Aiou Solved Assignments Code 828 Autumn & Spring 2024
AIOU Solved Assignments 1 & 2 Code 828 Autumn & Spring 2024. Solved Assignments code 828 Higher Education 2024. Allama iqbal open university old papers.
Course: Higher Education (828)
Level: M.A / M. Ed
Semester:Autumn & Spring 2024
Assignment No. 1
Q 1. Explain the functions of the university with reference to research, advisory,
leadership and centre of excellence.
Answer:
In the last two decades, higher education worldwide has moved from the periphery to the
centre of governmental agendas. Universities are now seen as crucial national assets in
addressing many policy priorities, and as: sources of new knowledge and innovative thinking;
providers of skilled personnel and credible credentials; contributors to innovation; attractors
of international talent and business investment; agents of social justice and mobility;
contributors to social and cultural vitality; and determinants of health and well-being.
Proposition 2 – Notwithstanding their diversity of functions, governments focus on the
presumed direct economic role of universities.
Whereas people in higher education might be sensitive to these diverse functions, the reality
is that in policymaking circles the discourse about universities tends to be dominated by
analyses of how they can best fulfil a direct economic function.
The role of universities in creating economically valuable intellectual resources is reflected in
the following comments, and is in my mind unquestionable.
Michael Porter, of Harvard Business School, commented that: “Skilled human resources and
knowledge resources are two of the most important factors for upgrading national
competitive advantage.” According to André Sapir, of the Breughel Group: “There must be the
radical re-ordering of EU priorities to stimulate growth, by concentrating on consolidating
capital markets, research and development and higher education.”
But I am profoundly uneasy when faced by assertions such as those of the Australian Chief
Scientist, who argued in The Chance to Change that universities had the potential “to play a
central role as dynamos of growth in the innovation process and be huge generators of
wealth creation”.
In a context where governments are principal funders of universities, it implies that a
university can be like a pump which, when primed with a little public money, will gush forth
the tangible effects of economic prosperity into which that money has been transformed.
It assumes that the function of universities is to provide direct in-out benefits for society’s
economic prosperity. The logic implies that invention in the university, largely in its science
labs, leads to innovation and economic benefit. The oft-quoted example of this from Silicon
Valley and Stanford University is, however, far more subtle and complex than a simple reading
allows – but its success, however fleeting, has created a consensus about the potential of the
university to be the direct driver of the knowledge-based economy.
That is the consensus that prevails today, as European policymakers look to keep their nations
and regions competitive, in face of raging industrial competition from China and India, as well
as all-round economic uncertainty.
A rhetoric of crisis has developed that focuses on the development of powerful research
universities which have become, over the past few years, something of a holy grail for
European research policy. In almost every region and nation, having at least one research
university that performs, as the cliché goes, like MIT, is regarded as a central element in
maintaining economic competitiveness.
What role do such universities have, they ask, in lifting us from the current recession, or
depression as it might become? What shall we do to ensure that our universities are ready to
perform? And by implication, if companies and jobs aren’t being created in sufficient
numbers, where are our universities going wrong? What can we fix to make them deliver the
goods? If they can’t, we’ll create a European Institute of Technology to show them how to do
it. Proposition 3 – It is crucial that the true role of universities in society is understood before
mechanisms to promote change are put in place.
At this point, we need to pause and think what it is that makes the university engine work,
what it can deliver for society and what it cannot. Because while public policy rightly seeks the
engagement of universities in contemporary concerns and objectives of their societies, such
policy needs to be moderated by a better understanding of the fundamental functions of
universities in society.
While the assumption is that there is a direct, linear in-out relationship between economic
outcomes and investment in university research – particularly in science – which has produced
welcome investment, and while many governments are asking “how can we make
investments in universities that will help us out of the recession”, there is a temptation for
universities to promise what we cannot deliver.
We should be careful not to foist on universities tasks which they may be ill-equipped for and
which, if too actively pursued, could damage their ability to deliver what they are uniquely
able to deliver in terms of education and innovation. We need only look at banks to see the
consequences of excessive and ill-conceived diversification. Let us not follow them.
It is my contention that much of the current emphasis of public policy concerning universities
is the result of thinking that is far from capturing their essential reality. It is crucial that the
true role of universities is understood before mechanisms to promote change are put in
place.
