Dr. Irfan Ahmad Gondal (TI)
In mid-December of last year, I attended a EU funded energy event in Ho Chi Minh city that focused on the market dynamics of Liquefied Natural gas. The event was spearheaded by an Italian professor with a full-time position at the European University Institute. Renewable energy and its implications and applications in the different societal sectors form the core area of my interest and hence I often find myself travelling to national and international events to enable myself to be in full picture of the state-of-affairs of these two particular fields. I am currently in Beijing, to have an in-depth knowledge about the Electric vehicle industry of China. The EV industry of China that once challenged the US and European automakers are now giants and have now completely dwarfed the western competitors. The architect of Chinese E-mobility transition breakthrough is none other than a professor from Tsinghua university. These are just two examples of the current era that cite universities as the cradle of knowledge which form the basis of national policies and decisions.
Back home within the same era, Dec 2023 – May 2024, the Pakistani press carried reports of protesting professors of two categories, one with unpaid salaries and secondly those that are likely to join the first category with the impending budgetary axe falling on the usual suspect, the education sector. Simultaneously, a few national energy events were also held during this 5 – month period, that I attended or was obliged to address/attend. Unfortunately, the conduct and content of the national and International events are in stark contrast, similar to the contrast found in the professional environment of the foreign and local professors. Sadly, even the events covering the technical or policy matters are more of an opportunity for creating social media content rather than any serious discussions. The outcomes of the meetings are never shared nor the recommendations of the participants are made public. Panellists get the shields and an opportunity to rub shoulders with the high-ups while the participants are happy to have a chance to attend yet another Hi-Tea. Threatened professors and free lunches are unsustainable in any economy. No wonder, the catering businesses are growing and the professors worth is diminishing in our beloved homeland. Even the foreign qualified PhD professors have resorted to odd jobs. This million-dollar question has a very easy answer if anybody has the time and will to seek a good solution.
Its no wonder, there’s a general complaint of non-implementation of policies, rules, and regulations in Pakistan. Policies are meant to be well-thought out, researched and even simulated before their launch. Its the universities and its professors’ task to roll out policies. This is a norm all over the world. Professors have the lead role in policy advice, strengthened by the graduate and undergraduate students, further cemented by the years of their literature survey and research in their particular area. An ecosystem of innovation exists in every growing economy stemming primarily from the universities. Professors were never just meant to calculate their credit hours and then left at the mercy of the recurring grants from Higher Education Commission or the number of admissions.
Universities all over the world are entrusted by governments to provide policy advice in all state matters be it the Economy, Science, Politics or even religion. Just one google reveals that all major US universities have a “Centre for Asian studies”, including Harvard, Stanford, Boston and Pittsburgh university. Similarly, some might wonder why there’s an Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies in UK, paying salaries to half a dozen professors in British pound sterling. Mentioning randomly, Basque Centre for Climate Change, Spain and Cambridge Centre for Climate Science UK are not staffed with salary-drawing professors. The complete hierarchy of faculty of these institutions are involved in Policy advice to their respective governments. It may be astonishing for some of the readers that faculty members of these institutions still are short of time and there is still room for more scholars to be absorbed.
So, the solution is as near as a stone throw from Pakistan, of course, in China. No re-inventing the wheel, no mid-night lamp burning by our esteemed bureaucracy, or the brain-storming sessions followed by Hi-tea in 5-star hotels. Its simple, empower the universities and let the professors do their job. Tsinghua University laid out the transition strategy for the transport sector of China in 2007. Just 15 years later, China holds 60% of the market share of E-vehicles of the world. In contrast, EV only remains a buzz word at home, we still have to figure out the transition phase (if at all there’s an intent) and the technology roadmap to support this transition. The bottom line remains that Pakistan must make use of its talent available in the universities, incentivize their tasks and draw home-grown solutions for our own peculiar problems. One size doesn’t fit all, China, US and other economies have their own environment, ambitions, and resources, however the methodology adopted is the same all over the world, use your brains.
The writer heads the Mechanical Engineering Department at the National Skills University, Islamabad and included in the top 2% scientists of the world.