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Express Tribune
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
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 Yet our higher education institutions remain stuck in outdated models - still chasing prestige through infrastructure and image rather than impact, and still measuring success in enrollments and degrees rather than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.
Express Tribune
04-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Export economy is the key: Iqbal
Listen to article Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal highlighted the urgent need for Pakistan to transition to an export-based economy to achieve rapid economic growth. Speaking at the 10th budget summit, organised by the University of Management and Technology (UMT) on Saturday, the minister highlighted the critical role of exports in ensuring sustainable development and reducing reliance on foreign aid. Addressing a gathering of students, academics, and policymakers, Iqbal reflected on Pakistan's developmental journey since its inception in 1947. He noted that the country, which began with scarce resources, has achieved significant milestones, including becoming the seventh nuclear power globally and producing advanced JF-17 Thunder jets. "From using thorns as pins in offices to building a modern telecommunications system with high mobile density, Pakistan has made remarkable strides," he remarked. However, the minister cautioned that these achievements pale when compared to other nations. In 1960, Pakistan's manufacturing exports were comparable to those of South Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand, but today, Pakistan lags significantly with exports at 32 billion dollars, while South Korea's exceed 600 billion dollars. Similarly, Pakistan's per capita income of 1,600 dollars is dwarfed by China's 16,000 dollars, despite starting at similar levels in 1980. Iqbal posed a pressing question; why has Pakistan fallen behind countries like Vietnam, Bangladesh, and India, which have surged ahead in exports and economic growth? He attributed this lag to the lack of a conducive environment for development, marked by conflict, instability, and short-term economic policies. "Successful nations prioritise peace, ensure stability, and maintain policy continuity for at least a decade," he explained, citing examples like Singapore, Malaysia, and China, where long-term leadership and consistent policies drove progress. Pakistan, in contrast, has faced decades of instability, including involvement in external conflicts and internal challenges like terrorism and political uncertainty. "We fought others' wars, from the Soviet conflict to the war on terror, bringing instability to our doorstep," Iqbal remarked. He stressed that economic policies need a minimum of 10 years to yield results, a continuity which Pakistan has struggled to maintain. Drawing from the government's "Uraan Pakistan" initiative, the minister outlined a roadmap to address these challenges. Central to this vision is transforming Pakistan into an export-led economy, with a target of increasing exports from 32 billion dollars to 100 billion dollars within 8 to 10 years. "If we achieve this goal, we can build momentum to reach the next 100 billion dollars in just 5 to 10 more years," he said, underscoring the need for sustainable growth aligned with foreign exchange reserves. The minister highlighted the potential of e-commerce, which allows individuals to sell products globally from home, and called for incentives to revive Pakistan's "rusty export engine." He also emphasised the importance of aligning growth with global technological shifts, such as the Fourth and Fifth Industrial Revolutions, encompassing artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and biotechnology. Ahsan Iqbal also highlighted recent government initiatives to position Pakistan in the techno-economy, including the establishment of national centres for artificial intelligence, big data, cybersecurity, and quantum computing. These centres, connected to universities nationwide, are fostering startups and industry-oriented research. "We are mapping university faculties to industry needs, ensuring research drives economic growth," he said. The minister also expressed concern over Pakistan's 11% higher education enrolment ratio, compared to 30% in India and 60% in China, and the 25 million children out of school. "No country has developed without 90% literacy," he warned, calling for universal primary education. On climate change, Iqbal stressed the need for smart agriculture and weather-resistant seeds to secure food supplies, alongside energy efficiency and renewable energy adoption to meet global carbon standards. Concluding his speech, the minister urged the youth to seize opportunities in digital skills, cloud computing, and quantum technologies. "Pakistan is not an ordinary country; it was founded on Allama Iqbal's vision of economic empowerment for Muslims," he said, encouraging young Pakistanis to stay and work hard to realise their dreams. He called for a national consensus to address education, healthcare, population growth, exports, technology, climate change, and extremism. "If the nation unites and pushes together, Pakistan will soar to new heights," he affirmed.