Proposition 4 – The university’s concern is ‘useful knowledge’, but not merely with the
immediately applicable – a university is a resource for an unknown future.
I believe that the university is essentially concerned with ‘useful knowledge’, but that useful
knowledge should not be interpreted merely as the immediately applicable. One of the roles
of the university is to prepare the knowledge that an unpredictable future may need.
A university that moulds itself only to present demands is one that is not listening to its
historians. Today’s preoccupations are inevitably myopic, often ephemeral, giving little
thought for tomorrow. History is at its most illuminating when written with the full
consciousness of what people wrongly expected to happen. Even in the domain of
technology, future developments only a few years away have been shrouded from
contemporary eyes. Many, possibly most, have arisen unexpectedly from research with other
objectives, and assessments of technological potential have invariably missed the mark.
Thirty years ago, scientists who studied climate change, and I am one of them, tended to have
long hair and very colourful socks. We were regarded as harmless but irrelevant. But the
3
serendipitous investment in their work revealed processes that we now recognise as
threatening the future of human society, and the successors to those scientists are playing a
crucial role in assessing how we need to adapt.
Francis Fukuyama’s 1992 claim of “The End of History” was soon falsified as, within a decade,
history re-invented itself, gearing into fast-forward mode with unanticipated transformations
in economic practice, in social and religious experience and political relationships. We may
now be at a similar juncture. Who would have thought, a mere year ago, that two decades of
global economic growth might be brought to a precipitous halt by sudden collapse of pillars
of the global economy.
The ideas, the thoughts, the technologies, that tomorrow will need or that will forge
tomorrow, are hidden from us. Universities in their creative, free-thinking mode, and their
students who acquire these habits, are vital resources for that future and an insurance against
it. The policies being increasingly pressed upon universities, however, implicitly assume a
knowable future or a static societal or economic frame..
Aiou Solved Assignments 1 & 2 code 828 Autumn & Spring 2024
{===============}
Q 2. Critically discuss the provision of higher education in Pakistan with reference to
Pakistan Education conference and education policy 1998 – 2010?
Answer:
According to the constitution of 1973, article 25
1. All citizens are equal before law and are entitled to equal protection of law.
2. There shall be no discrimination on the basis of sex alone.
3. Nothing in this constitution shall present the state from making any special provision for
the protection of women and children.
For the normal and non-lawyer persons there is no relation in this article and its sub-clause
with “EP” but for law fraternity it has impact that might be left on whole state policy.
Especially where according to law and constitution we donot discriminate among students
and institution on the basis of sex, gender, and cast.
4
Justice “Muhammad Nassem chuhdry” in his famous commentary of constitution of 1973
stated that:
“Educational institution Allegation of discrimination in making of answer books by specified
papers to appear in court on fixed date of hearing along with answer book of all other
examinees marked by them .Validity leave to appeal was granted to examine whether high
court was right in summoning examines as well as the answer books to find out if they had
been corrected making.” #1996-schr-676
“Reasonable classification has always been considered permissible ,provided that such
classification is based on reasonable and rational categorization .such classification must not
be arbitrary or artificial, it must be evenly applicable to all persons or goods similarly situated
or placed” (justice m.naseem chuhdry 1973 const /p-89)
And the other article of constitution that cast shadow over educational policy is Article-31,
with article 31, we have one other article that is 237 that also stress on Islamic sharia
applicability over the whole system of state. So in the process of making E-policy ,publishing
E-policy, propagating E-policy, while preparing for curriculum ,we drive not only light and
guide ness from constitution generally and “objective Especially” but also we take guide ness
from Islamic sharia .
According to the constitution “No law will be made by legislature that is contradictory and
against the Islamic ideologies” so this article clearly makes link with educational policy of
state.
Pakistan is a federal Islamic cum parliamentary state by the faith of country law and
Regulation, even though researcher such As “Dr.poly dada” said that Pakistan is not an Islamic
state but it’s a state of Muslims”. But majority believes that it’s an Islamic state.
This is the point that left lot of flaw and gap while making and implementing state
Educational policy.
Pakistani educational system has converted and splitted in class education such like. Upper
class school, upper middle school, lower middle school, lower private schools and
5
maddarsahs based system run by wafaq-ul madaris and tanzeem-ul-madarees.and
government yellow wall schools.
