Nation should make collective efforts for country's progress: FCCI
In his special message on the eve of Independence Day, he said that our forefathers had given unprecedented sacrifices to earn independence. He said that this day has doubled our pleasures as we are not rejoicing our Independence Day but also celebrating the unmatched victory in 'Marka-E-Haq' against India.
Bharara said that our armed forces under the dynamic leadership of Field Marshal Hafiz Asim Munir had not only proved their military supremacy but also achieved successes on the diplomatic front. He said that now Pakistan is fully prepared to start a new journey to earn economic sustainability and hopefully it would be included in the developed countries very soon.
Rehan Naseem Bharara underlined the environmental challenges and said that Pakistan's share in global warming is negligible but it is included among the most affected countries. He urged the Pakistani youth to plant at least one sapling on Independence Day instead of indulging in the dangerous stunts of one-wheeling and playing honks.
'Extensive plantation is necessary to make Pakistan a lush green country and thwart the looming threats of floods and other calamities,' he concluded.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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Outdated curricula rooted in rote memorisation continue to dominate classrooms, with little emphasis on critical thinking, analytical reasoning, or hands-on experience. There is an urgent need to overhaul academic programs to reflect competency-based education models. Internships, project-based learning, and interdisciplinary exposure should be core components of university life to ensure that students are better equipped to contribute to the economy and society upon graduation. With the recent economic turmoil, households see little incentive to invest in higher education, given the opportunity cost, when the job market does not value it. This is not a reflection of poor effort by students but rather a structural failure of the economy to absorb skilled labour. Our higher education faces a cycle of underperformance driven by poor governance, underused research, outdated curricula, inequitable access, and much more. Disillusionment with education stems from real economic and institutional failures, not misplaced expectations. The solution isn't merely to spend more, but to invest more strategically, aligning resources with local needs and long-term national priorities. Charting the path to effective higher education Reparation necessitates firstly, to ensure meaningful autonomy for universities. Universities must be empowered to revise fees, design market-aligned programs, and recruit faculty without political interference. The government should prioritise repairing and strengthening existing large, underperforming institutions—rather than churning out new universities for rhetorical or political gains. Without such autonomy and a focus on institutional consolidation, even the most well-crafted policies cannot be implemented effectively. Secondly, a shift toward performance-based funding is needed. Rather than relying solely on base grants – or worst, mere whims – a significant portion of public funding should be tied to measurable outcomes, such as graduate employability, research commercialisation, innovation output, and teaching quality, not just enrollment figures. Faculty standards must be raised and teaching capacity enhanced. Recruitment criteria must be strengthened, regular pedagogical training institutionalised, and competitive salaries offered to attract and retain high-performing faculty. Promotion criteria should move beyond paper publication counts to also reflect classroom impact and real-world relevance. Regulator must actively enforce these standards. Academic programs should be with market needs. The Academic Council must actively incorporate market research to align courses with industry needs, without the looming fear of the regulator's sword. ORICs and BICs should be revitalised to translate curricular outcomes into commercially viable products. Curricula must prioritise critical thinking, applied learning, and digital skills. Stronger industry linkages, mandatory internships, and project-based learning are essential to make graduates job-ready and economically relevant. Local governments should be empowered to reduce regional disparities. Provincial and district administrations should be equipped with reliable data systems, timely funding, and real administrative and fiscal autonomy. This will allow them to craft localised solutions with agility, responsiveness, and accountability. Structural governance reform need to be implemented. University governance must be separated from management. Independent boards, free from political influence, should appoint vice-chancellors based on leadership merit. A national governance code, modelled after corporate standards, must enforce transparency, annual audits, and board accountability. Clear eligibility criteria for key positions, along with key performance indicators (KPI) based performance evaluation mechanisms for each member of strategic committees as well as for the vice chancellor, should be mandated. These evaluations should be conducted by an independent third party to ensure objectivity and credibility. It is imperative to prioritise equity and inclusion, especially for women. Education policy must centre on gender and geographic inclusion. This requires scholarships, safe transport options, and secure campuses for female students; digital access in rural areas; and targeted faculty recruitment for underdeveloped regions. Prioritising female education will unlock not only individual opportunity but also national productivity. Reform, not rhetoric, is the only sustainable path forward. Furqan Ali is a Peshawar-based researcher who works in the financial sector. He can be reached at alifurqan647@ Rabia Khan is an Islamabad-based writer and researcher focusing on national and international affairs All facts and information are the sole responsibility of the authors.
