Problem in the air (II)

The following Letter to the Editor was published in the Express Tribune on the 26th of May, 2013:

I was surprised by the reaction on social media and the Pakistani press of a PIA flight from Lahore to Manchester making an emergency landing at London’s Stansted Airport. Many commentators have argued that somehow Pakistan’s image has been tarnished and the crew aboard the aircraft should have calmed the situation down rather than requesting help from the control tower, which then scrambled jets, leading to this embarrassing situation.The provision of adequate safety for passengers and crews is held paramount in global aviation. If news reports are true that the two arrested individuals tried to force their way into the cockpit, which in itself is grounds for a serious breach of airline safety, according to regulations established post-9/11.

Critics should also consider that as the PIA aircraft was flying through European Union and specifically in UK airspace, it is also required to follow local rules and regulations as recommended by their aviation regulators. The captain and crew should be commended for erring on the side of caution and keeping the safety of their passengers paramount.

Syed Nadir El-Edroos

See: http://tribune.com.pk/story/554327/problem-in-the-air-ii/

Tweaking our understanding of education in Pakistan

Pakistan's uncharted educational landscape

Its nearly election time, and while everyone goes back and forth in an increasingly emotive manner, cheering on their respective side, one issue that does stand out amongst all speakers is the importance of education for whoever comes to power post 11/05.

This is perhaps as good a time as abt to evaluate what education should be and how it should be delivered. This too has seen a lot of debate. But then sometimes in the midst of all the discussion it seems as if each party is cheering on their own interpretation of how they will reinvent the wheel, in mostly symbolic ways, i.e. exam boards, examination methods etc.

Alot of good work has already been done. I won't go into the specifics at this point, but at a more general, macro level, I believe that small tweaks and changes in our understanding of education is important before we move forward. Ignoring the basics, while trying to change the complex is bound to fail.

Recognize the importance of early years education  and play

Like most things in Pakistan, a top down approach to education is seen as a quick fix. The development of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) over the last decade, and how its captured middle and upper class imagination in its quest to improve Higher Ed is remarkable. The HEC perhaps matches defence organizations in its ability to churn out "strategic institution" or "disciplined institution" to whenever its faces any criticism.

While the development of a strong higher education sector is important. It seems that in Pakistan this is happening at the expense of other levels of education. Flip through the news or any newspaper, and while issues related to the HEC make headlines, schools can go without teachers or basic infrastructure for years without any mention.

Now this is probably the result of our middle and upper classes investing their energy at the top end of educational qualifications. The final product of 16 years of education, a degree and then a job.

I find this approach self defeating.

Investment and attention at the top must be matched by recognizing the importance of early years and basic education. Primarily because:

The most formative years of learning is during early childhood (See Alison Gopnik's talk above). Society may feel that what a 20 year old in university learns is more important than what a 4 year old learns in terms of practical and economic importance. However, what we ignore is that what the 4 year old learns or does not learn will have a much bigger impact on learning when older, than massive spending on higher education itself.

In the current model where the HEC offers scholarships to students and hopes to improve outcomes. This is all well and good, however, an investment in early years and basic education would help improve educational outcomes from the bottom up. Students entering university will be better prepared academically. The very best today are good in relation to a very low benchmark. We must invest in policies that lifts everyone, not just a select few at the top.

Early years interventions have the added benefit of resulting in higher social benefits. Investment in higher education helps increase private benefits of the scholar himself.

At this point, hoping for universal nurseries and kindergartens is pointless. But a recognition of its importance would help as a start. Highlighting the importance of play, open spaces, curiosity etc is as good a start as any. Providing information to parents or local communities, interlinking such interventions with the provision of vaccines and basic health would help shift attitudes.

After All, a rising tide lifts all boats.

Children learn themselves and teach each other

Sugata Mitra has done some exciting work on how children learn and how they teach each other across the globe.

Below are some extracts from his talk which speak for themselves:

So then people said, well, how far will it go? Where does it stop? I decided I would destroy my own argument by creating an absurd proposition. I made a hypothesis, a ridiculous hypothesis. Tamil is a south Indian language, and I said, can Tamil-speaking children in a south Indian village learn the biotechnology of DNA replication in English from a streetside computer? And I said, I'll measure them. They'll get a zero. I'll spend a couple of months, I'll leave it for a couple of months, I'll go back, they'll get another zero. I'll go back to the lab and say, we need teachers. I found a village. It was called Kallikuppam in southern India. I put in Hole in the Wall computers there, downloaded all kinds of stuff from the Internet about DNA replication, most of which I didn't understand. 

The children came rushing, said, "What's all this?" 

So I said, "It's very topical, very important. But it's all in English." 

So they said, "How can we understand such big English words and diagrams and chemistry?" 

So by now, I had developed a new pedagogical method, so I applied that. I said, "I haven't the foggiest idea."And anyway, I am going away."  

So I left them for a couple of months. They'd got a zero. I gave them a test. I came back after two months and the children trooped in and said, "We've understood nothing." 

