Ending the ‘brain drain’ in Pakistan by transforming Academic Institutions into Knowledge Enterprises!

“I am grateful to the British Council for inviting me to the NCEE Leadership Master class Series. The Master class series greatly contributed to helping me understand the significance of entrepreneurship and innovation for both leadership and management.”  

These were the words of Engr. Muhammad Asghar, Rector, National University of Science and Technology (NUST) about the British Council’s Master Classes.

Master Classes are part of the British Council’s wider commitment to the development of the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan’s Knowledge Exchange (KE) initiative in the country. Master Classes are aimed at building skills, understanding and confidence in the people who will be leading on and delivering Knowledge Exchange (KE) in the university sector – developing KE professionals who can operate in supportive environment. Led by UK Experts in a particular field and facilitated by an expert in Pakistan these Master Classes are a perfect example of partnership between the people of UK and Pakistan. Vice Chancellors, Registrars, Senior Management of Universities and key representatives from the industry are the participants of these Master Classes.

By encouraging better understanding and collaboration between universities, businesses and the community, it is hoped to stop the ‘brain drain’ that is a deep concern for Pakistan. The content delivered in these Master Classes was filmed and is being converted into the material to be distributed to the Senior Academics. Almost 3000 faculty members directly and over 250,000 students indirectly are expected to gain benefit from these materials. This will bring fundamental, long-term changes in the way universities operate in Pakistan by helping them release knowledge and research into the wider community.

  

Kashif Khan, Associate Professor and Director of industrial linkages and collaboration at the Iqra University Islamabad, sees this as an opportunity to: “develop from core academic institutions and transform into knowledge enterprises.”

So far the British Council has organised six series of Master Classes covering a wide array of subjects such as: Working with SMEs and Rural Communities, Enterprise Education, Student Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurial University Leadership, Public & Community Engagement and Strategy into Action. These Master Classes were delivered by National Centre for Entrepreneurship Education, National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement, Cumbria University and Thomas Lawton of the UK.

 

The last Master Class on Supporting Student Enterprise will be delivered by Prof. Alison Price, Director of Education Department at National Centre for Entrepreneurship Education in September 2012.

The Knowledge Exchange is a platform jointly developed by the British Council and Higher Education Commission of Pakistan that facilitates universities to create partnerships with business, government and other organisations to exchange skills and ideas.

Mind your language: transforming English language skills in Pakistan

There is no denying that English is the language of science and technology, knowledge sharing, as well as business development in majority of the world. In the higher education sector of Pakistan however, despite it being used as the medium of instruction, teachers and students still face difficulties in expressing themselves in English. This skill gap compels teachers to translate lessons in other languages, and leads students to memorise the lecture instead of understanding it.

To address this communication divide and incorporate cutting edge approaches in the concept of language teaching, the British Council in partnership with the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan launched ‘Transforming English Language Skills’ [TELS] programme.

 A comprehensive Needs Analysis report by the Open University, UK, suggested that 82% students agreed to study extra courses in the final year of their graduation to improve their English language skills. Further, all Subject lecturers and 91% of English Lecturers agreed that they need professional development that would help them teach effectively through the medium of English.

Based on the recommendations of the Needs Analysis report for module content, local authors were hired to write modules for students as well as teachers. The modules developed under this programme include: English for Academic Purposes [Module for first year students], English for Employment [Module for final year students], Professional Development Module [Teacher Module] and Master Trainer Module.

This programme will initially be piloted in 12 universities from across Pakistan, covering over 10,000 students and 500 plus teachers. Master Trainers from these 12 universities are taking part in the Master Trainer workshop from 10-14 September 2012. Addressing at opening session of the Master Trainer group, Peter Upton, Director British Council Pakistan highlighted the role of English in a globalised world where 85% of the academic research work is in English. Mr. Upton also commented on the strong relationship that exists between the British Council and the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan.

Dr. Sohail Naqvi, Executive Director of Higher Education Commission of Pakistan said, “this is a national initiative, benefiting all universities and post graduate colleges in Pakistan. This programme will improve the English language skills of students and teachers across Pakistan”.

After the initial pilot, the programme will be rolled out to all public and private Universities, post-graduate colleges and open universities of Pakistan in a phased approach covering 1.8 million students, and 15,000 teachers. 

Migration, Education and Development

Partner Institutes
University of Sussex	Quaid-i-Azam University

University of Sussex, UK and Quaid-i-Azam University, Pakistan are working on a project that deals with the links between migration and education. The aim is to provide practical insight for policymakers in the field of education on how to respond to the consequences of migration as a means for attaining educational goals, and as a strategy to support future migration plans. A fundamental aim of the project is to provide practical insight for policymakers and to forward academic debates on the links between migration and education.  Different policy-related communications will address national and international policymakers, donors, national governments, local and regional governments and other local actors such as migrants and diasporic groups. 

