Final Report - User Needs Profile of Executive on Governance in Pakistan

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by Innovative Development Strategies (IDS), Islamabad

Introduction

This report seeks to delineate a user needs profile of executive education on governance in Pakistan for a variety of stakeholders including legislatures, public institutes, local governments, think tanks, NGOs, associations, clubs, chambers, and unions, while co-relating it with the current state of executive education courses/programs being run in public and private sector institutions of Pakistan.

The exercise forms part of a larger project currently being implemented by the Governance Institute Network International (GINI) with the assistance of Government of Norway and in partnership with the Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research (NIBR), Oslo. GINI program on governance education network aims at developing a national integrated network of learning and research institutions to systematically approach the furtherance of governance knowledge. The objective of the program is to create governance capacity in various spheres of governance covering universities, institutions, practitioners, researchers, NGOs, think tanks and the student body of Pakistan which elects to take up governance courses.

Scope of work

Under the project, Innovative Development Strategies (IDS) has been tasked with the preparation of a comprehensive user needs profile of executive education on governance in Pakistan. The profile will be based on the requirements of key stakeholders including legislatures, local governments, government institutes, think tanks, NGOs, associations, clubs, chambers, and unions. While it is important to focus on some of the key elements of good governance (accountability, participation, predictability and transparency) at all levels, it is also crucial to relate these to existing government structures, constraints and challenges. The needs assessment would, therefore, elicit requirements of the above key stakeholders within the context of existing constraints and challenges, while suggesting ways of moving towards achieving the cited elements through executive education on good governance.

Methodology

The report sought to develop a comprehensive user needs profile of executive education on governance in Pakistan with the help of the following tools:

A Desk Review of executive education on governance in Pakistan involving a thorough literature review focusing on major themes of executive education in the country. The review helped in identifying key target areas as well as laying the basic framework for the development of a draft questionnaire to be administered to key informants.

In-depth Interviews with educationists, academics, public servants, etc. on the challenges, opportunities and needs relevant to governance with particular reference to executive education.

Focus Group Discussions (FGDs): Expert inputs on defining problems, assessing needs and proposing recommendations vis-à-vis executive education on governance.

Three focus groups were organized comprising representatives of the key stakeholder sets. The composition of Focus Groups was extremely important for this study. The groups comprised of participants from a diverse set of backgrounds relevant to the objectives of the study. The FGDs included various types of bureaucrats and governance practitioners at the national, provincial and local level. These exercises were also helpful in identifying specific constraints, bottlenecks and structural problems, while proposing practical recommendations to improve the state of executive education on good governance.

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Final Report - Baseline Research on Executive Education Courses & Programs in Pakistan

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Prepared by:

Dr. Pervez Tahir
Dr. Nadia Saleem
Ms. Saima Bashir

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This report analyzes the state of executive education courses/programs being run in public and private sector in Pakistan. It identifies the priority areas for training. The increasing complexity of a modern government and the changing paradigm of public service to deliver public value require professionals with a good education and sound administrative skills. Similarly, executive education in private for-profit and nonprofit sectors can longer be driven by blanket views on efficiency and altruism.

Executives joined the public service with the idea of limitless authority and subordinate to the whim and will of the rulers only. The idea of an administration being an instrument for ensuring a civilized relationship between the citizens and the state is not embedded in the working of executives. Unfortunately the officials were not trained enough to deal with the changing roles. In general, there is lack of quality training institutions. Training in institutions that exist has deteriorated. However, the National School of Public Policy (NSPP) has taken steps towards improvement. While service delivery suffers, no clear national policy is insight to deal with the situation.

For its analysis, this study used the survey method. The survey was conducted in public sector and private sector institutions involved in executive education in Pakistan. In the case of the Federal Government training institutions, the survey indicated that there were 24 training institutions engaged in training of civil servants of various cadres. Another 24 training and skill enhancement institutions cater mainly to the corporate sector and other management professionals and the army. During the Musharraf period, the Government established the National School of Public Policy (NSPP) to focus on management training at all levels.