So I said, "Well, what did I expect?" So I said, "Okay, but how long did it take you before you decided that you can't understand anything?" 

So they said, "We haven't given up. We look at it every single day." 

So I said, "What? You don't understand these screens and you keep staring at it for two months? What for?" 

So a little girl who you see just now, she raised her hand, and she says to me in broken Tamil and English, she said, "Well, apart from the fact that improper replication of the DNA molecule causes disease, we haven't understood anything else."

Children are curious. And this curiosity allows them to overcome linguistic, technological and economic barriers (to an extent). We must recognize this because the ability to overcome these barriers diminishes as children become older. 

A second lesson to learn here is the importance of encouragement. The "granny effect" as Mitra states refers to the importance of positive reinforcement and gentle nudges that spurs learning. For me, an inexpensive and perhaps the simplest education intervention in Pakistan, would be an information campaign to encourage parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts to show interest in children's learning and offer encouragement.

Something that I am considering to try is to get a few computers, connected them to the internet, try and get urdu dubbed lectures of Khan Academy videos and open it up to whoever wants to have a go. I personally think that such an approach of offering access, and then encouraging self learning, is an effective way to narrow the gap between poor students who may not be able to afford extra classes or tutoring and their more affluent peers. 

Play is good, boredom is bad

Its a shame that play doesn't get as much importance as it should. In a 5 or 6 hour school day, a 20 minutes "break" in a day is supposed to be enough time for a child to have a snack and play. Break Time or play is never enough, but for many teachers and parents its considered a waste of time. 

Toys also figure as an obvious distraction. "Put your toys away and come here and study". Now only if we appreciated play as much as the forced "study" a lot of creativity and curiosity that will later reinforce educational ability, would not be wasted. 

Arvind Gupta shows a few examples of very simple, some familiar toys that highlight the importance of both play and toys in facilitating learning. Again, a very simple intervention that can inspire.

But wheres the policy stuff?

I will go into specifics in another post. But here I wanted to highlight some areas towards which I believe attitudes must change. The recognition or certain forms of education and certain age groups as key stakeholders in educational processes will help approve enrollment and attainment for all students.

So in short, if you ever have to lobby for educational reform, remember to:

1) highlight the importance of early years and basic education

2) play is education

3) children can learn on their own, education policy should not dull their curiosity or creativity

4) children teach each other, social interaction is important

5) encouragement, especially for young children is extremely important. Encourage, support and let kids thrive

What is the Pakistani rupee worth?

Above is a quick chart for you showing the value of the Pakistani rupee versus Sterling from December 2012 to the 21st of February 2013.

On the 19th of December 2012 £1 bought Rs. 159.11, while on the 2y 1st of February £1 bought only Rs 149.72. So over a period of a couple of months, the Pakistani Rupee has gained 6% against Sterling.

Wow! Something must really have changed in the Pakistani economy over the past couple of months to justify the Rupees rise? Right? Well not really, actually not at all. The fall in the value of Sterling has more to do with expectations of the UK loosing its AAA rating, improvements in the outlook of the Eurozone and the US, and the appointment of Mark Carney as the new Governor of the Bank of England, who has suggested that rather than inflation targeting, the UK should switch to targeting nominal GDP. In short, while the "market" spent the last year or so focusing on the troubles in the Eurozone, they are now looking to the UK and realised that Sterling is overvalued.

So why do I bring this up?

Perhaps one of the most frustrating and irritating line of economic argument one may come across is how the fall in the value of the Rupee against the US dollar is somehow a barometer for economic success/failure.Social media is littered with lists highlighting how in Musharaf's time $1 was "only" Rs. 60. So what was so amazing about a dollar for 60 rupees? And why does the dollar hitting a hundred to so much panic?

Now, this is not to excuse the shortcomings of economic policy-makers that have allowed for vast fluctuations in the exchange rate. The fall in the value of the dollar in some respects is self inflicted  but also, the relative strength of the US dollar is also influenced by what is going on in the US itself and the wider global economy.

But the issue for me is the desirability argument. Why are we so obsessed with the value of the dollar as a benchmark for economic success?

This is just like pointing to the Karachi Stock Exchange and claiming that the rising index is big thumbs up for the Pakistani economy and policy makers.

Perhaps one of the most ridiculous statements regarding the value of the Pakistani rupee that I cam across recently was in the "I dream of a day, Pakistan"video when one of the dreams were that "I dream of a day when a Pakistani rupee equals a hundred dollars".

Well, I am sure that the affluent consumerist middle class would be very happy with such an exchange rate as the relative price of imports plummets, an overvalued exchange rate would make Pakistani exporters uncompetitive.

And this is exactly the point: Regardless of which way the Pakistani rupee moves, there will always be winners and losers. The falling rupee has allowed Pakistani exporters to remain competitive and blunt some of the effects of higher costs of running businesses in Pakistan in the face of power cuts, infrastructure shortages and perhaps most importantly terrorism and violence.

