‘R’ is for revision There are no right or wrong
choices but clearly the vision
matters in terms of a whole host of
consequences — nature of student
EVER since I wrote about the body, type of faculty, curriculum,
vision statements of our expansion path, etc.
leading institutions of higher
education (‘‘V’ is for vision’, It follows that the institutional
Dawn, Sept 21, 2025), I have visions reflect and reinforce
been thinking of what ought to aspirations of the students
replace them. The notion of attracted. Privileged students
vision needs clarity. Instead of paying high fees for globally
delineating a direction for the oriented training in English are
future most vision statements, unlikely to want to serve in
developing countries. To believe
for example, that students
otherwise is to ignore an obvious
serve humanity or fight for
mismatch.
justice, enunciate noble wishes.
Such unfulfilled wishes point to Choice of vision is crucial at the
conceptual problems that need institutional level.
diagnosis and redressal.
The same logic holds if the
It helps to distinguish between an objective is to set up an arts
objective, a vision, and a wish. This institute. The institutional vision
can be illustrated with reference to entails deciding, among other
the country. In the 1940s, there things, whether the focus would be
was an objective — creation of a on indigenous traditions or on
new nation-state. Its vision — global trends or some combination
whether it would be a religious or thereof. The choice will manifest
a secular state — was unclear from itself, for example, in whether a
the beginning (hence the later local master craftsperson is
costs). The wish (elusive to this accorded the same recognition as
day) was that all citizens of the a lecturer with a foreign
new state would consider qualification.
themselves Pakistanis first.
The key takeaway is that the
The same template applies to choice of vision is of crucial
educational institutions. Suppose importance but at the institutional
City B lacks a business school like level; that conscious choice has a
the one in City A. This yields an bearing on the nature of the
objective — setting up a business student body, type of faculty, and
school in City B. Next, this school curricula. In its absence, a wish for
needs a vision — for example, what graduates ought to do exists
should it be a carbon copy of the in a vacuum. More so because the
one in City A or something latter is a function of many other
radically different; standalone or factors not in control of institutions
interdisciplinary; research or — parental pressures, the job
teaching focused; English or Urdu market, security conditions,
medium; for the poor or the rich?
respect for merit, tolerance of contradiction between structural
dissent, etc. choices and desired outcomes.
Institutions of higher learning train What is needed after decent school
students for various professions — education is public funding of
doctors, architects, etc — which is institutions of higher learning to
a valid part of their mandate. But ensure that at least half the
they also need to ‘educate’ student body is comprised of smart
students so that the latter are able students otherwise kept out by
to think for themselves, to language or money. Such a class
understand the society to which mix would trigger manifold
they belong, and to question the positive changes in cultural
legitimacy, fairness and morality of outlooks, social integration, and
their world. Only then can one mutual understanding among
hope that they might choose to do students and in the alignment of
what institutions wish them to. institutions with the needs of the
Even then it is only a hope. places where they are located.
For this, educators need to extend An explicit institutional vision that
their concerns beyond institutions spells out who and what an
of higher learning — they need to institution is for must precede a
lobby for better school education listing of what students ought to
that feeds their institutions. If do. Its absence is a leading cause
school education strangulates of why institutions have failed to
independent thinking no amount of deliver on the wishes they have
college education can reverse the articulated. It is time for a
damage. It is equally important to revision.
accept that student attitudes and
aspirations are shaped by what The writer is the author of What
they see around them not what We Get Wrong About Education in
they are told in class — decades of Pakistan.
ever-expanding religious studies
should disabuse us of that Published in Dawn, November
delusion. 13th, 2025
And if institutions teach only in
English and rely on high fees, they
have a self-selected combination —
privileged, mostly culturally
isolated students facilitated to
emigrate at the earliest
opportunity. The lament that
visions remain unfulfilled because
skilled students (especially males)
wish to leave the country is, once
again, oblivious to the