Management training for civil servants takes three main forms: a) Pre-Service Training, b) In-Service Training, c) Training Abroad. The ingredient to value the training was found to be missing in all levels of executives training. All training institutions reported government as their primary source of funding. Private sector training institutions also take public servants as their trainees, but their main intake comes from the corporate sector. The government nominates trainees for various courses and the institutions simply accept and train them. In the public sector training institutions the physical infrastructure was found to be good. There are not many institutions which have a Curriculum Development Approach. Only the NSPP has moved in this direction. The Specialized Training Institutions do not need a Curriculum Committee as they all run single subject courses. Most other public sector training institutions do not have this incentive. Most of the faculty were visiting and without the perspective of training officials. The quality of visiting faculty in training programmes is not of high caliber. There is no distinction between education and training. The NSPP has formulated a strategy to overcome this dichotomy. All officers selected for public service have a certain level of education but lack training. Training is in a flux because of the system is in a flux. Training prepares for generalist pursuits: it can enrich the participants intellectually but it cannot change the attitude towards training. As it is formal and based on education, training fails to develop training circles and professional groups. No priority sectors have been identified by the top level policy makers, for instance the Establishment Division, for training. There is little collaboration between the public or private sector training institutions and the industry. Training fails to win institutional pride and officers can’t relate themselves as better officers after completing the training. Future guidance on the basis of training is lacking. There is realization in the NSPP that training should train servants of the public who are supposed to maximize public values rather than officers of the government. Others have to follow this lead. Training institutions tend to confuse management with governance. Service delivery is not helped in this train of thought.

Rule of law presumes existence of laws made by informed legislators. Other than ad hoc orientation on matters of procedure, no formal training institution exists in a country boasting two houses of Parliament, four provincial and two regional assemblies. Nongovernment sector and donors are left to improvise.

A country which has experienced media explosion in less than a decade, has no formal institution to train media persons.

While public sector has been attempting to transplant client-centered approach of the private sector, the private sector training continues to struggle with social responsibility.

In sum, the baseline for executive education in Pakistan draws attention to a critical set of gaps on the supply side, more in terms of software than hardware. Filling these gaps will have to take cognizance of the demand side.

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Final Report - Baseline Research related to TNA for Instituting Governance as Elective Subject/Course in Public Colleges in Pakistan

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Department of Public Administration
University of Karachi, Karachi-Pakistan

By Dr. S. Shabib ul Hasan, Survey Leader
AND THE TEAM
Dr. Akhtar Baloch, Supervisor

Survey Objectives:

This training need assessment survey is conducted to evaluate the current facilities at the college level in Pakistan with specific objective of introducing governance related courses. Research focuses on availability of Teaching Faculty and College infrastructure, such as class rooms, Library, level and degree of education offered and academic disciplines etc.

Survey Design & Techniques:

The survey was designed to collected quantitative data through a structured questionnaire with closed ended questions design. Two different forms were used. Form A was designed for collecting data related to college structure and Form B, for teaching faculties and courses and degrees offered.

To generate qualitative data interviews were conducted from college principals and civil servants using unstructured questionnaires. Focus group workshops were conducted in Karachi, Hyderabad and Khuzdar with the teaching of colleges from all the three regions. In this regard faculty who are teaching courses on Civics and Pakistan Studies were focused in case of Intermediate level.

Courses like Political Science, Public Administration, Psychology, Sociology, Economics, Education, Business Administration, Public Policy and other social sciences were focused in case of Bachelors and Masters Level.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This baseline research on training needs assessment (TNA) for instituting governance as elective subject / course in public colleges in Pakistan. This study was carried out to evaluate the existing teaching capacity of the teaching faculty, and college Infrastructure and provide recommendation for introducing Governance courses at that level.

Currently governance is not taught as a course in any level, therefore, the capacity of teaching faculty was evaluated on the basis of relevant courses, such as Civics / Political Science and Pakistan Studies. The teaching faculty of Civics and Political Science are available only in Faculty of Arts; therefore, Pakistan Studies was used as the yard stick to measure the capacity.

Secondly, Pakistan Studies is a compulsory course in every discipline at college level and therefore, faculties engaged in this course are available at all levels.