The other side of the coin is that a falling rupee makes imports more expensive. More rupees are required to purchase goods and services from abroad, and makes our foreign debt more expensive in rupee terms. As we import a large chunk of our energy such a crude oil from abroad, a falling rupee adds to inflationary pressure in the shape of higher import prices.

Now the fact that we have a wide gap between our exports and imports of goods and services, which is plugged mostly by remittances has more to do with imbalances within our economy and poor policy making.

However, with so much emphasis on the value of the rupee, looking back 5 or 10 years and dreaming about an ever appreciating currency allows both politicians and policy makers to ignore underlying problems and then declare success or failure based on whether the rupee has gained or lost value.

Japan most notably, after the election of their new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, has nudged the Bank of Japan to loosen its inflation target and become more aggressive when it comes to monetary policy. The Yen has lost 16% of its value since he took office. The incoming Governor of the Bank of England has also suggested that Sterling needs to loose even more value to rebalance the economy.

The point here is that national pride should not be invested in the value of the Rupee itself. It makes for great headlines, talking points and rhetoric, but our obsession with the value of the Pakistani rupee only helps us to cover up our failure to deal with our economy as a whole.

Given the massive trade deficit, many would argue that the Pakistani rupee needs to loose even more value. And it probably will in the coming months.

Rs. 120 to $1? That's just the price at a particular time of the day for a currency. Treat it as such.

Rs. 60 to $1 was no magical benchmark that we should aspire towards, just because it neatly fits into the anti-incumbency narrative that we are encouraged to jump on. 

The Rs. 28 trillion loot in Swiss Bank's fallacy

If something is too good to be true, it probably isn’t. I am not referring to the fantastical $45 Billion, Abu Dhabi group investment, plus tallest building in the world in Karachi news from a few days ago, will come to that some other time.

Really? Perhaps Google to fact check?

Today, once again, reading through the Political Economy section of the TNS, I came across another sermon on corrupt politicians and ill-gotten wealth, ending predictably with references to Jinnah and Iqbal.

Alauddin Masood couples some facts from some recent reports with the ubiquitous and sensational statement that:

The amount is so huge that it prompted a Swiss banker, recently retired, to say: “Pakistan is a poor country but Pakistanis are not” because they have “28 trillion (28,000,000,000,000) of Pakistan rupees deposited in Swiss Banks.”

http://jang.com.pk/thenews/Feb2013-weekly/nos-17-02-2013/pol1.htm#2

Now this so called “Swiss Banker” has alteast retired now. Over the last couple of years we have been inundated with email forwards, and Facebook shares about this mysterious Swiss Banker and the Rs. 28 trillion figure.

In September 2011, it wasn’t a retired Swiss Banker, but a director Swiss Bank who stated that:

Director Swiss Bank said ‘Pakistanis are poor but Pakistan isn’t a poor country.’ He added that 97 billion dollars of Pakistan is deposited in respective bank and if this money would be utilized for the welfare of Pakistan and its people then Pakistan can make tax less budget for 30 years, can create 60 million jobs, can carpet four lanes road from any village to Islamabad, endless power supply to five hundred social projects, every citizen can get 20000 rupees salary for the next 60 years and there is no need to see IMF and any World Bank for loans.

http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2011/09/18/news/national/pakistan-has-97-billion-dollars-in-swiss-banks-director-swiss-bank/

What the?

A few problems are obvious with these assertions.

First, there is no such thing as a “Director Swiss Bank”.

Second, there is no such thing as a Swiss Bank.

Third, why would any Swiss financial official compromise on Switzerland’s reputation for privacy by making such statements?

Fourth, according the Swiss law, financial privacy in Switzerland is akin to attorney client privilege. Why would some Director/Retired Swiss Banker break Swiss laws to make such statements?

Fifth, even if this Swiss Banker is genuine, how would he possibly know the names, source and nationality of all deposit holders in every Swiss Bank?

Sixth, why would he make such normative statement, about whether Pakistan is a poor country or not, and how many years of salary each Pakistani would receive and that to calculated in Rupees?

Alauddin Masood’s article is titled:

If our rulers bring back the money stashed in accounts abroad and invest it in Pakistan, we can have tax free budgets for almost 30 years

What the......

Now many things are wrong with such statements.

First of all repatriating money back into Pakistan doesn’t equate into investment. Second, the assumption that all monies held abroad is ill-gotten, is not necessarily true. Third, what is the relationship between investing the money in Pakistan and thirty years of tax free budgets?

It is one thing to have such commentary shared in social media and online forums, but it’s quite different when it is used as a tool for shaping or justifying economic policy.