And higher education is also seems devided in same pattern, till yet 3 major educational
policies, reformation and, recommendation has been made that are coming below.
1. Policy presented by justice S.M.Shareef on the 26 August of 1959.
2. the Educational policy and reformation that was made by the Z.A.bhutto made commission
on the 15, March of 1972.
3. The educational policy made for the period of 1998 till 2010 .
Salient Features of National Education Policy 1998-2010
Aims and objectives of Education and Islamic Education
Education and training should enable the citizens of Pakistan to lead their lives according to
the teachings of Islam as laid down in the Qur’an and Sunnah and to educate and train them
as a true practicing Muslim. To evolve an integrated system of national education by bringing
Deeni Madaris and modern schools closer to each stream in curriculum and the contents of
education. Nazira Qur’an will be introduced as a compulsory component from grade I-VIII
while at secondary level translation of the selected verses from the Holy Qur’an will be
offered.
Literacy and Non-Formal Education
Eradication of illiteracy through formal and informal means for expansion of basic education
through involvement of community. The current literacy rate of about 39% will be raised to
55% during the first five years of the policy and 70% by the year 2010 Functional literacy and
income generation skills will be provided to rural women of 15 to 25 age group and basic
educational facilities will be provided to working children. Functional literacy will be imparted
to adolescents (10-14) who missed out the chance of primary education. The existing
disparities in basic education will be reduced to half by year 2010.
Elementary Education
6
About 90% of the children in the age group (5-9) will be enrolled in schools by year 2002-03.
Gross enrolment ratio at primary level will be increased to 105% by year 2010 and
Compulsory Primary Education Act will be promulgated and enforced in a phased manner.
Full utilization of existing capacity at the basic level has been ensured by providing for
introduction of double shift in existing school of basics education. Quality of primary
education will be improved through revising curricula, imparting in-service training to the
teachers, raising entry qualifications for teachers from matriculation to intermediate, revising
teacher training curricula, improving management and supervision system and reforming the
existing examination and assessment system.
Integration of primary and middle level education in to elementary education (I-VIII).
Increasing participation rate from 46% to 65% by 2002-3 and 85% 2010 at middle level. At the
elementary level, a system of continuous evaluation will be adopted to ensure attainment of
minimum learning competencies for improving quality of education.
Secondary Education
One model secondary school will be set up at each district level. A definite vocation or a
career will be introduced at secondary level. It would be ensured that all the boys and girls,
desirous of entering secondary education, become enrolled in secondary schools. Curriculum
for secondary and higher secondary will be revised and multiple textbooks will be introduced.
The participation rate will be increased from 31% to 48% by 2002-03. The base for technical
and vocational education shall be broadened through introduction of a stream of
matriculation (Technical) on pilot basis and establishment of vocational high schools. Multiple
textbooks shall be introduced at secondary school level.
Teacher Education
To increase the effectiveness of the system by institutionalizing in-service training of teachers,
teacher trainers and educational administrators through school clustering and other
techniques. To upgrade the quality of pre-service teacher training programmes by
introducing parallel programmes of longer duration at post-secondary and post-degree levels
i.e. introduction of programs of FA/FSc education and BA/BSc education . The contents and
methodology parts of teacher education curricula will be revised. Both formal and non-formal
7
means shall be used to provide increased opportunities of in-service training to the working
teachers, preferably at least once in five years. A special package of incentives package shall
be provided to rural females to join the teaching profession. A new cadre of teacher
educators shall be created.
Technical and Vocational Education
To develop opportunities for technical and vocational education in the country for producing
trained manpower, commensurate with the needs of industry and economic development
goals. To improve the quality of technical education so as to enhance the chances of
employment of Technical and vocational Education (TVE) graduates by moving from a static,
supply-based system to a demand-driven system. Revision and updating of curricula shall be
made a continuing activity to keep pace with changing needs of the job market and for
accommodating the new developments. Development of technical competence,
communication skills, safety and health measures and entrepreneurial skills etc. shall be
reflected in the curricula. Institution-industry linkages shall be strengthened to enhance the
relevance of training to the requirements of the job market. Emerging technologies e.g.
telecommunication, computer, electronics, automation, petroleum, garments, food
preservation, printing and graphics, textile, mining, sugar technology, etc. greatly in demand
in the job market shall be introduced in selected polytechnics. A National Council for
Technical Education shall be established to regulate technical education.
