessary requirement. Advancement of technology necessitates advancement of skill and thus the demand for higher education has upshot in ecent years This higher demand cannot by solely fulfilled by the government. Governments or public sector for that matter is not only inefficient in most cases but also cannot bear the burden of massive finances involved. This brings us to the need of privatization in higher education which is not simply a means of acquiring more money for the opulent but also helping enormously in increasing efficiency, ensuring quality and boosting competition amongst the institutions. All of this is contributing essentially in generating more advanced and useful knowledge.
At this stage, it would be quite pertinent to take into account the merits of privatization of higher education in Pakistan
One of the key merits of privatization of higher education has appeared in the form of marked increase in the number of private educational institutes in the country. There is no denying the fact that this increase has led to the propagation of knowledge on massive ale The country has come out of the era when people used to travel long distances in thanks to privatization of higher education in the country The higher education institutes order to get their needs of higher education tended. Now the situation has changed due to private higher education system.
can be seen even in small cities towns, alone mega cities. It cannot be negated that promising trend has added to quantity knowledge. Coupled with the number, there has equally increase in variety of subjects different colleges universities Erstwhile, there used to be very limited number of the subjects offered at the institutes
Another key merit concerned efficiency. Privatization as improves efficiency played same useful role education too. Resources only in manpower but also money are utilized efficiently privatized institutes How privatization enhances efficiency in administration can gauged the that privatized trend hire many people are required to perform a work Similarly, overlapping among various departments dealt away with Privatized institutes thus institutionalized and work inside these institutes channelized and there are seldom redundancies Furthermore and laissez-faire attitude, so apparent in public institutes evaporates from these privatized institutions. All men who come work made responsible their work replaced need arises Similarly, the whole system appears not responding perfectly to the circumstances also replaced improved without much stress: these factors form bedrock private educational institutes to their efficiency and turn generation more knowledge.
The element competition is undeniable far privatization concerned Needless privatization of various institutes boosted among This competition turn added the efficiency the education institutes in country.
But any own pitfalls and drawbacks. Thus, would be quite pertinent shed on the drawbacks of phenomenon of
privatization the higher education sector
The harm done the burgeoning growth private institutions sector of higher over the couple in form of commercialization of higher education country. The commercial clement has significantly impinged quality of higher education. With exception few institutes country, majority higher education centres are deplorable picture disappointment. quality of education has been compromised the sake of profit. fact profit goal the has metamorphosed institutes into money minting machines Profit the touchstone against the decisions taken in private institutes of higher education The fact owners businessmen to the sufficient cause prove the commercial element in private higher education sector the sake of commercial interests, owners are willing any step that may cam them money Needless say, ingrained commercial interests result in violation of merit and standards. This explains the fact why it is easy even for the below average students to get admission in private colleges and universities as long as they can afford the hefty tuition fees.
The commercial element in the privatized higher education sector has engendered many other alarming manifestations in the sector One of them is the deplorable lack of equitable access to higher education in the country. It is an established fact that privatization of higher education has significantly increased the cost of higher education in the country, making it a rare commodity for the masses at lower strata of the society. It has been seen that in order to recover the high cost involved in higher education, mainly the cost of attractive buildings, coupled with their own profit, owners resort to all possible ways. The most important way is charging high tuition fees. The admission enterion in these institutes is kept very low in order to attract maximum number of students Aside from it, evening classes are also initiated to further the agenda of profit. To be honest, such profit-based approach makes higher education unaffordable for the majority of talented poor students Only because of lack of resources, the poor students who might be more talented compared to their rich compatriots are sidelined by this privatized system of education. This type of discrimination spawns inequalities within the society, creating a generation of people who acquired higher education with more opportunities than the marginalized
Another pathetic manifestation caused by the commercial mentality in the privatized higher education institutes appears in the form of the lack of proper physical infrastructure. It has been seen that most of private higher education institutes are deficit in libraries, laboratories, latest scientific equipment, teaching aids, spacious classrooms and high speed internet connection at campuses Without the provision of these resources the learning process cannot be effective Needless to say, quality-based knowledge generation coupled with innovation cannot be achieved without the delivery of proper infrastructure
Moreover, the profit-based approach is also significantly responsible for the appearance of below par research in majority of private higher education institutes. Except a few private universities in Pakistan, the standard of research is very pathetic in private colleges and universities. There are two established criteria to measure the andard of research all over the world. Firstly, the number of books published by the cademics or research scholars of a private university and secondly, the number of patents registered by the private institutes of higher education. The performance of private higher education institutes of Pakistan is disappointing in both the fields. Reasons are obvious Quality-oriented research entails huge amount of money, and the commercial mentality of the owners does not allow them to curtail their profits in any way That is why, they are least bothered about quality-based research.
