KARACHI:The speakers on the conclusion of two-day national meet on sustainable curriculum development at the University of Karachi emphasized that the universities should make flexible curricula and also arrange proper training for the teachers particularly for the newly inducted lecturers.
They believed that with the culture of introducing flexibility in the syllabus and offering necessary training for teachers, all the universities of Pakistan would be able to fulfill the demands of the local market and society, said a statement issued on Thursday.
They observed that many graduates were unable to get jobs and one of the major hurdles they faced in getting a relevant job was the factor that the syllabus was not according to the market need or they do not have enough experience and knowledge about the specific topics or subjects.
According to them, with time-to-time changes in the curriculum, taking industry and field experts on board, and arranging training for teachers, these issues could be addressed easily.
They also asked the Higher Education Commission to take measures and arrange regular training for the teachers. The KU, in collaboration with George Mason University USA, has organized a two-day national meet on ‘sustainable curriculum development’ on November 23-24, 2022 at the Multipurpose Hall of the ICCBS KU.
The KU and GMU under the US-funded University Partnerships Grants Programme 2020-23 had launched sustainable curriculum development aimed at expanding career opportunities for young students through sustainable curriculum design and trained 330 faculty members of 14 partner universities across the country.
One of the speakers, Dr James Witte of GMU USA, through his online video address, said”Due to social challenges and changes, there is an urgent need to develop the social sciences department on modern and scientific lines in accordance with the contemporary requirements.”
“The KU Department of Public Administration, and Institute of Immigration Research, George Mason University USA has been associated academically for almost a decade. This close association has always opened new avenues for research, learning, and development for both universities.”
He mentioned “We have collaborated with 26 Pakistani universities, but our collaboration with KU’s DPA has been the best. Pakistan is the best educational partner of the United States and this cooperation is being further promoted .”
Dr James Witte observed”Pakistani universities are lagging behind in international standard research and stressed that this issue must be addressed as the topmost priority.”
Another speaker from GMU, Nishit Sahay said”The world is now moving from democracy to meritocracy project like sustainable curriculum development is very important not only for Pakistan but for any country in the world.”
“This exercise of sustainable curriculum development will help Pakistan in making the education system more responsive to the market level.”
Nishit Sahay mentioned”Japan and Pakistan are almost of the same size but the population of Japan is quite less as compared to Pakistan. However, Japan is one of the economical giants of the world due to their established and dominated industries and products while Pakistan despite having more manpower is not on the list of a developed country.”
Meanwhile, the VC of Abbottabad University Professor Dr Tahir Khan said that curriculum design must be flexible, and students should be prepared for the local and international market and society.
He mentioned”The University of Karachi is an excellent educational institution.”
He said”Pakistan is our country and we have to work for it. America has built an ideal educational partnership with Pakistan.”
The KU VC Professor Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi offered that partner universities of the US-funded project should initiate a faculty exchange program to boost the knowledge and skills of teachers and students.
He mentioned”We need to prepare a curriculum that should be in accordance with the needs of the market. Being the academia, we have to provide the best facilities to students, researchers, and teachers to achieve the best results.”
“Research in social sciences can offer durable solutions to public problems, including our social and economic problems, and that’s why we have to improve our research trend.”
The former chairman of the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan Professor Dr Atta-ur-Rehman said”Countries that are moving forward have included education, science and technology, and innovation as a means of progress.”
Another speaker, VC Mardan Women’s University Professor Dr Ghazala Yasmin said”We need to prepare a curriculum so that the graduating students can play their role in improving the economic situation of the country and also become useful members of society.”
The VC University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Muzaffarabad Professor Dr Kaleem Abbasi said that instead of increasing the number of degree holders and unemployment, our universities need to set a curriculum so that the students who graduate from the universities should not become a burden on the society.