Higher Education
Access to higher education shall be expanded to at least 5% of the age group 17-25 by the
year 2010. Merit shall be the only criterion for entry into higher education. Access to higher
education, therefore, shall be based on entrance tests. Reputed degree colleges shall be given
autonomy and degree awarding status. Degree colleges shall have the option to affiliate with
any recognized Pakistani university or degree awarding institution for examination and award
of degrees. To attract highly talented qualified teachers, the university staff will be paid at
higher rates than usual grades. Local M.Phil. And Ph.D programs shall be launched and
laboratory and library facilities will be strengthened. Split PhD programs shall be launched in
collaboration with reputed foreign universities and at the minimum, 100 scholars shall be
8
annually trained under this arrangement. All quota/reserve seats shall be eliminated. Students
from backward areas, who clear entry tests, would compete amongst themselves. In order to
eliminate violence, all political activities on the campus shall be banned.
A comprehensive monitoring and evaluation system has been envisaged from grass-roots to
the highest level. The District Education Authority will be established in each district to ensure
public participation in monitoring and implementation. The education Ministers at the Federal
and Provincial levels will oversee monitoring committees, responsible for implementation at
their levels. The Prime Minister and Provincial Chief Ministers will be the Chief of National and
Provincial Education Councils respectively which will ensure achievements of targets. Existing
EMIS at Federal and Provincial levels shall be strengthened to make them responsive to the
need of Monitoring and Evaluation System (MES).The Academy of Educational Planning and
Management (AEPAM) shall be strengthened and tuned up to meet the emerging demands
of MES and its obligations at national and provincial levels. Data collected through Provincial
EMISs and collated by AEPAM through National Education Management Information System
(NEMIS) shall be recognized as one source for planning, management, monitoring, and
evaluation purposes to avoid disparities and confusion. Databases of critical indicators on
qualitative aspects of educational growth shall be developed and maintained by AEPAM for
developing sustainable indicators of progress, based on more reliable and valid data to
facilitate planning, implementation and follow-up. A School Census Day shall be fixed for
collecting data from all over the country.
Aiou Solved Assignments code 828 Autumn & Spring 2024
{===============}
Q 3. Discuss in detail the system of higher education in USA. How this system is
different from the system of higher education in Pakistan.
Answer:
Higher education in the United States is an optional final stage of formal learning following
secondary education. Higher education, also referred to as post-secondary education, third
stage, third level, or tertiary education occurs most commonly at one of the 4,360 Title IV
degree-granting institutions, either colleges or universities in the country. These may be
public universities, private universities, liberal arts colleges, community colleges, or for-profit
9
colleges. Higher education in the United States is loosely regulated by a number of third-
party organizations that vary in quality.
High visibility issues include rising tuition and increasing student loan debt, greater use of the
Internet, competency-based education, fraternity hazing, campus sexual assault, cutbacks in
state and local spending, the adjunctification of academic labor, and student poverty and
hunger.
According to the National Student Clearinghouse, US college enrollment has declined since a
peak in 2010-11 and is projected to continue declining or be stagnant for the next two
decades. This decline, partially attributable to falling birth rates and fewer foreign students,
amounts to 2.6 million fewer students than in 2010–11.
Strong research and funding helped American universities dominate global rankings in the
early 23st century, making them particularly attractive to international students, professors
and researchers. Other countries, however, are now offering incentives to take away
researchers as funding is threatened. As a result, the US dominance of international tables has
lessened.
The United States higher education system has also been blighted by fly-by-night schools,
diploma mills, visa mills, and predatory for-profit colleges.
According to Pew Research Center and Gallup poll surveys conducted in 2017, public opinion
about US colleges has been declining, especially among Republicans and the white working
class.] The higher education industry has been criticized for being unnecessarily expensive,
providing a difficult-to-measure service which is seen as vital but in which providers are paid
for inputs instead of outputs, and which is beset with federal regulations which drive up costs,
and with payments not coming from users but from third parties. In 2018, a Pew survey found
that 61 percent of those polled said that US higher education was headed in the wrong
direction.