There is no denying the fact that the absence of a qualified and well-trained faculty reflected in most of private colleges and universities is also the corollary of commercial element involved in private higher education sector Needless to say, well-qualified and talented faculty is the heart and soul of an institution of higher education. Without it, no higher education institute can touch the pinnacle of excellence. However, the owners of the private institutes seem least bothered about it as long as their commercial interests are protected. Resultantly, it has been seen that in order to bolster their commercial interests, the private colleges and universities compromise on this prerequisite by inducting low paid, under-qualified and untrained faculty. In this way, the commercial mentality of the owners further adds to the crisis of quality in these institutes.
Apart from the absence of talented faculty, rampant plagiarism also goes a long way in curtailing the element of quality in the private higher education institutes. No one can deny the fact that the generation of high quality knowledge cannot take place at an institute where the students are busy in stealing others work and presenting it as of their own Coupled with plagiarism, the absence of standardized assessment methods in the private institutes also gives a severe blow to the element of quality in the private sector
It becomes quite clear that privatized higher education sector is in dire need of reforms. The presence of alarming flaws in the sector does not mean that the privatization should be discouraged The privatization of higher education is a trend visible in most countries If comparative analysis of both private and public higher education sectors is made, it comes to light that private higher education institutes perform far better than the public ones. For instance, a comparison of US and Chinese institutes reveals how privatized and public sector institutes are faring in their respective circumstances US educational institutes although receive much government grants but are not under complete state control The situation is quite opposite in China where institutes receive state grants for research that too after approval of research proposals by local authorities Consequently, nepotism and favouritism sneaks in and stifles progress in research and innovation in Chinese institutes Favourite institutes and teachers are awarded huge grants often without accountability In contrast, US educational institutes, most of them private funded are awarded grants purely on the quality of research proposal proposed by an institute or an individual This is the precise reason why US institutes are ahead in innovation, research and generation of more knowledge than institutes of any other part of the world
All the discussion drives us to the conclusion that privatization of higher education in Pakistan is a double-edged sword. It has positive as well as negative impacts. Positive side is revealed in the form of increase in the quantity of knowledge However, this increase has resulted in compromised quality of knowledge in majority of private higher education institutes in the country. To be sure, reasons behind poor quality of knowledge are the ones primarily based on commercial interests of the owner The profit-based approach of the owners has turned private higher education institutes into money-minting factories. But it does not mean that privatization of higher education should be discouraged This is because it is not possible for the resource- crunched state to tend to higher education needs of such a huge population. The involvement of private sector is a must to fill the supply-demand gap left by the public sector The need of the hour is that privatization of higher education should be encouraged but it should also be accompanied with some efficient measures. Measures like proactive and vigilant role of the Higher Education Commission (HFC) by cancelling the degree awarding status of those private institutes of higher learning which do not ensure the minimum benchmarks of quality, provision of infrastructure. hiring of qualified and trained faculty, increased focus on research, standardized assessment methods and a keeping a strict control on plagiarism will certainly go a long way in translating the current moneymaking private institutes of higher education into the centres of excellence and high quality knowledge. These measures will not only lead to the generation of high quality knowledge in the society, but they will also create a merit-based, equitable and efficient higher education system, which is a prerequisite for translating the dream of a knowledge-based economy into a reality.
