Launching of four years degree program in 12 districts by the Punjab government in select colleges should be a welcome step as the provincial government claims to offer quality education without any increase in fee. But I fail to understand why hue and cry is being made by some teachers and students who want this decision to be reversed.
According to the government claims, it is going to provide university level quality education in these colleges. It is decided to attach these colleges with the universities for these programs. It is also maintained by the Punjab government that this program has international recognition as four years Bachelors degree is counted as 16 years education the world over. The government has also decided to appoint Board of Governors to help the college administration in running routine affairs. I hope BOGs will help to improve educational standards in public sector colleges as we now need quality education to excel in life.
Keeping in view the objectives of the programmes, one should fully welcome the scheme and let the government go by its agenda so that the students could get quality education near to their homes. It will also lessen the burden on universities as economic burden of theses programmes will be borne out by the provincial government who will provide extra budget to run it.
However, whats intriguing is that some quarters are opposing this program and contrary to the public expectations, even teachers are also in the forefront of agitation. Their recent attack on historic Punjab Assembly building and ransacking of public property is another shocking act which should be fully condemned by the civil society. No civilized nation in the world does so. It is only Pakistanis who burn tires in the public, break windowpanes, damage vehicles and ransack everything in their way to vent their anger. We, it appears, have lost all norms of morality and civilization.
Seeing this agitation, I have a gut feeling that may be some fat corporate cows are behind this opposition so that their private colleges may not be flopped in the wake of introduction of quality education at much subsidized rates in the public sector. The teachers as well as students should think over it before going wild again.
MUHAMMAD AHMAD
Lahore