Sector Universities Of Pakistan Research Articles

Assessing English speaking skills of prospective teachers at entry and graduation level in teacher education program

The development of Spoken English in Pakistani teachers training institutions working in public sector has never been assessed. This study explores the extent of improvement in English speaking skills among prospective teachers of one year teacher education program at three public sector universities in Punjab, Pakistan, where English is the medium of instruction, like all other public sector universities in Pakistan. The sample for this study consisted of 206 prospective teachers (131 entry and 75 graduation level). The unequal number of prospective teachers at entry and graduation level was due to difference in intake. The prospective teachers were called one by one and were assessed using the Fairfax County Rating Scale. The data were analyzed quantitatively. It was concluded that no significant improvement occurs in the English speaking skills of the prospective teachers during the teacher education program offered in departments of Education working in the public sector universities.

Governance and Higher Education in Pakistan: What Roles do Boards of Governors Play in Ensuring the Academic Quality Maintenance in Public Universities versus Private Universities in Pakistan?

There are major structural issues in the higher education system in Pakistan leading to poor governance of institutions and questionable quality of education. This paper looks at the differences in the role of boards of governors in maintaining quality of education in both the public and the private sector universities in Pakistan. After having conducted qualitative research by interviewing selected academics and by secondary research, the problems in the governance of higher education in the country were identified. Governance in higher education is then analyzed in terms of the Boards of Governors of universities and their role and the overall management and organizational structure of the higher education institutions in both sectors. This paper further explores the role of the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan as a regulator of higher education in the country and its policies regarding quality assurance. This discussion helps in identifying the differences that are present in the governance structures of universities in both sectors. The result has been that the private sector boards portray a more efficient system compared to the public sector boards that lack autonomy and are under strong political influence. The recommendations that have been made require for a change in the organizational structures of boards in the public sector and increased checks by the HEC to promote good governance and quality assurance in universities in the country.

Investigating Academic Research Culture in Public Sector Universities of Pakistan

This study aimed to investigate the existing provisions and barriers to the promotion of research culture in public sector universities in Pakistan. Based on four research questions, the researcher focused six indicators of research culture and delimited the study to six universities. The sample of the study included six heads of departments of education, 60 teachers and 90 students. Data were collected using questionnaire interviews, and focus group discussions. Percentage was used to analyze quantitative data and thematic analysis to analyze qualitative data. Teachers seem more satisfied about research culture as compared to students. The study recommends that basic facilities are needed for promotion of research culture. Measures should be adopted to

Quality of private universities in Pakistan

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of the development of education in private sector universities in Pakistan as compared to public universities. Additionally, the purpose is to understand the quality of education in private universities in light of the 2012 higher education commission (HEC), Pakistan ranking data.Design/methodology/approachThe paper utilizes the data shared by HEC at its web site (http://hec.gov.pk) and compares the total scores and the scores for research of private universities in the top ten ranking within the given categories. This comparison is used to evaluate issues related to access and quality of private higher education in Pakistan.FindingsThe private higher education sector is agile and more responsive to market demands. Furthermore, it has allowed the “youth bulge” of Pakistan access to higher education. However, with few exceptions the quality of private higher education is inadequate.Originality/valueThe need for Pakistan to reform its education to counter the grave twin dangers of religious extremism and militancy has been well recognized. High‐quality education at all levels is seen as one of the ways to create a more liberal society. This paper is among the first to evaluate private higher education in Pakistan in light of the most recent HEC rankings published in 2012.

Perspectives of academic activities in universities in Pakistan

The article explores perspectives on academic activities in public sector universities in Pakistan. Seven Pakistani universities yielded 290 teachers and 568 students in the sample. Factor analysis indicated five main factors in both teacher and student data sets. Both teachers and students were dissatisfied with the performance of the universities on quality of curriculum, teaching and leadership development opportunities for students. However, research, staff development and assessment were felt to be satisfactory at most of the universities. The former is a matter of great concern for all stakeholders, including the Higher Education Commission, the management of the universities, and teachers and students.

Second language reading instruction in Pakistan

In Pakistan, most advanced academic teaching in post-secondary institutions is carried out with English as the medium of instruction. All the text resources read by students are in English. Thus, the ability to teach English L2 reading impacts all post-secondary learning in Pakistan. This paper reports the results of a survey of 71 English teachers’ L2 reading instruction and their beliefs about reading in the six public sector universities in Pakistan. Results indicate that majority of the English teachers, who teach English L2 reading/text materials or language skills courses, still prefer to use traditional methods while teaching English, especially reading.

The organization’s cultural values: A study of public sector universities in Pakistan

The study explored the organization’s cultural values in universities of Pakistan. Using the responses of 674 academic faculty members from 23 public sector universities, the researchers analyzed: a) whether the Hofstede‘s (1980,1984) findings regarding Pakistan’s cultural orientation still prevailed in society; and b) whether the perception of cultural dimensions existed equally among all ranks and gender. The results exhibited the moderate change in power distance orientation and significant change in masculinity and long term orientation. On the other hand, the cultural orientation of collectivism and uncertainty avoidance were found consistent with Hofstede’s results. Moreover, the study also indicated that the perception of cultural dimensions orientation varied among ranks and gender. This study will be helpful for policy makers and for management in order to understand the culture and boundaries, and to make and implement the policies regarding Pakistani culture. Furthermore, these findings will be fruitful for managers to deal with their subordinates for smooth functioning and improvement of organizations. Key words: Organization’s cultural values, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, collectivism, masculinity, long term planning, academic faculty, universities of Pakistan.