US education has been unique its emphasis on Liberal Arts education in its higher education
curriculum, but this emphasis has been waning for decades. The US is also unique in its
investment in highly competitive sports, particularly in American football and basketball, with
large sports stadiums and arenas.
10
A Comparison between Higher Education in Pakistan and United States
While sitting in a class room in Pakistan, almost every student has a dream to move to United
States or other developed countries their higher education. But the point is this why students
are not satisfied with education system in Pakistan and why they want to move overseas.
As I found an opportunity to study in United States for one semester and I am writing today
about the differences in education of Pakistan and United States that i observed here.
Major Selection:
As far as major selection is considered, it is very flexible, you can change your major at any
stage of your Undergraduate Degree. It is also common here to have two or more than two
majors in a degree. You have choice to study whatever you want, no matter in which subject
or major you were enrolled for the first time. There are no hard and fast rules to switch your
major.
In Pakistan, this situation to have multiple majors is not common. No doubt, in many
universities Pakistani students has choice to choose their majors after two years of study in
their four years Bachelors degree. In Pakistan students can study their Master’s degree in a
different subject rather than their First major. Conclusion is this that all these options to
switch major are not easy to avail sometimes but it exists.
Class Rooms:
It would not be wrong if I say that class room culture in American Universities is almost totally
different from that in Pakistan in both aspects, Behaviors of Students/Teachers and resources
availability.
An American teacher has more resources available in class room than that are available to
Pakistani teacher. Almost class rooms of every university are smart class rooms, Teachers can
record their lectures that are easily available to students later. Lecture recording is not
common in Pakistan but still class rooms in Pakistani universities are equipped with
multimedia systems.
Behavior of teachers with their students is friendlier than in Pakistan.
Financial Situation of An American Student:
11
When I compare the Financial situations of American and Pakistani university students. I
found it very worse for American students and I realized that my country is blessed in this
regard. A Pakistani student who has never traveled to United States, its hard for him/her to
even imagine how expensive is education in USA.
Most of the students has thousands of dollars loan when they complete their education.
During their student life they also have to work hard to manage their finances.
In Pakistan, more option of financial assistance are available to students. And best part is that
students have not to return this money after completing their education.
Quality Education:
When we talk about the quality of education in Pakistan and Unites states. It is reality that
overall Pakistan is far away from developed countries in this comparison. During a
comparison, different points came to mind from curriculum development to teaching styles
and behaviors of students.
If I compare the behavior of students in Pakistan and United states.US students are more
keen to learn new things, they do not stick to just their course work. While in Pakistan this
trend is not common, one of the tragedy in Pakistan is that students do not read text books
but only Power point presentations that is different from United States.
As far as teaching style is concerned, In US class rooms, teachers engage student in different
Interactive and problem solving activities, use of work sheets and to discuss real life scenario
is common. Lectures are not boring and easy to understand in US colleges and Universities.
Community Service in US Universities:
Volunteer work and community service in US universities is very common. Students have a
belief that to serve back community helps them to groom their personality and it gives
satisfaction. Unfortunately, this trend is not too common in Pakistan.
Aiou Solved Assignments 1 & 2 Autumn & Spring 2024 code 828
{===============}
Q 4 Compare the two main philosophies of higher education. Which philosophy
according to you is more suitable to Pakistani Higher education system and why?
Answer:
12
The gift of sharing knowledge and experiences has been one of the greatest keys to human
survival and success for millennia. From parent to child, from scholar to neophyte, from
craftsman to apprentice, what began in the household became the shared responsibility of
the local community. But in this Age of the Internet, where all of human understanding is but
a Google-search away, a precise understanding of the role and/or function of formal
education is less well defined and therefore under siege.
Having taught in a wide variety of educational institutions for almost twenty-years and
participated in my own educational process for the whole of my own life, I recognize the
complexity of trying to encapsulate a working philosophy of education and particularly higher
education. Based on my experiences working with second-language elementary and middle
school learners in low SES communities in combination with the last 14-years working as an
online student and then educator has afforded me an understanding of what is needed to
address the learning needs of today’s students. I believe that the process can be distilled into
four essential categories:
1. Curriculum
2. Teaching Staff
3. Learning Environment
4. Learning Community/Cadre
Whether we’re talking about a traditional face-to-face third-grade classroom in urban South-
Central Los Angeles or a fully online doctoral program being run by a prestigious university in
the Midwest, the quality of the program or learning experience will be based on the strength
of all four elements.
