Innovating higher education for the next decade
What should a university be in the 21st century? This question - at once philosophical and practical - was at the heart of the International Conference & Expo on Future-Ready Universities, held at the University of Management and Technology (UMT), Lahore, on April 25-26, 2025.
We gathered at a time of demographic urgency and technological upheaval. Pakistan, with nearly 64% of its population under the age of 30, has a fleeting window to reap the dividends of its youth bulge. Yet our higher education institutions remain stuck in outdated models - still chasing prestige through infrastructure and image rather than impact, and still measuring success in enrollments and degrees rather than outcomes and innovation. This conference was a strong reminder: we need to take bold and quick action to change our universities for a very different future ahead.
The conference brought together powerful voices from Pakistan and abroad - each offering not just critique, but direction. Professor David Palfreyman of Oxford opened the conversation with a candid appraisal of the competing roles that modern universities juggle. He asked: are we truth-seeking institutions, economic engines or market-driven enterprises? In trying to be everything, he warned, universities risk becoming directionless. For Pakistan, where universities often mimic global trends without context, the challenge is even sharper. We must define what kind of university we want - not by default, but by design.
Dr Nishat Riaz, who leads the Malala Fund in Pakistan, reminded us that universities should not only teach skills but also help build strong values and character. She advised us to stop focusing so much on fancy buildings or rankings and instead look at how well universities include different people, act with honesty and make a real difference. To truly help society, universities need to welcome diversity, support those who are often left out, and offer education that not only helps students get jobs but also become better citizens. She gave special attention to making future-ready universities in Pakistan more friendly and accessible for girls, so they feel safe, included, and encouraged to lead.
While values must remain our foundation, the tools of education are changing fast - and we must keep pace. In his keynote address, Dr Shaukat Ali Brah outlined how artificial intelligence, immersive technologies and hybrid models are reshaping global education. He painted a picture of a future where learners don't just attend lectures but experience knowledge - through virtual reality, data-driven personalisation, and collaborative, interdisciplinary environments.
In this new landscape, degrees give way to micro-credentials, and one-time study is replaced by lifelong learning. Faculty roles, too, are transforming: they are no longer just lecturers but designers of learning experiences, mentors, and facilitators of critical thinking.
Perhaps the most urgent voice at the conference was that of Dr Atta-ur-Rahman, one of Pakistan's most respected scientists and a former Chair of the Higher Education Commission (HEC). His message was unflinching: Pakistan is being left behind in the global race for scientific and technological leadership. He shared striking examples from across the world - AI-powered drug discovery, real-time translation technologies and breakthroughs in protein folding - that are revolutionising fields from healthcare to education. While other nations invest heavily in frontier research, Pakistan's spending on R&D remains dangerously low.
Dr Rahman called for massive investment in knowledge infrastructure, including the establishment of high-calibre research centres in AI, biotechnology and nano-science. He stressed the urgency of reforming university governance to reward innovation, integrity and merit. Without courageous leadership and policy action, he warned, Pakistan risks not only falling behind, but becoming irrelevant in the knowledge economy.
When we look at all the voices and ideas shared at the conference, one message becomes clear: Pakistan's universities don't just need small changes - they need a complete transformation.
We must move away from old-fashioned, one-size-fits-all teaching methods and build new ways of learning that are active, flexible, and designed around the needs of students. Technology must be used to improve - not replace - human connection in education. Our universities must be smart in how they use data, open in how they make decisions, and fast in how they respond to change. Inclusion and sustainability should no longer be add-ons - they must become the core of what makes a university excellent.
In today's global world, Pakistani universities must prepare students not just for local success, but for global relevance - while still solving the real challenges at home.
This conference was not just an event. It was a turning point. If we wait too long, we will miss the greatest chance our country has ever had: a young generation full of dreams, creativity and potential. They deserve universities that help them shine - not hold them back.
So let us change how we measure progress. Not by the size of our buildings, but by the strength of our ideas. Not by the number of graduates, but by how well they lead, innovate, and serve others.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Express Tribune
Wheat in Pakistan — quo vadis?