Based on findings of the study our research team, it was recommended that need for Infra –structural in public sector colleges has to be addressed. Course material and books are to be developed in both the languages (Urdu and English). If course/s related to Governance has to be introduced, colleges with only sciences disciplines must be given serious thought because the colleges with social sciences and commerce may be able to overcome these deficiencies of teaching with the relevant and available teaching faculty. Teaching faculty must Trained before Governance course is to be introduced. Finally, it was concluded that it is feasible to introduce governance courses at college level in Pakistan.

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Final Report on TNA for Two Year & Four Year Bachelor's Level Prgrams

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Department of Economics, School of Social Sciences and Institute of Public
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).

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Final Report - Baseline Research related to TNA of Masters Level Programs - CPPG

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Centre for Public Policy & Governance,
FC College (A Chartered University), Lahore
Supervisor:                Dr. Saeed Shafqat
Lead Researcher:      Raheem ul Haque
Research Associate:  Khurram Waqas Malik
Research Assistants: Adeel Riaz & Saboor Karamat

Scope of Work:

1. To prepare a comprehensive report on the credentials/Curriculum Vitae (CSV’s) of the faculty currently teaching courses in governance related disciplines in Pakistani universities and public training institutions to assess the potential and training requirements for adopting a Masters’ program in Governance. More importantly faculty qualification, experience, area concentration and research orientation will be assessed both to develop clear targets for capacity development as well as to define a road map for achieving these targets in comparison to world class programs offering multi-disciplinary Governance curriculum.

2. The evaluation will also include institutional infrastructure including library, faculty and student facilities to determine student induction and professional development capacity.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

History & Evolution

The history of policy programs in Pakistan goes back to the early 1960s when the Institute of Administrative Studies, Punjab University started a program in Public Administration (PA). Simultaneously, leading to the establishment of Pakistan Administrative Staff College and National Institutes of Public Administration for the training of public servants. Public Administration programs have since started at a number public universities but it is only recent that universities have started Public Policy and Governance programs.

Unlike the evolution of policy programs in the United States where school standards were maintained owing to policy school associations, no such association exists in Pakistan although recently HEC has played a small part in reformulating curriculums. An evaluation of international policy schools indicates that though some commonalities exist in the curriculum, each school tends to specialize in a particular area of Public Policy owing to its faculty, location or institutional strength.

But in spite of the history of policy programs in Pakistan, there hasn’t been an academic discussion regarding the need, objective and adhering standards for the programs. It is thus important for academics to discuss and build a consensus on the definition of Governance, Public Policy and Public Administration, the standards for curriculum and graduation within the Pakistani context.

Academic Programs & Curriculum

Currently there are fifteen universities offering policy programs in the country divided into: First, Master’s programs requiring 14 years of education which include 9 MPA, and 1 Governance and Public Policy program each. Second, there are Master’s/MPhil programs requiring 16 years of education including 4 PA and 3 Public Policy of which 6 extend to a PhD program. Third, there are two degree awarding Executive Programs, 1 each in Public Administration and Public Policy.

In terms of curriculum, policy programs can be divided into three. First, the MPA programs which have evolved more towards management than policy with concentrations in Human Resource Management (HRM), Marketing, Finance and MIS with only a few schools offering Development. Second, Public Policy programs with heavy economic concentration producing economic analysis experts. Third, programs in Public Policy, Administration and Governance, which have a diverse curriculum and an eye for producing generalists.

Faculty & Institutional Status

Similarly diversity exists among policy programs in terms of institutional culture, faculty expertise and student intake. But the overall situation requires a lot of improvement as average Student to Full Time Faculty Ratio is 30 reaching as high as 75 for one university. The general dearth of full time faculty is further compounded when relevant subject areas are taken into account. The faculty expertise is heavily tilted towards HRM with a total of 7 PhDs while there is only 1 PhD for Quantitative/Econometric Analysis. Though our analysis indicates 17 Economic PhDs, this number would be 5 if PIDE, an economic research organization is excluded from the analysis. Thus there is a critical need for faculty expertise in Economic Theory and Quantitative & Empirical Analysis among policy schools. Within Public Management, HRM expertise dominates while Structure and Process of Government, and Leadership and Administrative Theory are neglected. But the worst situation exists in the field of Political Economy, Globalization, Governance and Development, all core areas of Public Policy for which faculty expertise is non-existent in policy schools.