Through the INSPIRE partnership, there will be an analysis of all the remittances channelled towards supporting and improving educational institutions and resources in development contexts; how ‘migrant children’s’ education might be affected by their movement between places; and how immigration policy may impact on potential migrants’ education.

The starting premise is that whilst international migration is generally associated with wide reaching social and cultural transformations, the direction of change in educational practices is unpredictable, being contingent not only on social, religious-cultural and political circumstances of migrant communities, but also on the specific life trajectories of migrant households.

The aim is to analyse the empirical data on the relationship between education and migration in each location, understand the effects of migration on social and economic change in sending contexts and specifically, the consequences for education and lastly to evaluate the way investments in education by migrants and prospective migrants influence migration and development outcomes.

This project will provide an opportunity to expand the existing financial and administrative infrastructure in the department of anthropology at QAU. It will also promote academic linkages between the two institutions and develop long-term collaboration between both the institutions for future mutual research activities.

Lessons Learnt: 

• During the field work it was felt that the migrants are very much reluctant to provide information about their income/remittances. It was also noted that the money which they receive is mainly utilised either on house construction or on the purchase of land/residential plots.
• The remittance has also created problems with in the family due to which the family system is breaking-up from joint to nuclear. The parents also spend their money on the education of the children and send them to good quality education institutions, but due to the father’s absence, the mothers are losing the control over their children.

Challenges Faced: 

• During field work in District Kotli, AJK, it was difficult to approach the migrant houses because they were located in small hamlets much away from each other. The female researchers faced much difficulty to reach the respondents’ houses. 
• During the initial days of the field work, the researchers were not well received by the respondents as they thought that they have come from Govt. and belong to income tax department and might create problems for them. However, with the passage of time and with the help of key informants, the researchers were able to develop meaningful rapport with the community members.  

  

Impact of the Project:

• This INSPIRE partnership will provide practical insight for policymakers in the field of education on how to respond to the consequences of migration as a means for attaining educational goals, and as a strategy to support future migration plans. 

Key Contacts: 

Dr Filippo Osella, University of Sussex

f.osella@sussex.ac.uk, www.sussex.ac.uk

Dr. Hafeez-ur-Rehman, Quaid-i-Azam University

Hafeez@qau.edu.pk, www.qau.edu.pk

Building indigenous capabilities for Thar coal development

Partner Institutes
University of Nottingham	Mehran University of Engineering and Technology

In terms of the world energy consumption, coal still has the highest share in electricity generation and the second highest in primary energy consumption. The abundant supply of coal reserves in Thar, Pakistan can generate up to 40,000 MW of electricity for more than 200 years – a blessing considering the country’s current electricity woes – yet there is a need to utilise this resource in an environmentally friendly way.

The Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro, Pakistan has taken up the challenge to develop the Thar coal fields in Sindh in collaboration with the University of Nottingham, UK under the INSPIRE programme.  Through this programme, the Mehran University intends on maximising capacity-building through transfer of knowledge and trainings. There is also proposed development of manpower through a proper training of personnel at the coal mines.

Pakistan possesses the seventh largest lignite resource in the world with 193 billion tonnes of lignite/coal reserves concentrated in Thar region in the eastern part of Sindh Province. Thar coalfield covers an area of approximately 9000 km² and is estimated to contain 175 billion tonnes of lignite resources. The design of safe high wall slopes is necessary to ensure mine safety and overall economical viability of the mining operations. The knowledge transfer between the universities will ensure an optimum model development.

The conversion of Thar coal into a syngas has the potential to meet the ever-increasing energy demand of the country and a research collaboration with Tsinghua University, China has been established to conduct joint research on coal gasification and coal combustion. There is also an opportunity of conducting a split PhD programme with Hacettepe University, Turkey. 

The ultimate goal of the programme is to develop local expertise and indigenous technology for coal mining, coal cleaning and coal gasification, through strong collaboration with research groups in foreign universities. It also aims on facilitating the strategic development in mining engineering, thermal engineering, chemical engineering and environmental engineering to meet the international standards. 

The Nottingham University will benefit equally from the outcome of the research paper. The novel conditions under which the project will be conducted are something that are not present in UK and this will in turn lead to experience enhancement of the professors involved.

