Universities as think tanks is a very good topic and ‘Engineering Review’ always comes out with such good topics that invite us to think about it. Before looking into it, we should understand what think tank is, and how they work, and eventually come up with some finding and put forth recommendations that influence policies. This exercise is comprehensive encompassing numerous institutes, people, departments, etc. It is a research-based endeavor having far-reaching implications.
In our universities, a lot of research is being carried out in specific areas but it is not becoming part of the policy and we are lagging behind in influencing it.
For instance, in the field of cyber security, we have many experts who should be gotten in touch with for the security of data and secrets that our governments would require to secure. There should be some think tank that should give its input to formulate cyber security policy for the country. Yes, we have a policy but not the way it should be; all aspects of security are not covered in it.
In our universities, there is huge information on technical areas whose information could make any policy comprehensive as well as practical.
In terms of the recognition of universities as think tanks that should be utilized is at a very initial level. At the policy level, governments and the industry get minimum inputs from the university. There are many policies in which the universities do not have any role thus the policies are very limited whereas the input of the think tank can make them comprehensive. At times, things come to the universities as offshoots but they don’t get in touch with while formulating the policy.
How could universities secure the recognition that we are looking for?
There are many countries whose policies are based on the outcome of the research carried out by their think tanks. Thus, they are comprehensive and leave long-term implications for covering all aspects that a nation should look around in its best interest. We must follow the suit in Pakistan. Our issues, right from economy to society require similar effort to grow. We have also think tanks but they a fewer in number; they must be expanded. The work of such tanks is also not so open so that they can be reviewed.
We have seen universities doing a lot that also influences policies. It means it is a two-way process. Are universities and their work influence our policies?
These groups work in multiple ways like the work initiated by the governments in which the recommendations eventually went to the government. In another model, many big groups exist in developed countries and they influence policies by default with the support of the people who are affected by the findings of those groups or think tanks.
However, the universities in our country do not possess that much influence. We do not have such independent groups that’s why you cannot find any groups giving guidelines for the changes in the policies. There are some in the field of defense and economics. But in universities, this is not the case. Yes, this happens at a smaller scale but one does not see anything big from universities that influence policy.
I think the universities should make such forums together with the participation of the people from the industry.
What challenges do you face when you attempt to take your university to a higher level?
The bigger challenge is to change the perception of the university as we think teaching in the class is not enough. It is a restrictive concept whereas the role of the university is much bigger. It involves research, policymaking, and learning the art of society. The management has to decide what they have to focus on and what they expect from the faculty and departments.
We have done a comprehensive exercise in the SSUET and have executed the plan for becoming part of institutions and professional bodies. We have created a debate for enhancing the standards and this process will be expanded.
Amidst a flood of emerging technologies, how do you manage newer technologies besides what the university is already doing?
It is very important, it has changed many things, especially the education sector more specifically after the Covid – 19. The role of universities has been changed too. Look at the teaching methodology, how we were used to teaching and how it has changed now. Every university is pursuing Learning Management Systems. Now, the people impart education even from outside the university. Then, there is yet another aspect relating to newer technologies like AI and gathering of data in this context which helps you to accelerate the process.
Then we must know that we have to achieve the goals, supposed to have by 2030. If we fail, we may face restrictions. For example, we have to achieve our target as regards climate change and AI and new technologies will help using the data. The universities have to build the capacity to use all these things.
Are we recognizing these challenges in our universities, governments, and the industry?
There are many sections of universities and industry that recognize how important is this challenge. Numerous universities are working hard in this direction. Because it is about survival, especially in the period we are talking about. Because the world is fast becoming one and we cannot rule out that our education may slip out of our hands if we did not succeed to achieve our milestones. We have to be truly serious and have to accelerate it. For this, all three stakeholders—academia, industry, and government—are obligated to achieve targets.n

Vice President SZABIST Dr Altaf Mukati has over 40 years of teaching experience in engineering universities in Pakistan.
ER: Are universities recognized as think tanks by the governments and the engineering industry?
Dr. Altaf Mukati: It is a significant question. Universities cannot work in isolation in the society that we live in. We cannot look at education in isolation, as society leaves an impact on our minds. We {universities} cannot become think tanks unless the hurdles are done away with. For instance institutions like ours having 6 campuses and over 200 PhDs with over 10 thousand students, many of our faculty people are many things. But, unfortunately, those efforts are not being materialized in the interests of the country. And this is not specific to one university only. There is a lot of negative news around through the media. It leaves a negative impact on us. Also, students live in the same society, they get an education but lag behind being research minds.
