Beaconhouse National University, Lahore - Pakistan
Project Leader: Ijaz Hussain
Project Co-Leader: Tahir Sadiq
Project Sub-Leader: Sumbal Rana
Research Assistant: Aisha Khalid
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The study was carried out to assess and analyze public policy linked programs at bachelor level, existing teaching capacity of the faculty, university Infrastructure and student preparedness and provide recommendations to institute a Masters in Public Policy and Governance.
Based on findings of the study our research team recommends that there exists ample scope of training for students as well as faculty in the discipline of governance and public policy in Pakistan. But success of the program of governance and public policy at masters level rests with a special focus on inducement from demand side apart from supply side measures. In current scenario, there exists intense demand for graduates with competence and expertise in governance and public policy in public sector. There is a need to instigate realization in the public sector circles that conventional hiring process in public sector for selection and induction of civil servants through competitive examination or direct placements through political influence is absolutely flawed and we need to devise and introduce new hiring process based on knowledge, skills, competence and expertise in governance and public policy acquired through well structured curriculum and training. Students with two year bachelor degree apparently seem not prepared for training in governing and public policy at masters level. A curriculum of introductory level may be introduced in four years bachelor degree and students may be trained for governance and public policy issues through well structured advanced curriculum and training.
Based on identified strengths of faculty from survey results namely relatively more senior faculty, number of PhDs, and foreign qualified at senior and even at junior level in private sector academic institutions, we can conclude and comfortably recommend that private sector is suitable for launching the master level program in governance and public policy. On the other hand, public sector strongly needs to enrich its faculty through carefully planned training on governance and public policy issues before it takes initiative to start such a program. Modalities for such training program will be identified and recommended in our final report based on further analysis of the survey (one part of the questionnaire for faculty deals with these modalities).
Posts
TNA for 2-year and 4-year Bachelors Degree
ReplyDeleteThe conclusions explained in the Executive Summary and subsequently detailed in recommendations asserting the suitability of private sector to offer governance programs needs to be treated with caution. The fact that some high-profile academics have been attracted to the private sector does not mean that they are also available. Presence does not guarantee availability. In fact the higher the profile, the lower the availability. There are many other assertions such as the failure of civil service or reorganizing the services which may require several full-fledged studies on their own.
p. 6-7
ReplyDeleteThere should be a more explicit & clear reference to that this is a Training Needs Assessment.
p. 10-12 Table 2.1
The discussion of governance indicators on p. 10-11 provide a lot of important information, and highlight the gravity of the governance situation in Pakistan. (Table 2.1. In the row providing information about Pakistan, the cell providing grading of the Political stability, the cell value is outside the governance score range. The score is -2.61 (while the range is -2.5 to 2.5))
p. 12
This is clearly extremely very important and crucial. However, we should at the same time keep in mind, that we should not only end up with individualistically oriented approaches and measures for governance development. It is also necessary to look at, and study, the structural, organisational, institutional, relational, etc. aspects of governance in Pakistan. A lot of measures & recommendations would also have to relate to this.
p. 12-13
The information provided in Tables 2.3 and 2.4 about the percentage of the population enrolled at the universities are important and interesting. It clearly indicates the needs. These figures could also be compared with figures for some other countries.
p. 14. Table 2.6, and the discussion linked to this table I find very informative and interesting. It provides valuable information about the enrolment of males & females at different degree levels during this century. It indicates a strong growth, and particularly among the females. This is very interesting. For illustrative reasons, it would be informative if the different cell-figures also were presented with percentage scores.
p. 16-17. Tables 2.8 and 2.9 and the discussion linked to these tables:
The observation in Table 2, that the gap between the size of enrolment of male & female students rises as one moves vertically in the ladder of education, is very important. But at the same time, one should also keep in mind that there has been a very strong increase in the number of female students during the last 7-8 years.
p. 17 Table 2.9 would be even more informative if percentage scores were included in the various columns.
p. 17 Table 2.10:
It is necessary to check the alignment (?) of the columns of the table. Also, the figure of the number of male students in private sector should probably be 5,479 and not 54,793.
p. 18 Tables 2.11 and 2.12
These are very interesting table, providing information about students “produced” in the different provinces during 2001-2003. I also find the strong increase of female students as very interesting, and that females in 2003-04 outnumbered males at Federal institutions and in Punjab! And similarly, that the number of females with Bachelor degrees in 2003-04 was larger than the number of males. These are very positive achievements, I think.
p. 20 Table 2.14 shows that economics, political science, public administration, civics, governance and public policy, etc. are taught at central universities and colleges in Pakistan. This indicates that there should be a good basis upon which to build further development & strengthening of governance studies in Pakistan.
Continued...........
Continued from previous....
ReplyDeletep. 20 Last paragraph: This is an important summing up of the situation, parts of this could also be included in the Executive summary.
p. 21 Table 3.1 provides a striking summary of the staff situation.
p.22-23 Tables 3.2, 3.3. and 3.4 and the discussions linked to this provide important information about the situation at public vs. private universities & colleges. It is, of course, a challenge, that the private universities manage to attract well qualified staff, while the public institutions face more problems regarding this. The government should try to find ways of strengthening the public universities, by providing stimulation packages, extra funding, etc. This is important both for the teaching as well as the research that can be carried out at the public universities.
p. 23 Bachelor programs:
What is the background/logic behind the two years vs. the four years bachelor programs?
p. 25 Table 3.7
I have some difficulties interpreting this table. It is somewhat difficult to see what the mean values actually indicate for the various questions and answer options. Perhaps it would be easier to understand and read the table if the results were presented as percentages for the various answer-options, or groups of answer options?
p. 26 Last column:
The role of the private academic institutions. These institutions appear to be relatively successful and efficient, and as I understand it, is also operating not only on a small scale. Perhaps one should facilitate further development and strengthening of this kind of institutions?
p. 27 Table 3.8
My comments above for Table 3.7 also applies to this one. It is difficult to interpret the results indicated by mean figures. Perhaps it is better to illustrate this with concrete reference to percentages for the various answer options, or grouped answer options.
The baseline research on TNA of Bachelors’ level programs by Institute of Public Policy (IPP), Beaconhouse National University, Lahore is by far the best found research in all other researches conducted for TNA, it highlights important points that there is a dire need for governance and public policy courses. It also talks about the induction of teachers in colleges, as well as about flawed professionals being part of the government as these people do not have the necessary skills and knowledge of governance and management. It also talks about introducing a new hiring process based on knowledge, skills, competence and expertise in governance and public policy acquired through well structured curriculum and training.
ReplyDeleteA conclusive point it makes, based on the research outcomes, though in my opinion it is a little biased when a recommendation like this is put forward “we can conclude and comfortably recommend that private sector is suitable for launching the master level program in governance and public policy”. This is again the hidden agenda highlighted, as BNU is a private university and is in direct competition with the other good public sector universities of Punjab, to make a sweeping statement like this. Though I agree to the point it makes about the merits of a 4 year bachelors decree as compared to the 2 years practiced in public university affiliated colleges.