A critical analysis of performance appraisal system for teachers in public sector universities of Pakistan: A case study of the Islamia University of Bahawalpur (IUB)

Performance appraisal systems are always of imperative concern of any organization/institution while managing its human resources. Although, higher education institutions depends upon both teaching and non teaching staff working in it, yet major responsibility comes upon teachers who are the source of student’s knowledge, learning and development. Therefore, this need of teachers’ performance management compels these institutions to have systematic performance appraisal systems, in order to administer, evaluate and enhance teacher’s performance. The purpose of this study is to explore various aspects of performance appraisal (PA) systems used for teachers in higher educational institutions (HEIs) and to address the question of how appraisal can play its role in improving performance of teachers in higher education of Pakistan. Researchers have undertaken Public Sector University of Pakistan, as a case study in the present research. A combination of qualitative and quantitative research approach has been adopted which consist of a questionnaire in order to get primary data for investigating different aspects of current performance appraisal system and in-depth interviews in order to study thorough perceptions of teachers regarding performance appraisal approaches in their institution. Findings have shown that obsolete evaluation system, exclusion of students’ feedback, untrained evaluators and decreased motivation for the process are the potential hindering factors for performance appraisal systems of the case study university. Researchers have also explored various suggestive solutions, after discussing the potential concerns of teachers regarding said factors. This study will not only contribute in performance management research but can also be an effective study for considering potential issues and challenges while implementing performance appraisal system in universities of developing countries like Pakistan. Key words: Human resource management (HRM), performance appraisal (PA), performance evaluation, performance planning, higher education commission (HEC), teacher, higher education institutions (HEIs).

Impact of Education on Students Earnings: A Case of Public Sector Universities in Pakistan

Education plays vital role in human capital formation. The main purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of different education levels on students’ earnings. We have followed Mincerian human capital model. Data is collected through field survey about various educational levels of students from two public sector universities one from upper Punjab (University of the Punjab, Lahore) and the other from lower Punjab (Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan). The sample consists on 200 students. We made our analysis on two stages. At the first stage, we have presented the descriptive/statistical analysis of the data. At the second stage, we have made an econometric analysis. Descriptive analysis of the data shows a positive trend between higher education and monthly earnings of the students. Secondly, we have applied Ordinary Least Square Method to analyze the impact of Educational level on Students’ earnings. According to our results, completed years of education and experience in years are positively and significantly contributing to monthly earnings of students in first model. At Each education levels, the monthly earnings of students are increasing and have significant impact on earnings of students. Study shows that Ph.D and M.Phil students can earn more than bachelor students. This indicates positive contribution of educational level in earnings. Experience and number of hours worked also have a positive contribution in monthly earnings. Study suggests that Govt. should give scholarships to the students and make proper arrangements for the needy students.

Comparative analysis of the project management curricula offered by academic institutions in Pakistan

The developed nations have pioneered the innovative concepts and techniques in the field of education such as project management. Academic institutions in the developing world could benefit a lot from the methods and concepts employed by the developed world institutions. A paradigm shift is needed so that the developing world starts realizing the importance of rapidly emerging business concepts which could be easily implemented in the developing world. However, it is not possible without bridging the gap between academia and industry especially in the developing world. The close contact between academia and industry would reveal and strengthen the importance of the concept of project management. The project management education is of immense importance in boosting the economic and industrial growth of any country. This phenomenon is even more crucial for the developing nations such as Pakistan. This research study is focused on the in-depth analysis of region wise and city wise comparison of the project management related courses in different academic institutions of Pakistan. The analysis is based on course offerings at 61 private and public sector universities in Pakistan. Only those universities were selected that were recognized by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. A comprehensive online search was conducted in which the web-sites of all 61 universities were visited to identify the courses being offered in project management discipline. The research revealed that the discipline of project management is still in its infancy stage in Pakistan. The Pakistani academic institutions do not offer any degree program in the field of project management which shows that the project management has not been recognized as a distinct discipline by the Pakistani institutions. The research also revealed that only a limited number of institutions offer wide range of project management related courses. The most common project management related courses in Pakistani institutions include production and operations management, project management, software project management, and project evaluation. Majority of the courses were offered as core courses, however the elective course offerings were limited. More courses were offered at the graduate level and the course offerings were limited to the PhD students. It was revealed that there is an immense need to upgrade the project management curricula of Pakistani academic institutions. The research only focused on those universities which were recognized by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. Further works can be extended to survey the private sector universities in Pakistan. A comparative study of project management curricula in developed and developing countries would be very beneficial. This is a timely study as the programme of improving project management education is currently underway in Pakistan. This paper sets the foundation for future research focusing on improving project management curricula for business schools in the developing countries. The findings of this study would also be valuable for all academicians and professionals involved in the area of project management in general. This is a unique comparative study of project management curricula offered by academic institutions in Pakistan, conducted for the first time. This study is part of a larger study being carried out for improving project management education in Pakistan. Further the research suggests comparing the course offerings of Pakistani institutions with the project management body of knowledge that is, the 9 knowledge areas and their competencies in order to develop a valuable project management curricula which could be embraced by the academic institutions and professional industry in Pakistan. Key words: Project management, courses, education, Pakistan, curriculum.