Lessons learnt:

• Thar coal field is one of the biggest in the world, therefore, a large proportion of this field is still unexplored. A general geology, geomechnaics and the hydrological conditions are evaluated. I have defined the path to be followed for optimal 3D coal seam modelling strategies.

 Impact: 

• Development of Thar Coal Field is the number one project in the country. High population and lack of energy are the major problems in Pakistan. Any effort on this project should be primarily supported. As a matter of fact, field is very large and an overall modelling has not been completed yet. The field is divided into blocks. Every block has been evaluated separately. However, the field should be modelled as a whole first and then cola quality related attributes can be better understood. As a result, fields suitable for underground and surface mining methods should be identified. Otherwise, overburden might be dumped on the fields suitable for surface mining.

Key Contacts:

Prof. Dr. R N. Singh, University of Nottingham

Raghu.Singh@nottingham.ac.uk, www.nottingham.ac.uk

Prof. Dr. Abdul Ghani Pathan, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology

dean.engineering@admin.muet.edu.pk, www.muet.edu.pk

Supporting SMEs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Partner Institutes
School of Management, University of Southampton	Institute of Management Sciences

In recent times, the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has had the misfortune of making headlines for all the wrong reasons – whether as the hub of terrorist activity or as the scene of devastating bomb blasts. Yet the province has so much more to offer, in terms of culture and also in the field of academics.

The Institute of Management Sciences, Peshawar is the foremost business school in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and a leading institute of Pakistan in management and business education. It seeks to contribute to the uplift of a conflict-ridden and economically unstable region by equipping its graduates with skills that can help them function as successful professionals and entrepreneurs.

The institute is collaborating with the School of Management, University of Southampton to develop a knowledge exchange and research programme in two new management disciplines–sustainable entrepreneurship and innovation. These areas have been chosen because small and medium enterprises (SME) in Pakistan, particularly in the north-west region, have traditionally struggled to perform well.

This project seeks to establish the Institute of Management Sciences as the principal resource for the students as well as the SME industry in the region for teaching, learning and for the development of necessary new knowledge and applied research.

This two-way flow of information will benefit both institutes. The Institute of Management Sciences will increase its research income and develop new connections. The students and faculty will gain international exposure and new skills. In the longer term, the project aims to increase the number of start-ups in the region, and eventually improve SME performance.

For the University of Southampton, the project seeks to enhance the already existing relationship with the Institute of Management Sciences established in 2006. The benefits include long-term academic engagements with a business school in a poor and underdeveloped part of the world, further opportunities for research and exposure to a new culture.

Lessons Learnt:

• The purpose of this INSPIRE partnership is Knowledge EXCHANGE not Knowledge TRANSFER.  The mechanisms through which we achieve this (split site, joint research, shared supervision, curriculum development) continue to grow and need to be reinforced and developed.  Benefits achieved at IMS may be transferable to other institutions in the region.

Challenges Faced:

• Travel insurance difficulties have caused problems in travel to Pakistan but we have worked hard on this with our University administrators, and are making progress towards resolving the problem.

Impact of the Project:

• School of Management at University of Southampton and IMS have formed a strong relationship that will persist beyond the life of the project.  This is based on research relationships (publication, journals and conferences) that persist once split-site PhD students have completed.  This INSPIRE partnership will also make improvements to business development in the Peshawar region, and with the right support, these benefits, once tested and refined, could be amplified to other regions.

Key Contacts:  

Dr Lorraine Warren, School of Management, University of Southampton

lw4@soton.ac.uk, www.soton.ac.uk

Dr. Muhammad Nauman, IMS

muhammad.nouman@IMSciences.edu.pk, www.imsciences.edu.pk

Training and educating women parliamentarians in Pakistan

Partner Institutes
University of Bradford	Fatima Jinnah Women University

Women in Pakistan have traditionally struggled against a male-dominated society to make their place in the country’s politics. Their absence from decision-making posts at the national and provincial levels means that they have no power to influence laws that affect women or to work towards improving their conditions.

Surprisingly, Pakistan has one of the highest percentages of women in parliament in South Asia and in recent years, has increased the number of reserved seats for women in the provincial and national assemblies. Yet the quality of their representation remains poor due to inadequate training and exposure.

Fatima Jinnah Women University and the University of Bradford are collaborating to address this weakness and educate female parliamentarians on matters of national importance. The researchers realise that the challenge in Pakistan is not simply to increase the numbers of females in the government, but more specifically to enhance the quality of their representation so that they have the power to make a difference.

The aim of the project is to develop a system of training on issues such as peace, conflict, security and democracy which will give women parliamentarians the knowledge and confidence to speak out and effect change. This will be done through a series of Peace Studies modules that will develop their knowledge and competence.