But these statements are such an incredible farce that they are also used in India, where articles were published with the title, Indians are poor but not India: Swiss Bank:

"Indians are poor, but India is not a poor country," says one of the Swiss Bank directors. He says that "280 lakh crore (280,00,000,000,0000) of Indian rupees is deposited in Swiss banks which can be used for “taxless” budget for 30 years. It can give 60 crore jobs to Indians. The other uses of the money: From any village to Delhi 4-lane roads. Forever free supply to more than 500 social projects. Every citizen can get monthly 2000 for 60 years. No need of world bank and IMF loan.

http://www.indiatribune.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5058:indians-are-poor-but-not-india-swiss-bank&catid=119:business&Itemid=493

Shocking surprise! Looks like this Swiss Bank director likes to say exactly the same thing to every developing country!

I find such rhetoric frustrating and exhausting.

Economic policy making is difficult enough, but once public opinion is shaped by such rhetoric it is very difficult to design and implement policy with politicians and media personalities harping on with such ludicrous accusations.

Now, you may retort that hold on, while these statements might not be true, the fact remains that politicians are corrupt and they have probably stashed away large sums of money in Switzerland. That is true, and no one is denying that. However, things are bad enough that we don’t and shouldn’t need to rely on made up stuff.

Why do we need to share pictures of atrocities in other countries and pass them off as pictures of victims of terrorism in Pakistan or other Islamic states? Were the victims of atrocities that we are passionate about not photogenic enough?

Are our corruption estimates not sexy enough that we need to come up with Rs. 28 trillion?

So spare the rhetoric and stick to facts. At least one would expect that from writers offering sermons on corruption and budget policy in national publications. 

The Pakistani people, they matter!

In May 1968 a young Iraqi geologist, Farouk al-Kasim, arrived in Oslo, Norway. Al-Kasim’s youngest son, born with cerebral palsy, could not receive the case he required in Iraq. Along with his Norwegian wife, who het met while studying in the United Kingdom, Al-Kasim arrived in Oslo, with little idea of what lay ahead.

While waiting for a train to his wife’s hometown, Al-Kasim made his way to the Ministry of Industry to ask for a list of oil companies operating in Norway. Instead, his unannounced visit turned into a job interview! At the time, Norways oil administration comprised of just three officials. Foreign petroleum companies were pouring money into North Sea oil exploration, but as yet had not discovered any oil. The Norwegian government was looking for a skilled and experienced individual to give some insight into the massive amount of information pouring into the oil administrator’s office.

A decade earlier the Geological Survey of Norway had declared that there was little chance any oil would ever be discovered. However, while analysing the information available, al-Kasim concluded that the discovery of oil was just a matter of time.

By 1969, several exploration companies had left Norway after failing to make any significant discoveries. However, in December 1969, Philips Petroleum, the last remaining explorer discovered one of the world’s largest oil reserves, the Ekofisk field.

The Norwegian government however, was completely unprepared. They were no plans, policies, regulations and neither a vision for the Norwegian oil industry. It came down to al-Kasim, to prepare a blue print for the future of the Norwegian oil industry. What has followed since is the development of some of the world’s largest oil fields, innovation in oil exploration and extraction technology and the creation of world beating ancillary industries that has allowed Norway to make the most of its oil reserves.

Perhaps most importantly, Norway managed to avoid the infamous “ Dutch disease”, that booming commodity exporters experience. The rest as they say is history.

The knowledge, expertise and skill of an individual and the dedicated support he was offered by his colleagues, allowed Norway to leverage its comparative advantage in the petroleum industry. The mere presence of oil was not the secret behind Norway’s success in building an affluent economy. Instead it was the presence of expertise that allowed it to harness their discoveries true potential.

This is a lesson that we in Pakistan must realise sooner rather than later; that our strength lies in our people, who at present are largely ignored as a useful resource in Pakistan’s development. We risk wasting the advantages of our demographic dividend by failing to make adequate and necessary investments in young people, to support their learning and helping them achieve their individual aspirations.

While we celebrate the presence of the yet unexplored Thar Coal reserves and the possible mineral wealth across Baluchistan etc, the inability to efficiently exploit and commercialise these resources insures our continued underdevelopment. Whether there exploitation is desirable as proposed is also debatable. 

As our population expands, water stress, climate change, the depletion of domestic gas production, desertification etc, will pose challenges that we are unprepared to face. Its only our ability to manage such challenges which will determine whether we are able to leverage a challenge into an opportunity.

The use of what we have, in the best possible way, will allow Pakistan to develop in a manner which is sustainable and does not repeat the mistakes of the past. Anyone following the smog that chokes Beijing at the moment would appreciate the short-sightedness of unplanned electricity generation using coal.

The only resource that we possess in abundance is the expanding numbers of our young people. Investments in education, in schools and colleges, in playgrounds and in teachers must take place now. For only the can deal with many challenges that Pakistan faces. Otherwise at best, the demographic dividend of a young population will be squandered or at worst, the finite natural resources we have will be wasted due to poor decision making.