Daud Khan is a consultant and advisor for various Governments and international agencies. He has degrees in Economics from the LSE and Oxford – where he was a Rhodes Scholar; and Sanakhawan Hussain is a senior member of the Sindh Chamber of Agriculture. He holds a degree in economics and finance Listen to article For years Pakistan's sclerotic wheat sector has been on life support which has cost the taxpayers and consumers billions of rupees. Wheat is the basic staple food for most Pakistanis and makes up the bulk of our calorie intake. However, production has grown slowly, lagged behind population growth and made Pakistan increasingly dependent on foreign supplies. Between 2 and 3 million tons – around 10% of our needs – were imported in 2023-24 and it is likely that similar, if not larger, imports will be needed this year. The main reason for this slow growth is lagging farm level productivity – yields have remained stubbornly low at around 30 maunds per acre (3 tons/ha) over the last decade. The reasons for slow productivity growth are well known. Wheat is mostly produced by small farmers on tiny plots of land, often measuring less than 10 acres. These farmers lack technical knowledge and skills, as well as access to finance. They have failed to adopt even simple technology interventions such as reduced tillage, planting with certified seeds, use of seed drills, balanced fertiliser and micronutrient applications, and careful use of water. There are also large on-farm and off-farm losses due to poor harvesting and lack of bulk handling and storage in modern silos. Instead of working to improve yields through land consolidation, better farm management and improved technology, the government has in the past tried to accelerate growth by literally throwing money at it. Billions of scarce public money have been spent on subsidising costs of inputs and buying wheat at fixed prices that are often above the free market equilibrium price. The logic that underpinned this policy is that lower fertiliser prices would increase applications and raise yields; and high wheat prices would increase the amount of land allocated to wheat while also enhancing investment in inputs such as seeds, machinery and water. However, the policy has demonstrably not worked. The reasons for this failure are not difficult to understand. Fertiliser subsidies go mainly to medium and large-scale farmers who are already using close to optimal levels of fertilisers. Subsidies mean more money in their pockets but bring about little change in behaviour. In contrast, poor farmers, most of whom use sub-optimal doses of fertiliser, are usually not able to access subsidies. Similarly, poor farmers rarely benefit from high government procurement prices – the bulk of their production is for self-consumption and the surplus, if any, is usually sold at harvest time to intermediaries at whatever price they get. With growing fiscal constraints and pressure from various domestic stakeholders as well as development partners, the government has finally stopped wheat procurement at fixed prices. The abolition of government procurement was a shock to the system. In 2024, wheat prices fell to half their level in 2023. Wheat farmers were up in arms saying that the lack of government procurement and the collapse in prices meant that, for the first time in decades, they are unable even to cover operating costs. The solution is not to go back to a procurement system that has failed, but to move forward to create an efficient and competitive wheat sector. Like any major structural change it will not be easy. Some short-term measures to ease adjustment are already under implementation by the government and the private sector. These aim to improve the working of markets; provide a safety net to the poorest farmers; and enhance financial flows into the systems. Some of these measures are already having an impact. Wheat prices for the current 2025 season were initially similar to those for 2024. However, market intermediaries have realised that with output projected to be significantly lower than 2024, prices will increase. Already there are reports of large offtakes by traders and increasing prices. However, for the medium to long term it is essential to understand that farmers cannot make money if they continue to cultivate tiny plots, use inputs inefficiently and get yields of only 30 maunds per acre. The brutal fact is that cereal crops, such as wheat, can only be efficiently grown on large farms that use modern technology, appropriate machinery and quality inputs. Ideally this could be done if small farmers come together to work in cooperative or consortia; if larger farmers rent land from friends and relatives; or if corporates are allowed to buy or lease land. More dynamism is also essential to meet the challenges of climate change and in particular of changing rainfall patterns. This has resulted in higher precipitation in some of the arid areas in Balochistan and Sindh, and has expanded the potential area for wheat. But, making better use of this potential requires agile production systems. In good rainfall years, manpower, equipment and inputs need to be quickly moved into arid areas to plant wheat. In addition, small but carefully designed investments are needed, for example, in small dams for storage and water spreading; machinery pools that can be moved quickly as needed; and low-cost storage facilities for harvested grains. All this does not mean that small farmers should not grow wheat for their own use or for their friends and family. They should. And government research and extension systems must help them do this more efficiently. But at the same time, they should be helped to diversify into high value products where they can actually make money. Furthermore, there is need for a more liberal approach to both domestic and international trade in wheat related inputs, particularly seeds; allocation of more funding to research, including in collaboration with the private sector and international institutions; and creation of conditions for the private sector to utilise new lands in previously uncultivated areas The government should also liberalise wheat movements across the country, as well as allow the private sector to freely import and export. These steps are essential to create a national market that can balance out national and local supply shocks – shocks that are likely to increase in frequency and intensity in coming years.