The partnership also plans to establish a Research Centre of Peace and Security Studies at Fatima Jinnah Women University that will provide ongoing parliamentary training and seek collaborations with local and international institutions on peace and conflict issues.

Lessons learnt:

• During the course of this project, the project team has learned to manage challenging projects involving a number of stakeholders in an effective way.

• The project team should be focused on the activity plan and shouldn’t try to be over ambitious.

• Keeping a close eye on the issues surrounding the target audience.

Challenges: 

• The security situation in Pakistan was a major challenge during this project. The UK partner had difficulties in getting travel insurance for their visits to Pakistan. Further, the project activities were also delayed due to the security situation.

• Having access to women parliamentarians was difficult because of their busy schedule.

Impact:

The project facilitates the women parliamentarians on the issues of peace, security and conflict and ensures to:

• Strengthen the capacity at FJWU in peace and conflict related research and training.

• Strengthen the capabilities and leadership skills of female parliamentarians on national strategic issues.

• Enhance debate on peace and conflict issues within Pakistan’s national political institutions that mainstreams gender perspectives.

• Improve sustainable and close collaborative links between FJWU and CICS that will facilitate future joint research and training. 

• Engage the Women’s Caucus, PIPS, donors and academic institutions / think tanks in consideration of how research links on gender, peace and conflict issues can be enhanced in Pakistan, and how academic research / resources can feed into the programme and policy making / evaluation process.

  

Key Contacts:

Dr. Julia Buxton, University of Bradford

J.D.Buxton@bradford.ac.uk, www.bradford.ac.uk

Dr. Saima Kiyani, Fatima Jinnah Women University

drsaimakayani@gmail.com, www.fjwu.edu.pk

Tracking diarrhoea-causing bacteria in Pakistan

Partner Institutes
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine	COMSATS Institute of Information Technology

A trail of destruction spread across Pakistan in 2010 in the form of massive floods. Millions were rendered homeless, countless villages were swept away and infrastructure was destroyed. The survivors were hardly lucky, for they had to brave freezing temperatures in makeshift shelters, scrounge for food and worst of all, battle serious illnesses. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), water-borne diseases, including diarrhoea and the deadly cholera, are still the most commonly reported diseases in the flood-affected locations and children are particularly at risk. We have all seen the heartbreaking images of children as young as a month old fighting for their lives as their parents helplessly await a miracle. It may take something less than a miracle to save them after all.

The INSPIRE partnership between the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK and the COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Pakistan aims to develop rapid and inexpensive fingerprinting technology to track diarrhoea-causing bacteria in various drinking water sources. The main objective of this project is to study hospitalised cases of diarrhoea in order to develop effective methodologies for environmental surveillance of water-borne pathogens causing diarrhoea and to better understand how to control the spread of disease.

A research team has carried out sample collection and analysis from various regions and will be examining them in detail. Exchange visits of UK and Pakistan faculty have been planned, as well as a 4 to5 month research attachment for a PhD student from Pakistan. Research in this area is critical for a country like Pakistan where only about 2% of the GDP is spent on health. Four research papers have been produced under this partnership and will be published in international research journals.

Most relief workers agree that clean drinking water is the major precursor to a safe environment not only in the flood-affected areas, but across the country. This INSPIRE project can save the 230,000 children in Pakistan that die of water-borne diseases each year.

Lessons Learnt

• Most relief workers agree that clean drinking water is the major precursor to a safe environment not only in the flood-affected areas, but across the country. This INSPIRE project can help saving the 230,000 children in Pakistan that die of water-borne diseases each year by developing methodologies for quick identification of the potential pathogens in the environment and making use of GIS system the point of isolation of particular pathogen can be shown on the Map. 

Challenges

• In this project the team analysed the Diarrheagenic pathogens particularly V. cholera and different E. coli strains from hospitalized patients admitted to hospitals and makeshift camps of three main flood affected provinces of Pakistan including Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Punjab and Sindh as well as sporadic cases of diarrhoea in these provinces.
• Access to some affected areas was a challenge for the project team.

Impact

• This INSPIRE project can help saving thousands of children in Pakistan that die of water-borne diseases each year by developing methodologies for quick identification of the potential pathogens in the environment and making use of GIS system to point out the affected areas.

Key Contacts

Dr. Brenden Wren, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

brendan.wren@lshtm.ac.uk, www.lshtm.ac.uk

Dr. Syed Habib Bokhari, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology

habib@comsats.edu.pk, www.ciit.edu.pk