I have said so before, but it must be repeated. More attention must be given to basic education, especially 

for girls. Investments in good teachers and raising the status of teaching must go hand and hand. The social benefits of basic and primary education are much higher than higher education. While giving importance to Higher Education is all well and good, however unlike the example of Norway above, we in Pakistan don’t only need to make sure we make good decisions at the macro level, but we also must enable individuals to make better decisions. Vocational training must be encouraged on the one hand, but at the same time efforts must be made to insure that it is not considered second tier to academic pursuits.

Without al-Kasim, Norway may have taken a totally different path. Likewise, despite our geographic advantages, natural resources and expertise, without an educated, skilled and aspirational young population, Pakistan too will continue to pay the price for poor decision making. 

Education is not just about how many As you score

The following blog was originally published in Tribune Blogs, 4th Feb, 2013.

Education is not just about how many As you score

Recently, the British Education Secretary announced that students starting their A’ levels in England from fall 2015, will return to the previous system of an “all or nothing” exam at the end of two years of study.

Eventually, these changes will not only impact exams in England, but will also trickle into tweaks to the manner in which Cambridge International Examinations and EdExcel International exams are organised. It is still not clear whether Wales and Northern Ireland will adopt these changes; Scotland has a separate system.

The current system of units or modules has been criticised for allowing examination retakes and grade inflation. Policy makers hope that a return to the two-year exam cycle will help make A’ levels more rigorous and help prepare students for higher education. Universities have criticised the quality of GCSE and A levels in the UK, rather than preparing students for higher education or vocational training; A’ levels train students to succeed in exams.

This is a criticism that may sound familiar in Pakistan.

Over the past fifteen years, the mushroom growth of tutoring and a proliferation of schools and colleges that judge their reputation and success on exam results, a vicious cycle has been created where students seem to appear in exams perpetually during their O’ and A’ levels. A perverted mix of peer pressure, aggressive advertising and devaluing education to a series of grades, ensures that each year students are nudging more and more towards sitting exams in a wider array of subjects.

Whether it is in the UK or Pakistan, tinkering with syllabuses and changing exam timetables is a swift and neat way to “reform education”.

Politicians love such interventions as these are easily implementable and success can be declared once the changes are made. However, the outcome of these changes is someone else’s headache.

Over the past couple of years, a lot has been made of abolishing foreign qualifications and implementing a uniform curriculum across the country. Such rhetoric means well, but like the changes to A’ levels announced in England today, such measures don’t reform – they just tinker with the status quo. Across the globe, the best educational systems cater for a devolved curriculum and provide greater focus on pre-school and primary education.

An example would be that of Finland, where the system caters on fewer exams, recommends little or no homework, and recruits teachers from amongst the best candidates. In Pakistan sadly, debate on the curriculum revolves around how much importance the chapter on jihad should have, whether illustrations of boys and girls playing together is Islamic or not, or whether the chief minister’s message to students should appear at the front or the back of the textbook

Adopting the Finnish system of education or any other “model” is still a very far off goal. A massive number of school age children do not attend school and our first goal should be to ensure that no child is deprived of education. However, for education to be “fixed” we require a change of attitude towards what we mean by an “education”.

This will have to start amongst the affluent, partly because education providers for lower income groups aim to emulate their affluent peers. If the schools at the top consider exam success as the gold standard of a quality education, the same attitude trickles down, shaping the attitudes of both schools and parents.

While examination success is indeed important, the appropriateness of what we are taught and how we are taught is also important. Some imperfect albeit illustrative examples include students who complete O’ and A’ levels, but then struggle to appear in Central Superior Services (CSS) exams due to the perception that they favour the pedagogy of matriculation and Faculty of Science (FSc) students. Students hoping to attend state-run medical schools are encouraged to complete FSc rather than A’ levels as it is believed that it provides better preparation for competitive admission tests.

It is here where an examination focused approach towards education fails us. Education should aim to widen choice and facilitate flexibility.

Students should not have to bear the costs of short-sighted educational reform choices; their choices from five years ago should not impact their higher education pursuits in the present.

We must appreciate that education reforms take a long time to implement, and that changes to exams schedules or efforts to unify curricula (as favoured by politicians) will have limited impact. Instead, investing in teachers, focusing on basic and primary education, and recognising that the learning requirements of each and every child is unique, will truly usher in a much needed reform.

Utopian idealism? Perhaps. But the first important step must be the recognition by policymakers, education providers and parents, that such concerns are worthy of consideration.

Making the most of online education

Various organizations are scrambling to add courses that can be followed, viewed, consumed and practised by students across the globe, using the internet as medium to share content.

Distance education itself is nothing new. We are all familiar with the Open University or The University of London International Programme.

Internet entrepreneurs however hope to widen access, and this provides us with yet another medium to access education and offer learners another way to learn.

Several US universities began sharing their course contents, notes, lectures and podcasts a few years ago. But the difference now is that the latest providers aim to make online lessons more interactive and structured. 