One can learn a lot about an institution’s or individual’s philosophy of education based on the
which of the four elements is either given priority or is the sole focus of the program. It’s been
my observation that many traditional institutions tend put the biggest emphasis on the
quality of the curriculum, protecting that content as if it were their exclusive domain. Thus the
belief is essentially that the educational process is data transferal from one generation to the
next. In this model getting an education is having access to this curriculum and the business
13
model is that one must pay tuition to have access to this curriculum. If the institution is aware
of the competitive market it must work within, then the quality of the teaching staff and
bucolic setting of its campus will also be promoted. But at its core it’s about the curriculum.
Online education, of course, complicates things, but for many, the bucolic campus is simply
replaced with a user-friendly website, period. A good website, like a comfortable campus for
face-to-face students, is important. But just having a good learning environment is not
enough.
As a face-to-face classroom instructor for the first 13-years of my teaching career, I
understood the importance of working with the classroom dynamic and using it to the benefit
of the learning process. Thus, I naturally tended to break the classroom down into small
heterogeneous working groups, making sure that there was at least one strong-willed female
per group, one high-achiever, and mixed learning styles spread amongst the groups. It was
simply more efficient for me to work with students as groups and then let them delegate the
learning task. The assignment may have been turned in individually, but the learning task was
done as a group. It wasn’t that all of my students were limited in the attention I made
available to them but that management was more delegated and there was a sense that “we”
were working toward a common learning goal. Working with Latino students, I saw this as a
strength and means to manage the room by working with them as groups. But I did this to
make my job easier, not really realizing that I was empowering my students’ learning
experiences by not only permitting them to work together, but by requiring it.
When I began my online learning experience at Pepperdine University in 2001 I was
introduced to the work of Dr. Etienne Wenger, who popularized the idea of Communities of
Practice and Dr. Frank Smith, whose The Book of Learning and Forgetting, discussed the
sociological component of education and learning. The stereotype of online learning tends to
be of some kind of isolated impersonal correspondence learning that isn’t even the least bit
as dynamic or life-changing as face-to-face on-campus learning. How can it be, if one never
sees another human face, except for pre-recorded video-lectures shot from across a huge
hall, and any interaction is via email messages with 25-hour or more lags between message
and response? But Pepperdine did something different and required all students to
participate in a week-long tech-camp the July before beginning our programs so that we
14
would become familiar with each other’s personality and begin to form working relationships
and friendships with our classmates. Then when we went back to our homes spread out
across the world and began our class sessions we could fill in the personalities behind the
text-based communication. But we did more than just fill in the personality-gaps in our
Internet-based communication. After all we were a group of 25 who were studying and using
educational technology, so we fully employed the technologies, such as Instant Message and
discussion groups to break the Class Session/Study/Project/Class Session cycle, and formed
our own small groups to work together and to interact with whenever we wanted. Compared
to my large-lecture-hall-solo-learning experiences that I tended to have when I studied for
my teaching credential in the mid-1990s, my online learning experiences were personal, and
powerful and changed what I believed could be accomplished in education.
Dr. Frank Smith raised concerns that the increased use of technology in education was a step
in the wrong direction, making the learning process even more impersonal, isolated and one-
size-fits-all (The Book of Learning and Forgetting, p.73). Given how many institutions have
implemented online learning as a webpage and recorded lectures I can see how this fear is
justified. However, my experiences with Pepperdine and the last six-years teaching online
have proven to me that it isn’t technology that one should fear, but decision-makers who
believe that education can be a pre-packaged product. The difficulties being faced by
institutions turning to MOOCs (Massive Open Online Course) lends itself to the problems of
thinking that education is simple access to good curriculum. As an online student and online
educator I know that without harnessing the power of a small group of individuals working
towards a common goal one does not have a healthy educational process. Determining how
to support this process, that includes all four categories, will be the challenge facing all
educational institutions and especially higher education where much of the research behind
the curriculum is available online without the “benefit” of a college degree program.