Look at the fact why universities are different from community colleges. The latter educates you and the former focuses on research and over half of the universities’ resources are spent on research. There are around 190 universities in Pakistan, of which many are working on an individual basis but the collective effort is missing. It is because of the lack of encouragement as my experience goes. I have been sending proposals to HEC and been communicating with PEC but I do not get any acknowledgment only.
ER: These factors apart, are our universities equipped enough and resourceful to be recognized as think tanks?
DAM: There are two parts, one is academic activities and two, research facilities which are restricted in private sector universities because of their financial constraints. The establishment of the Higher Education Commission was meant to facilitate all universities including private sector institutions. But now the focus is on only public sector universities. Big public sector universities have resources in abundance but they are largely unutilized whereas private universities like ours start early in the morning and make full utilization of our resources including our labs. In sum, the resources of one category of universities are underutilized while in the other category they are overutilized. This is an imbalance.
HEC was to become a facilitator but turned out to be a dictator; it dictates universities. It supersedes every law passed through the Charter of the universities. This is the killing factor in higher education in Pakistan. If private universities don’t follow HEC, the degrees would not be attested. The public sector universities cannot do anything because they get funding from there.
ER: Do the governments or engineering industry believe the universities are think tanks and should be recognized?
DAM: As far the corporate sector is concerned, our graduates are recognized through their performance and we have a long list of our alumni.
For me academia-industry liaison is important and we have been talking about it for the last 40 years. This interaction is very limited. Until and unless it is improved, we cannot succeed. The government has to play its part as the private sector industry cannot absorb all engineering graduates.
ER: Do private sector industry and public sector organizations approach universities for research on the issues they face?
DAM: They don’t approach much. For instance, our Mechatronics students have been producing very good projects but they do not get any encouragement from industry and the government. Finally, these projects, commercially viable, end up in a showcase.
However, many of our faculty members work on projects with the industry on an individual basis. We have permitted them for such effort. But the collective effort that we are talking about is not there. Even our research papers and publications are not focusing on the issues prevalent in our society. Once I claimed that 90 percent of research papers in the HEC repository are useless. They were produced after the hype surfaced following the establishment of HEC that linked promotions with acquiring Ph.D. degrees and research papers.
ER: What challenges do you face the most while running this university?
DAM: There may be many issues but one should look at the key points behind the success story. I am happy to be here. When I joined SZABIST, the number of admissions was less. I increased admissions without compromising on quality.
Our system is different from the developed world and our undergraduate students depend on their parents. On the contrary, in the developed world the student works hard to fund his own education and this is a serious point about the education. Students here are very casual because of their financial dependence on parents who do not know what their children are doing at the university. They are ignorant of their children. Also, there is no counseling for students to choose their fields.
Then there is yet another issue. We enroll our children at the age of 3 and 3 and a half whereas in the developed world one does not send their children before 5. The children miss the play age of childhood. Moreover, there is no training for children either in the families or in the educational institutions.
ER: Would you like to share any achievements that cannot be forgotten?
DAM: There are many such accomplishments. One such achievement was the videos produced by our media sciences that were selected for the Kairens Festival in France.n

Ensuring that 100 plus female engineers attend any moot is no easy task for sure. But it happened last week in Karachi when the Women Development Committee, Sindh, formed by the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) in the backdrop of its efforts to empower women engineers in the country. The committee is led by Engr Abdul Rehman Shaikh, a member of the Governing Body (GB) of the council.
A number of leading women engineers and academicians attended the moot presided over by PEC Chairman Engr. Najeeb Haroon at a local hotel.
The presence of a good number of women engineers and professionals testified that they are ready to play their part in many respects such as encouraging females to pick engineering as their profession, take on challenges on project sites, and involve in research and development initiatives in the country.
The moot was informed that over 24 thousand women engineers are registered with the PEC and the actual number could be more. A big number is serving engineering institutions besides their services in a variety of engineering fields both in public and private sectors.
The committee which is an offshoot of the Central Women Engineers Development Committee of the council resolves to lobby corporate companies to facilitate married women engineers through setting up daycare facilities for their kids. Also, all those facilities that women engineers deserve and are enshrined in should be offered to them.
Several prominent women engineers noted that the females have come out of traditional professional fields such as medical sciences and teaching and are choosing engineering as their future. Growing ratios of female candidates in engineering universities across Pakistan confirm this perception which they say would improve engineering education and also give a boost to research and development in the country.
Chairman PEC Najeeb Haroon besides Engr. Abdul Qadir Shah, Engr. Mukhtiar A. Shaikh and others spoke about encouraging women engineers and expected them to play a bigger role in the engineering industry.
The moot was attended by a number of PEC GB members including Engr. Syed Ragib Hussain Shah (Former Chairman WAPDA), Engr. Mohammad Shafiq, Engr. Mohsin Khan, Dr Aneel Kumar, Dr Khadija Qureshi. – ER