Business Recorder
6 days ago
- Business Recorder
Pakistan won't let India cross water treaty red line: PM
DUSHANBE: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday warned that Pakistan would not allow India to cross the red line by holding the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance and endangering millions of lives for narrow political gains, outrightly rejecting weaponization of water. Addressing the three-day high-level international conference on Glaciers' Preservation being held in Dushanbe from May 29-31, 2025, Shehbaz Sharif said 'Delhi's unilateral and illegal decision to hold in abeyance the Indus Water Treaty, which governs the sharing of the Indus Basin's water, is deeply regrettable. Millions of lives must not be held hostage to narrow political gains, and Pakistan will not allow this. We will never allow the red line to be crossed.' Shehbaz Sharif warned that there are 13,000 glaciers in Pakistan and they are fast melting due to climate change. 'Pakistan gets half of its water from these glaciers and Sindh River is its lifeline,' he added. Apprising the participants about the impacts of climate change on Pakistan, the prime minister reaffirmed the country's unwavering commitment to environmental protection and glacier conservation. The international conference is being attended by over 2,500 delegates from 80 UN member states and 70 international organizations, including prime ministers, vice-presidents, ministers, and UN assistant secretaries-general. In his comprehensive address, Shehbaz Sharif touched all the relevant issues, including glacial preservation, Pakistan's climate vulnerability, 2022 floods in Pakistan, global climate action and responsibility, scientific projections on glacial melt, weaponization of water and call to protect nature and humanity's shared destiny. 'The world today bears fresh scars from the use of conventional weapons in Gaza that have left deep wounds. As if that were not enough, we are now witnessing an alarming new low—the weaponization of water,' he told the international conference being hosted by Government of Tajikistan in collaboration with the United Nations, UNESCO, WMO, the Asian Development Bank, and other key partners as a historic moment for climate ambition, glacier preservation, and international cooperation. The 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, through a resolution, had declared 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers' Preservation, 21st of March as World Day for Glaciers starting in 2025, and that the Government of Tajikistan will host the International Conference on the subject in 2025.
Express Tribune
7 days ago
- Express Tribune
Won't allow India to cross IWT red line: PM
Rejecting the weaponisation of water, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday warned that Pakistan would not allow India to cross the red line by holding the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance and endangering millions of lives for narrow political gains. "India's unilateral and illegal decision to hold in abeyance the Indus Waters Treaty, which governs the sharing of the Indus Basin's water, is deeply regrettable. Millions of lives must not be held hostage to narrow political gains, and Pakistan will not allow this. We will never allow the red line to be crossed," the prime minister said, addressing the three-day High-Level International Conference on Glaciers' Preservation. The conference is being attended by over 2,500 delegates from 80 UN member states and 70 international organizations, including prime ministers, vice presidents, ministers, and UN assistant secretaries-general. The prime minister, in his comprehensive address, touched all the relevant issues, including glacial preservation, Pakistan's climate vulnerability, the 2022 floods in Pakistan, global climate action and responsibility, scientific projections on glacial melt, weaponisation of water and call to protect nature and humanity's shared destiny. "The world today bears fresh scars from the use of conventional weapons in Gaza that have left deep wounds. As if that were not enough, we are now witnessing an alarming new lowthe weaponisation of water," he told the international conference being hosted by the Government of Tajikistan in collaboration with the United Nations, UNESCO, WMO, the Asian Development Bank, and other key partners as a historic moment for climate ambition, glacier preservation, and international cooperation. The 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, through a resolution, had declared 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers' Preservation, 21st of March as World Day for Glaciers starting in 2025, and that the Government of Tajikistan will host the International Conference on the subject in 2025. The prime minister said that Pakistan, being home to over 13,000 glaciers, was the most concerning as glaciers contributed nearly half of the annual flows in the Indus River system – the lifeline of our civilisation, culture and economy.
