University at the PM House

True to his promise of converting the sprawling Prime Minister's House into a university, Prime Minister Imran Khan formally launched the Islamabad National University (INU) at a two-day international conference entitled "Emerging challenges and opportunities for Pakistan" and attended by distinguished academics from Pakistan as well as China, the US and the EU countries. The title and Khan's inaugural speech suggest it is an ambitious project. Beginning as centre of excellence it is to lead to the establishment of a full-fledged university, which as the PM said, would provide research-based guidance for all social, economic as well as institutional challenges. In other words, the INU is to provide leadership in research and best academic practices to all public-sector institutions of higher learning in a collaborative arrangement.
That may look like a great idea on paper, but not so when it comes to implementation. Indeed, there is nothing unusual for such centres to collaborate with other institutions in natural sciences and mathematics - building blocks of economic development - but only in specific areas. The experts sitting in the INU may not be able to cover all fields of scientific endeavour. There is no harm in trying though. The social sciences, however, present very different challenge. They flourish only in an environment that encourages critical thinking flowing from unhindered academic freedom. Although the PM declared the INU would be an autonomous entity and the government would not interfere in its affairs, he also said it will provide guidance for all issues, including social. It should not be a problem if that means offering advice to the government, but no central institution should direct other institutions of higher learning what may or may not be read, researched and taught. In fact, the government needs to make a special effort to remove the pressure public sector universities are already under from the activists of ultra right political parties and groups.
Equally important is the need for improving universal access to education. Although the Constitution stipulates free and compulsory education for all children between the ages of five to 16 years, unfortunately, successive governments have paid little attention to that duty. To his credit, Imran Khan has stayed focused on the issue. He has repeatedly been lamenting the fact that some 25 million children remain out of school, vowing to declare an education emergency. At the inaugural of the INU, also he talked of having sleepless nights over millions of children not going to school. It is about time he delivered on his stated resolve to confront illiteracy on an emergency basis. That may be a provincial subject, still the federal government can, and must, cajole the provinces into action, leading by example where the PTI rules and offering the others incentives to fulfil their responsibilities.