Best for Pakistani Higher Education
Existentialism as an Educational Philosophy Just as its namesake sprang from a strong
rejection of traditional philosophy, educational existentialism sprang from a strong rejection
of the traditional, essentialist approach to education. Existentialism rejects the existence of
15
any source of objective, authoritative truth about metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics.
Instead, individuals are responsible for determining for themselves what is “true” or “false,”
“right” or “wrong,” “beautiful” or “ugly.” For the existentialist, there exists no universal form of
human nature; each of us has the free will to develop as we see fit. In the existentialist
classroom, subject matter takes second place to helping the students understand and
appreciate themselves as unique individuals who accept complete responsibility for their
thoughts, feelings, and actions. The teacher’s role is to help students define their own essence
by exposing them to various paths they may take in life and creating an environment in which
they may freely choose their own preferred way. Since feeling is not divorced from reason in
decision making, the existentialist demands the education of the whole person, not just the
mind. Although many existentialist educators provide some curricular structure, existentialism,
more than other educational philosophies, affords students great latitude in their choice of
subject matter. In an existentialist curriculum, students are given a wide variety of options
from which to choose. To the extent that the staff, rather than the students, influence the
curriculum, the humanities are commonly given tremendous emphasis. They are explored as a
means of providing students with vicarious experiences that will help unleash their own
creativity and self-expression. For example, rather than emphasizing historical events,
existentialists focus upon the actions of historical individuals, each of whom provides possible
models for the students’ own behavior. In contrast to the humanities, math and the natural
sciences may be deemphasized, presumably because their subject matter would be
considered “cold,” “dry,” “objective,” and therefore less fruitful to self-awareness. Moreover,
vocational education is regarded more as a means of teaching students about themselves
and their potential than of earning a livelihood. In teaching art, existentialism encourages
individual creativity and imagination more than copying and imitating established models.
Existentialist methods focus on the individual. Learning is self-paced, self-directed, and
includes a great deal of individual contact with the teacher, who relates to each student
openly and honestly.
Aiou Solved Assignments 1 & 2 code 828 Autumn & Spring 2024
{===============}
Q 5. Present a critique on role of various organization in growth and development of
higher education in Pakistan?
16
Answer:
The universities of today are increasingly perceived as ‘strategic actors’ in the creation of
knowledge economies, amidst a greater realisation of a relationship between universities,
industry, and government. There has been a marked shift in the role of universities from the
traditional ‘teaching and research’ model towards that of universities being knowledge
transfer champions in Pakistan.
Over the last decade a significant development took place in this regard. In 2010 the Higher
Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan provided funding to establish the Offices of
Research Innovation and Commercialization (ORIC). This funding is available for all public and
private universities of Pakistan, with additional financial support from the World Bank. The
HEC also provides an additional 15% funding for ORICs that are involved in successful bids for
research projects funded by the National Research Program for Universities (NRPU) thus
providing legacy funding within each project.
To date, ORICs have been established across 44 public and private universities in Pakistan, a
massive expansion from the nine that were initially founded in 2010.
Research, being a forte of any large university, needs to be facilitated and managed. The role
of ORICs thus becomes essential in advising and facilitating researchers. Indeed, ORICs were
mandated to act as a focal point in facilitating and coordinating all research activities within a
university, ranging from the dissemination of information regarding the call for research
proposals, to development of research proposals and the commercialisation of research
products.
The vision behind setting up ORICs was to diversify, augment and manage the university’s
research programmes; link research activities directly to the socioeconomic priorities of the
country, and aid in commercialization of research. More specifically, ORICs are mandated to:
1. Support the university’s strategic research directions and policies
2. Increase and diversifying external research funding
3. Improve integration of research and education at all levels of the university
4. Improve translation of research into the public benefit
17
5. Strengthen university-industry relationships
6. Promote entrepreneurship, technology-transfer and commercialisation activities that
energize and support the local and national economy
7. Establish Business Incubation Centers for fostering growth of new companies
8. Promote and enhance cross-cutting multi-disciplinary research initiatives
With the establishment of ORICs, a daunting task for the HEC was the capacity building of
ORIC personal for their mandated role. To this end, the HEC organized relevant national and
international training programs for ORIC personal. One of such was a training course
‘Managing Research’ held in Thailand and Australia in collaboration with Asian Institute of
Technology (AIT) wherein a delegation of managers from ORICs of twenty one different
Pakistani universities visited Commercialization and Technology Transfer Offices of leading
universities of Thailand and Australia to gain insights as to how research is managed and
commercialized in those contexts. An ORIC forum was then formed by the members of the
ORICs at different universities, providing a platform for sharing experiences and raising
relevant issues of mutual concern. The forum served as a viable platform for IPO-Pakistan, for
raising awareness among universities about patents and their role in technology transfer.
