INTRODUCTION TO
HIGHER EDUCATION
explain the nature of higher education
discuss the need and purpose of higher
education
know the challenges and suggestions about
higher education
Understand the status, factors and reforms of
higher education in Pakistan
2. Objectives of session:
After successful completion of session, participants
will be able to:
explain the nature of higher education
discuss the need and purpose of higher
education
know the challenges and suggestions about
higher education
Understand the status, factors and reforms of
higher education in Pakistan
3. Introduction of Higher Education:
“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the
lighting of a fire.” (William Butler Yeats)
Any of the various types of education given in post
secondary education of learning and afforded by
a degree at the end of course.
Higher Educational Institutions include not only
Universities and Colleges, but also various
Professional Schools that provide preparation in
such fields as law, medicine, business, art, music,
and engineering.
HE is considered indispensable for Nation Building
4. Continue…….
Education for Excellence in different
subjects:
a)Excellence in science for material
progress and
b)Excellence in Humanity & social
science, Arts, language & literature for
Cultural growth & Dev and
interpersonal Human Relationship
The terms higher education, tertiary
education and post-secondary
education are used interchangeably
(The World Bank, 2000).
5. University:
Educational institution designed for
instruction, examination or both, of
students in many branches of
advanced learning and conferring
degrees.
According to the modern concept
of education, a University is a city
of the universe. This meaning
essentially includes knowledge and
information of all disciplines.
6. Need and Scope of Higher
Education:
Higher education improves an individual's
quality of life.
A person with higher education has better
dietary and health practices; greater
economic stability and security; more
prestigious employment and greater job
satisfaction; less dependency on government
assistance, greater community service and
leadership, more volunteer work, more self-
confidence, and less criminal activity.
7. Conti……..
HE Support and enhance the process of
economic and social development
To enable individuals to achieve excellence
To strengthen the micro-management infra-
structure of society and to train national
managers" of “collective leadership"
To create specialized expertise like in agriculture,
medicine, nuclear, space, chemical, and energy
fields
To inspire education at different levels and to
coordinate at the national level
Human resource development
8. Purpose of higher education:
Career preparation
Broader practical benefits
Personal development
✓ Better communication
✓ Critical thinking skills
✓ Identification of skills
✓ Realization of passion
✓ Greater sense of discipline
✓ Sense of accomplishment
Pursuing a passion
It is an extremely important component of a healthy,
well-lived life. We can figure out ways to apply our
passions as we pursue them.
9. Importance of Higher Education
I. Career Benefits
With HE, you will probably make more money.
Unemployment rates are also affected by HE. HE provides more
career choices and probably able to change careers more
easily than those who have not completed some form of HE
II. Social Benefits
One is less likely to live in poverty if you have earned a
college degree & more likely to volunteer and help the
community in which you live.
III. Personal Benefits
Pursuing HE may help you to become more sensitive to
cultural differences and be able to respect the beliefs of all
types of people. After completing a college degree, you'll have
a broader set of career options, which often leads to increased
personal choice and freedom & live a healthier
10. Challenges in Higher Education:
Higher education is faced with very severe
challenges in the shape of various economic,
social, political, and moral changes, and its
future depends on the response made by its
people to these challenges (Rao, 2003).
These challenges are multidimensional like
population explosion, lack of resources, non
participation of private sector, inconsistency of
policies, political instability and inefficient
educational system (Hayes, 1987).
11. Major challenges:
Quantity and Quality
Equity (fair & impartial)
Student unrest
Emotional integration
Administrative reforms
Faculty
Educational policies
Academic freedom
Courses and curricula
Budgeting and financing
12. Suggestions to meet the
Challenges:
Stress is laid on the need for improving the quality
of education at every stage so that a proper
foundation can be laid for advanced study.
To begin from the top without reforming the
lower stages is against the law of nature.
A multidimensional, flexible, and dynamic
(constant progress) education system, which
serves people according to their ability and
aptitude.
Higher education institutions must be responsive
to the challenges of the rapidly changing world
13. Cont.….
Equal opportunity should be given to all
students by considering their economic
conditions.
Should ensure availability of all resources like
qualified faculty, equipped libraries, fully
developed laboratories.
Examination system should be reliable and
effective, teaching methods should be rational
and updated.
14. Higher education in Pakistan:
Unfortunately education system in Pakistan is
really backward but luckily people are not
inherently incompetent or morally incurable
(untreatable).
Need is to diagnose maladies (disorder
/disease) correctly and take appropriate
measures to cure these maladies.
Main reason of this failure is following the
foreign rules and blind imitation of western
attitudes and methods.
15. Vision of higher education:
Vision of HE for Education Sector Reform 2001
Transformation of our institutions of higher
education into world class seats of learning,
equipped to foster (promote) high quality
education, scholarship and research, to
produce enlightened citizens with strong moral
and ethical values that build a tolerant and
pluralistic society rooted in the culture of
Pakistan.
16. Recommendations for
improvement:
There are following recommendations for
improvement of higher education in Pakistan:
University governance and management
Central coordination and support for quality
Funding
Faculty and staff
Research
Curriculum
Implementation