The reasons for the dearth of full time and additionally PhD faculty are numerous including a young discipline, institutional culture, student intake but one that stands out for public sector universities is the compensation mechanism. The Tenure Track System (TTS) introduced by the HEC improves compensation structure for public sector faculty if conditions for research output are met. But almost all public sector faculty interviewed were not part of the TTS and it is unlikely that they would become a part primarily because they are currently teaching up to 6 courses a semester to supplement their government grade based income, leaving them little time for research.

Faculty Development

In terms of faculty development, some public sector universities are availing opportunities to send their junior faculty for PhD through HEC scholarship and foreign university exchange programs. But an institutional strategic plan is missing among all interviewed institutions. All institutions had goals to improve academic quality, introduce new concentrations or start a new program but a detailed plan which encapsulates faculty skills requirements, budgetary requirements, projected student size, administrative and institutional needs was missing.

It is thus recommended that policy programs in the country bring themselves under the framework of an association, which is manned by academic experts and policy makers to evolve a consensus on definitional grounds and objectives of the various policy programs. Additionally the same association can facilitate policy programs both to devise a five year strategic plan and more importantly to execute and achieve it.

Recommendations

Based on the interviews and data gathered over the course of this research, it is recommended that a three tiered approach be taken:-

• For the Short Term, policy programs should develop linkages with their own university’s social science departments to involve needed experts in teaching, while the association should kick start research activity by devising incentives for faculty research seminars. The association should create a pool of experts (both domestic and foreign faculty) to deliver intensive short-term courses in core policy subject areas at various cities in addition to exploring linkages and exchange program opportunities for domestic policy programs.
• For the Medium Term, the association should institutionalize the curriculum, program structure and logistics for short-term faculty training in select subject areas. Additionally association should facilitate foreign summer research sabbaticals where junior faculty can work under the supervision of an expert in the field while facilitating domestic PhD degree holders to get Post-Docs for exposure to foreign academic and research culture.
• For the Long Term, the association should institutionalize linkages and exchange programs with foreign universities for a long-term commitment towards faculty development and exchange; it should provide PhD scholarships in select subject areas for which experts do not exist in Pakistan. More importantly using its pool of experts, it should build a quality domestic PhD program by supporting it with faculty, library, lab and other institutional resources.

Further Study

The following areas of exploration were further suggested during the review process but time constraints have restricted their inclusion in the report.

• A detailed assessment of Public Administration, Public Policy and Governance curriculums including texts of various universities would inform the scope, clarity, context (local or foreign) and datedness of what is being taught.
• An overview of market supply and demand of policy graduates should be undertaken to understand national level needs.
• The Annual Review Reports of policy departments can shed more light on the needs and functioning of these departments.

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Final Report - Final Report - Baseline Research on Governance related Programs & Disciplines Offered in Pakistan - IAS (Punjab University)

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Human Resources Development Centre (HRDC)
Institute of Administrative Sciences, University of the Punjab
By  Prof. Zafar Iqbal Jadoon [Project Director]
Prof. Dr. Nasira Jabeen [LEAD CONSULTANT]
Mr. Atif Rahim Khan [CONSULTANT]
Ms. Madiha Ali [RESEARCH ASSISTANT]

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This report provides the results of a baseline research conducted on structure and contents of Governance programs and allied disciplines being taught in HEC recognized Pakistani universities. It also highlights key aspects of institutional environment including students’ profile and motivation, faculty and physical resources. Both undergraduate and graduate programs in Governance and its core areas such as Public Policy and Public Administration/Management along with supporting disciplines such as Political Science, Law, Economics, Sociology, History and Philosophy. The data was collected from universities through their admission related publications, questionnaires, semi-structured interviews with relevant academicians and managers and focus group discussions. The followings are the main findings of the study:

Structure and Contents of Governance Programs

• Governance education, though recognized for its importance, is largely sparse in terms of dedicated programs, courses offered and breadth as well as depth of content. Only one institution, National University of Modern Languages, has launched BS/MS program in Governance and Organizational Science. However, BS program is being discontinued.
• MPA (Master of Public Administration) is the oldest Governance related program and is well accepted as a Management degree in both public and private sector organizations. MPA programs are currently being offered by 12 public sectors in all four provinces including Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Public Policy is an upcoming field in Pakistan. Two public sector universities, University of the Punjab and National Defense University and one private university, Beaconhouse National University have launched Masters in public policy. Both MPA and MPP (Master of Public Policy) are of 2 years with minimum 66 semester credit hours offered after BA/BSc degree. These programs are being restructured under the new road map developed by Higher Education Commission for Business and Public Administration education. Under the proposed structure, MPA and MPP will be of three years duration with minimum 96 credit hours of course work and a project.
• Few universities are offering BS(Hons)/BPA programs in Public Administration / Management which is of 4 years duration with a minimum of 130 credit of coursework and a project. This program is offered after FA/FSc or equivalent. This degree is equivalent to existing MPA and MPP in terms of academic standing.
• Three universities are offering Governance related MS programs with different nomenclatures: University of the Punjab is offering MS-Management leading to PhD with a focus on public management; Beaconhouse has recently launched MS-Public Policy; and National University of Modern Languages has approved program of MS-Governance and Organizational Sciences. MS program is of two years duration with 30 credit of coursework and a thesis. The entry qualification for MS program is BS (Hons) or a Masters degree awarded after 16 years of education.
• Curricula of Public Administration programs are skewed towards Management. Legal and political aspects are ignored. The regulation and service delivery aspects of Governance, which are the core activities of government, inter-governmental relations, sectoral management, new tools of governance, contract management, administrative and public management reforms have been totally overlooked in the existing courses. An inter-disciplinary approach is missing from curricula.
• Both core and elective courses (which are offered) in programs studied lack exclusive focus on Public Administration, Public Policy and Governance. Business/Management oriented elective courses are more popular among student for employment purposes.
• The structure of supporting disciplines is still largely traditional. MA degree is offered in a specific discipline after BA/BSc Four years BS (Hons) programs in social sciences have not yet been started even in major public sector universities. The newly structured LLB degree and BS (Hons) programs of two private universities are few exceptions. LLB is of 5 years duration after FA/FSc in all public as well as private universities.
• The degree programs in supporting disciplines in general do not offer Governance related course. However, rare exceptions are there.

Faculty, Student Profiles and Motivations, Physical Facilities

• 
  
  There is acute shortage of PhD faculty. The reliance on part-time faculty is very high. Faculty’s capacity for indigenizing learning resources including text books is very limited.
• 
  
  Students come into the Public Administration programs with varied (mostly Social Sciences) backgrounds. Public Policy programs attract more experienced candidates with clearer focus on the public sector. Students’ motivation to join MPA/BS programs in Public Administration is better employment prospects as compared to other Master programs in social sciences despite the fact that public sector organizations do not have any preference for MPA/BPA graduates. Gender ratio varies by institution but is balanced overall. More females enroll in MS/MPhil programs.
• 
  
  Physical facilities of universities have generally improved in the last few years as a result of increased funding and self-generated income from self-supporting programs in marketable disciplines.

Recommendations for Governance Education

• Pakistan’s experience of running Public Administration and Public Policy programs clearly suggests that new dedicated governance programs with nomenclature such as BS(Hons)/MS in Governance may not be viable at present. Instead, there is a need for strengthening existing programs in Public Administration, Public Management, and Public Policy through development of Governance curriculum, development of indigenous reading material, and capacity building of faculty.
• Post-graduate Diploma and certificate in Governance may be a viable option for launching dedicated program in Governance Studies. The Institute of Administrative Sciences, University of the Punjab, has shown willingness to start such courses subject to the availability funds for initial years.
• Multidisciplinary approach is recommended for curriculum development with courses in the area of regulatory governance, service delivery, institutional and public management reform, public policy analysis, development governance and management, collaborative governance mechanisms. There is a need to develop courses with special focus on policy and management issues in various sectors of Pakistan’s economy.
• Networking between institutions both on supply and demand side is strongly recommended for sustainability of Governance programs. Both GINI and GEN were long awaited initiatives that need to be strengthened.

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