This offers several opportunities for learners of all ages in Pakistan

One, it allows the curious and those interested to follow a course of a particular area at their pace and convenience. Two and perhaps more importantly, it gives an idea to high school students of what exactly to expect once they enter university. As a volunteer for Possibilities Pakistan, I give advice and feedback to students on their admission essays and personal statements. Most candidates have little or no idea of what higher education study in their chosen areas actually involves. These online courses could offer students an insight, and save them the time and frustration of being stuck in a programme for which they have little interest.

Third, such ventures allow truly exceptional students to move beyond the classroom and their peers. One of the problems of lecture style teaching is that it is a blunt instrument. While some students may struggle in a particular course, others may be frustrated by slow progress. Online courses allow for the weak to revise at their own pace, and for the more motivated to move ahead.

First off, we have Udacity. Udacity offers a range of science, maths and computer science courses, available for free online. Students who complete whole modules receive a certification of completion. Udcacity is developing its own course material and setting its own final exams.

Next we have Coursera. Unlike Udacity, Coursera has formed partnerships with 34 universities who together are putting up online courses. Courses cover a range of disciplines from pure science, math, economics, film and literature. However, courses on Coursera start and finish on fixed dates, so look up upcoming programmes and when they start.

edX is similar to Coursera that it offers a varied range of subjects across various disciplines. However, edX offers students the option of sitting an invigilated exam via Pearson VUE across the globe. Students will then have an official, examined and certified document that accredits their studies. For one of its inaugural courses, an edX course final exam came across a Mongolian high school student who scored a perfect score.  

Perhaps the most well-known portal is not even focused on higher education. The Khan Academy offers learners the opportunity to not only view lectures, but complete practise exercises that focus on repetitive excellence rather than  just completing topics and moving on. A wide range of secondary and high school maths, science and social sciences is covered along with test preparation such as SAT and GMAT. Though several teachers have been critical of some of the content that Khan has uploaded and the methodology of teaching them.

The guys at the Marginal Revolution blog have now setup the Marginal Revolution University. Right now they are offering a course in Economic Development. They will add more courses related to Economics at a later date.

Moving on to something slightly different, sing at the moment myself is Memrise. It uses meme’s to help you remember information. It is particularly relevant if you are looking to build your vocabulary of a foreign language, but courses are also offered in a wide range of other subjects.

Now you may argue that this is all well and good but not really relevant to Pakistan.  They are some impediments. Most striking of which is the obvious problem that all these platforms tend to use Youtube and that of course is banned at the moment!

However, the thing is that in Pakistan where educational opportunities are extremely limited, for those who have access to the internet and the requisite motivation, information regarding alternatives to traditional schooling must be made available.

 I don’t see such programmes as complete substitutes for secondary school or higher education. At best they can complement learning that takes place in traditional brick and mortar schools. I do see such programmes as possible substitutes for say private tutoring. Imagine if many of these lectures could be translated or dubbed over in Urdu, Pushto, Sindhi etc. The Khan Academy is already in the process of dubbing over lectures into various languages of the developing world.

Youtube, ITunes, platforms such as those listed above are helping to transform online learning. There will be many naysayers; however, at the minimum educational institutions in Pakistan should at the very least make students aware of such opportunities. If nothing else, you can go ahead and try something new.

With an estimated 25 million Pakistanis online, even a very very small uptake would translate to quite a large uptake.

Links to the organizations listed above:

Coursera - https://www.coursera.org/

edX - https://www.edx.org/

Khan Academy - http://www.khanacademy.org

Memrise - http://www.memrise.com/

Marginal Revolution University - http://mruniversity.com/

Udacity - http://www.udacity.com/

Perhaps you know of other free online courses or resources? Do share in the comments below.

Racing off to the hospitals

Its is almost a given that after every tragedy a political, civil servant, general or any individual of some authority makes a visit to the hospital or clinic and stand by the bedside. If the patient happens to be conscious then a quick handover of a compensation cheque or a bouquet of flowers is obligatory.

However, there is a time for everything. 24 hours after a brutal attack, and after a night of evasive operations, Malala Yousafzai does not need people around her as she recovers.

First we had the COAS showing up:

Because after a night of operations this is exactly what every recovering patient requires. A bunch of people and a camera man around her!

As I write, PTI supporters are twetting and RT'ing the news that Imran Khan is flying to Peshawar to meet Malala. Why exactly is it necessary? I do hope that he does not end up in the room with her or distract her doctors or nurses, or for that matter other patients being treated.

This is not specific to this event or individual or political party. 

But if having people hanging around is all okay, why do the rich insist on having private rooms when they are in the hospital? Why dont they share the general ward with the mere mortals? 

Why should the privacy and rest of patients be compromised because some individual in authority wants to be seen as "sincere" and "concerned".

If only one of the doctors at these hospitals could do the following:

But then in CMH who is going to put their foot down before the Army chief? 

I dont understand why people expect their leaders to show up at hospitals. There has to be a better way to show concern or at the very least wait for the patient to recover. But less than 24 hours after surgery is definitely not the time!

I am not aware of any parent, who hours after their child's, operation would want the general public in and around their resting child. Why are victims of terrorism, natural disasters and accidents any different?