Business Recorder
04-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Ahsan for transition to export-based economy to achieve rapid growth
LAHORE: Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal highlighted the urgent need for Pakistan to transition to an export-based economy to achieve rapid economic growth. Speaking at the 10th budget summit, organised by the University of Management and Technology (UMT) on Saturday, the minister highlighted the critical role of exports in ensuring sustainable development and reducing reliance on foreign aid. Addressing a gathering of students, academics, and policymakers, Iqbal reflected on Pakistan's developmental journey since its inception in 1947. He noted that the country, which began with scarce resources, has achieved significant milestones, including becoming the seventh nuclear power globally and producing advanced JF-17 Thunder jets. 'From using thorns as pins in offices to building a modern telecommunications system with high mobile density, Pakistan has made remarkable strides,' he said. However, the minister cautioned that these achievements pale when compared to other nations. In 1960, Pakistan's manufacturing exports were comparable to those of South Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand, but today, Pakistan lags significantly with exports at 32 billion dollars, while South Korea's exceed 600 billion dollars. Similarly, Pakistan's per capita income of 1,600 dollars is dwarfed by China's 16,000 dollars, despite starting at similar levels in 1980. Iqbal posed a pressing question: why has Pakistan fallen behind countries like Vietnam, Bangladesh, and India, which have surged ahead in exports and economic growth? He attributed this lag to a lack of a conducive environment for development, marked by conflict, instability, and short-term economic policies. 'Successful nations prioritize peace, ensure stability, and maintain policy continuity for at least a decade,' he explained, citing examples like Singapore, Malaysia, and China, where long-term leadership and consistent policies drove progress. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
30-01-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
AI at the helm: a bold roadmap for transforming universities
Listen to article In a world rapidly shaped by artificial intelligence, Pakistan's higher education sector cannot afford to remain on the sidelines. The recent five-year economic transformation plan of Pakistan, Uraan, unveiled on 1st January 2025, emphasises AI as a driving force for growth, innovation and societal progress. Higher education institutions must rise to meet this challenge if we wish to nurture graduates who can excel in these modern times with skills to make use of generative AI models in their learnings. AI's impact on teaching and learning extends far beyond flashy digital robotic tools. At its best, AI is about personalising the academic journey, allowing students to learn at their own pace while still engaging in collaborative classroom experiences. In Pakistan, however, many disciplines in higher education remain bound by rigid syllabi that barely acknowledge the rise of these emerging technologies. The mismatch between outdated content and the relentless advance of AI calls is being seen in a strong decline in students enrolment in these disciplines, calling for an urgent overhaul. Curricula must be dynamic, involving modules on machine learning, data ethics and computational thinking to prepare students for a workforce hungry for these skills. I was reminded of this urgency while attending a talk at University of Management and Technology (UMT), titled Minds and Machines: The Human Factor in the AI Revolution, delivered by Stephen Brobst, an MIT-Harvard guru on AI. He quoted ideas from the book Power and Progress by the authors Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson who received the 2024 Nobel Prize in Economics. He mentioned that banning or restricting AI in higher education is like an ostrich putting its head in the sand. He argued that the real benefit of AI would be to boost productivity across sectors and would actually create more employment opportunities, rather than eliminate them. Stephen spoke of blending human intuition with advanced technology, highlighting that although algorithms can crunch vast quantities of data, the spark of innovation and context-driven insights come from people. He also mentioned that Pakistan's youth, just like in neighbouring India, has the potential to make huge strides in the AI revolution if we seize opportunities in advancing our learnings at higher education institutions and pursuing entrepreneurship and skill development. His insights underscored how universities in Pakistan cannot ignore AI's transformative power if we truly wish to evolve as future oriented universities. Many universities lack reliable high-speed internet or the computing infrastructure needed to train robust AI models. Faculty with hands-on AI experience are also in short supply, partly due to limited professional development opportunities. If we are serious about realising Uraan's vision, we must bridge these infrastructural and expertise gaps through targeted funding for universities and via strategic partnerships with local industries and international institutions. Employers in Pakistan have long complained of a growing divide between academic qualifications and real-world demands. This gap is more evident than ever in the applications of AI, where skills in data science, natural language processing and deep learning are rapidly becoming prerequisites. Universities should cultivate stronger links with the private sector, inviting guest speakers, launching collaborative research projects and offering students real-world case studies. UMT, for example, arranged recently a talk by Usman Asif, the Founder and CEO of DevSinc, a leading tech company in Lahore with a mission to create 80,000 jobs in Pakistan. Such initiatives not only enrich the learning beyond the classroom experience of our students but also ensure graduates have marketable skills from day one. AI's power comes along with ethical dilemmas that universities must address, especially when preparing future professionals. Automation of simpler tasks can displace unskilled workers, data misuse can jeopardise privacy and unchecked algorithms or use of unreliable data can foster bias. By integrating ethical AI modules into degree programmes, we can produce graduates who are keenly aware of these risks. The Uraan plan emphasises responsible innovation, making it all the more important for universities to train students to build, deploy and regulate AI systems with integrity. Modern research in AI thrives on synergy between disciplines. To encourage cross-disciplinary ideas, universities should create platforms where computer scientists, economists, sociologists and psychologists can share insights and co-develop solutions. This collaborative ethos, supported by strong university leadership, can help transform higher education into a vibrant ecosystem that drives Pakistan's competitive position in the world, especially in the adoption of emerging technologies. Next few years will prove decisive for Pakistan's universities and each institution now stands at a pivotal moment in its history. Embracing AI must be seen not as a mere upgrade but as a transformation that redefines how we teach, learn and create. We need far-reaching reforms in curricula, more robust infrastructure, stronger faculty development and an unwavering commitment to ethics as we adopt AI. Uraan offers a bold blueprint for our future, yet it will succeed only if our universities commit to forward-looking strategies that address the realities of an AI-driven world. Crucially, a structured roadmap is needed to guide Pakistani universities toward fully embracing AI in their degrees, programmes and courses. The overarching vision is to harness AI as a primary tool for delivering structured and certified university-level education, shifting the core business from reliance on books, teachers, classrooms and traditional exams to an AI-based framework that optimises learning efficiencies. This transformation requires two key steps. Step 1 involves converting all educational content - be it from books, research articles or other resources - into specialised Subject AI Models, thus substantially reducing the need for printed textbooks and providing continuously updated knowledge repositories. Step 2 calls for delivering most of the instruction through these Subject AI Models, with human educators stepping in only when guidance, ethical judgement or deeper discussion is required. In tandem, Pakistan's Higher Education Commission (HEC) must play a pivotal role as regulator and enabler: it can ensure responsible AI use, certify Subject AI Models, set guidelines to prevent misuse and incentivise universities to adopt and refine these AI tools. By establishing clear standards and certifications, the HEC can encourage institutions to invest in building robust AI systems and align teaching resources towards more productive, high-impact educational activities. Now is the time for swift action. If our universities seize this opportunity, Pakistan can look ahead to a future of dynamic academic excellence, vibrant economic growth and a society enriched by emerging technologies.