It is commonly perceived that education is the most powerful weapon in alleviating poverty,
elevating economic growth, producing skilled human resource, creating a healthy and
enlightened social environment and making self-sufficient nations. Poverty and education are
paradoxically related to each other: if one is improved, the other is decreased.
In a socially, economically, religiously and culturally diverse state like Pakistan, higher
education institutions and universities, imparting education and conducting cutting edge
research, are the central mechanisms that can raise the declining social and economic
infrastructure of the country. Since the 2000s, there has been rapid growth in these
institutions and universities across Pakistan as is evident from the sharp rise in their numbers
from just 32 in 2001 to 160 at present.
Pakistan, despite rapid growth in the education sector during the past decade, suffers from
severe challenges in its educational development. These challenges include lack of access to
18
higher education for the majority of its youth, results oriented standards of pedagogical
techniques, brain drain of qualified human resource and lack of adaptability to changing
paradigms of academic research. Out of a population of 190 million, only five percent of them
have access to university level education. It is worth mentioning that, by the end of 2024,
Pakistan needs 36 million new jobs if the economy grows up to six percent annually.
Therefore, it is the premier duty of all national universities to produce graduates who fulfill
the criteria of the national, social and economic needs of the country. In this regard, the role
of career counseling and placement offices at the university level becomes very important.
In the 23st century, the paradigm of universities has shifted from traditional aspects of
teaching and learning towards building communities, economies and patterns of leadership.
Education, either basic or higher, plays a key role in the development of human capital that
subsequently brings about the establishment of sound economies and harmonious
communities. There is an immediate need to initiate radical educational reforms so that these
challenges can be addressed proactively. The following is an exercise in this regard.
To begin with, the ministry of education, ministry of finance, planning commission, standing
committees on basic and technical education and the higher education commission of
Pakistan should assist these universities, both public and private, in establishing on-campus
university-community partnership centres. These centres should work on the pattern of think
tanks and should devise mechanisms to address dominant social problems, prepare modules
and schemes for the outreach of educational facilities and bridging linkages with
communities for sharing of knowledge. Secondly, since Pakistan is a traditional society with
different demographical characteristics, whereby more than 30 percent of the population lives
below the poverty line, and more than 600,000 young graduates are adding to
unemployment every year, these higher learning institutions and universities should develop
terms of reference (ToRs) to provide financial assistance to talented individuals who otherwise
cannot afford university education.
Thirdly, to streamline and ensure effective utilisation of public funds allocated for
development of higher education in Pakistan by the concerned commissions and universities,
the concerned ministries and planning commissions should primarily focus on building grass-
19
root level education in primary schools, especially in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Fourth, universities should focus on creating an entrepreneurial culture among their
graduates. They should produce job creators rather than producing job seekers. This can be
attained through the establishment of effective business incubation centres, encouraging
partnerships between industry and academia and placing career counselling offices that
should work on intellectual and professional development of the graduates during the course
of their studies in order to prepare them today for the challenges of tomorrow.
Fifth, education never means to earn; it means to spend. The best way to spend is spending
on education and research that later on addresses the social, political, environmental and
economic problems of Pakistan. Universities can play a vital role in this regard through
fostering reciprocal partnerships with other educational organisations and community
development centres to identify real life problems. Community development participation
should be made mandatory for teachers and students at the university level. If the prestigious
Australian Endeavour Award can assign 35 percent of its total evaluation marks towards the
contribution of individual applicants towards community services than why can students at
our universities in Pakistan not be prepared on similar lines? Moreover, since Pakistan has
always been a victim of natural calamities such as floods and earthquakes, it will be beneficial
if various emergency training programmes and courses related to disaster management are
incorporated in the curriculum.
Aiou Solved Assignments 1 & 2 Autumn & Spring 2024 code 828
{===============}