On Pakistani Sounding Names

Shahzad Chaudhry in a recent Op-Ed in the Express Tribune wrote: 


 By the time the day was out, about a 100 odd Indians of the 1.2 billion, including some with Pakistani names, had put up an orchestrated protest...


The comment on "Pakistani names" really seemed to strike a nerve with alot of people, which led me to think exactly what a Pakistan name is?


The argument here being that Indian commentators, take "Pakistani" names, which are effectively Muslim names and try to make it seems that only Indians would disagree with the AVM. No good, patriotic Pakistani would question the solid arguments that Chaudhry makes.

When it comes to names I have always faced awkward situations when having to introduce myself.

In school, on the first day with a new teacher, as introductions went around, I would stand up and say, "Syed Nadir El-Edroos". The El-Edroos would turn into, Al-Qadoos, Al-Batroos. After explaining how to pronounce the name, I would then be questioned on what type of "Syed" I was. Whether I was Shia or Sunni. Once a teacher asked me if I was Ahmedi due to my strange last name, but then answered his own question by saying "Haan, Syed tau Ahmedi nahi ho saktai". Back in 2009 I went to renew my passport at the Pakistani High Commission. Forget about refusing to sign the statement at the end regarding Ahmedi's, I was asked point blank if I was one! I asked why would he think that, given that they could access my records, and he responded: "you have a strange name".

When I would say, "I don't know what type of Syed I am", many teachers actually appeared offended. I never figured out the big deal then and I don't think I really appreciate what the big deal (if any) is even today.

But I have to admit, that the Syed has helped out on many occasions. Taking taxis or wagons, especially when travelling between Pindi and Islamabad, getting stopped at Police check posts, upon showing my ID card, I would usually get a wide eyed..."Aap Syed hain?"..and that would be it, I would be on my way. I don't know what was going on, or perhaps they thought that Syed's don't take public transport?

In the UK, at times I have to drop the Syed all together. Otherwise, Nadir becomes my middle name and everyone starts calling me Syed.

Anyways, I definitely don't have a very "Pakistani" sounding name. Perhaps the AVM saab would consider me less of a Pakistani? 

Which is exactly what many people on Twitter have declared me to be. Many people tweet me something along the lines, "Why are foreigners like you so interested in Pakistan". After explaining that I am Pakistani, the discussion moves in two directions. One, I am asked detailed questions on my name and its background. One guy asked me where my village was and if I didn't have one, I was not a "real" Pakistani.

The other direction such interactions take is when people, who are perhaps in the know or do a quick Google search, ask me whether I am related to General Syed Ahmed El-Edroos who was the Commander and Chief of the Hyderabad Deccan Army? Pakistanis ask me whether I am related to the traitor who surrendered to the Indians, and the Indians ask me whether I am related to the General who served a Princely state that refused to join the Indian Union. The late General was my Great grand father, but his eventual surrender to Indian forces after Operation Polo in September 1948 seems to be enough to question my patriotism and loyalty.

Not only do I not have a Pakistani sounding name but the name is also associated with an act that somewhat overly nationalistic Pakistanis find a total humiliation. Some people seem to explain my "anti-Army agenda" by the actions of my long departed relatives.

The point here is not the events or the people, but the fact that judgements are made merely on the basis of curiosity over my last name. In most cases I get the sense through interactions with people or over social media, that I am expected to explain and justify my Pakistanism - If my name was different would I have to?

Which brings us back to "Pakistani sounding names". For one, I would like to know what exactly a "Pakistani sounding name" is. There obviously seems to be a hierarchy involved here, from more Pakistani to less Pakistani sounding names.

While I dont have any complaints, I could scarcely imagine how Pakistani minorities, Christians, Hindus, Parsis etc, must be quizzed day in or day out, with the majority assuming the worst of their intentions. 

Finally, let me share one of my experiences, which will hopefully illustrate what I mean by a hierarchy. 

I had a regular taxi that I would pick up in Westridge in Pindi. One day the driver started talking about Ahmedis. He heard me explain the pronunciation of my name when we were stopped at a police checkpoint. From there somehow the discussion turned to Ahmedis. The driver tried to explain to me why Ahmedis cannot be good Pakistanis. After about 20 minutes of going back and forth he went: "wo Musalmaan nahi hain, un mai Jihad ka josh nahi, wo Pakistan kai liyai kiss taraan lar saktai hain?"

This is exactly why I was personally offended by the AVM's statement pooing those who take on "Pakistani sounding names" disagreeing with him. By prejudging people and questioning their morals, actions, patriotism, intentions, we effectively "other" them out of any discourse or debate. We see this happening all the time.....'So you disagree with my argument? Well that's expected, you have a Hindu name!'...its as if your views don't count because perhaps you lucked out on the Last Name Lottery at birth.

For those interested, heres a Wikipedia on  where my last name comes from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadhrami_people

Updated: Stamp out corruption the Chinese way?

A government official slaps a spa worker with a fat wad of cash and threatens to bury her under a mountain of banknotes, if she does not submit to his sexual advances. This government official, based in Hubei province China was stabbed to death by the women who later became a national hero, seen by many as standing up to a corrupt government official.

A side effect of the Pakistan-China, deeper than the depths of the ocean, higher than the highest mountain friendship, has been the evolution of a romanticised perception of China, of its leaders and its system of governance. Popularly, it’s assumed that corruption is non-existent in China. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Speaking on the occasion of the 90th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of China, President Hu Jintao identified rampant corruption within the Party as a threat to its continued survival. He declared that fighting corruption will be a "protracted, complicated and arduous battle”.

Economists fear that China is heading for a “hard landing” in 2012. Recent statistics show that electricity production, investment, quarterly growth, retail sales and trade figures have all declined. Given the economic problems of the European Union, uncertainty regarding government spending cuts in the US; it come as no surprise that quarterly GDP growth fell to 8.1%. Now 8.1% growth may sound very good, however it is largely assumed that China needs to grow at at least 8% a year to keep a vast population satisfied and quell any signs of popular dissent.

With corruption having become a national issue and the prospects of a period of declining growth, the last thing the Chinese leadership needed was an internal power struggle. That is exactly what it got!

The purge of the populist Communist Party leader of Chongqing and politburo member Bo Xilai, was also tipped for a senior leadership post later this year, marking the once in a decade change of Chinese leaders. Bo Xilai, a “princeling”, as descendants of senior Communist Party members are known, had been ideologically challenging the current leadership, headed by President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao. Xilai’s case has become more complicated as his wife has been arrested as a suspect in the murder of a British businessman, Neil Haywood.

The purge however has not ended with Bo Xilai exit. Others including his three brothers accused of corruption, state officials, and politburo members who actively supported him, such as the former domesticsecurity chief Zhou Yongkang and senior “princeling” generals have also had to leave their posts.

In Pakistan, many believe that the Chinese model should be imported and implemented, ignoring the fact that the very same system has created conditions of stark inequality and rampant corruption. Much like their Pakistani peers, Chinese leaders have been found carrying fake degrees, sanctioned illegal land grabs, involved in siphoning off billions of dollars offshore and perhaps most famously, have managed to sidestep a 2004 ban on newgolf courses, ushering in the construction of 600 of them since the ban came into effect.

Unlike the Chinese leadership that has admitted the shortcomings of its system and is pushing through reforms, we in Pakistan continue to believe in a “Chinese model” which is completely detached from reality. The CPC recognizes the unique challenges it faces given Chinas current international status and her domestic pressures.

So whether its Iran, China or Turkey, longing for importing a system which is perceived to be effective and corruption free but based on a fantasy does no one, especially us any good. 

China isn't corruption free. All those who romanticise an authoritarian regime that will take a hard-line, top down approach to corruption and "stamp" it out and falling prey to cheap rhetoric. It sounds good, it means well, but such talk is cheap and betrays neither an understanding of corruption, nor its incentives and how to mediate them.

It’s high time we in Pakistan did the same and appreciate that the experiences of other countries while informing our policies, are never flexible enough to be implemented wholesale. Especially, when our opinion of a country and her policies are based on a fiction, unrepresentative of reality. 

UPDATE

Talking about good governance, how is this for an attempt at displaying all the good work Chinese officials are upto. A rather poor effort don't you think? Could have got someone better to Photoshop!

Musings on PIA: Part I

I had first intended to write one detailed post on PIA. But with so many considerations and areas to discuss I decided to split it up into different posts. 

Forget the past

As a state owned and managed enterprise, PIA's fortunes have been dwindling for over a decade. Now saddled with massive amounts of debt and ever expanding losses PIA needs to change and change drastically.

However, reform in itself is very difficult. And we, as citizens and consumers of PIA dont help to make things any better. Too much national pride is invested in PIA. Open any article or editorial on PIA, and it starts off by listing down its achievements from 30 or so years ago.

The past was the past. The world was different then. Jet fuel was definitely much much cheaper. PIA faced much less competition abroad and a monopoly over domestic flights. Comparing PIA today with what it was is an unfair comparison and sets unrealistic expectations on whoever attempts to bring about change.

Feels good, but the past is the past

Pakistanis need to detach some national pride in relation to PIA and accept that its financial performance is more important than how it makes us feel about ourselves and Pakistan.

Once we have accepted that PIA's fairytale entry into the aviation market is behind us, we can perhaps move forward by setting realistic expectations of the airline.

Unrealistic expectations

Talking about realistic expectations, many of us have fallen into the trap of comparing PIA with Middle Eastern Airlines. Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad etc, are profitable (to an extent) and provide excellent service (depending on what your idea of excellent is). However, this comparison is unfair as all these airlines have tacit state backing, lower operating costs due to state backed infrastructure development, such as airports and support facilities, and relatively lower labour costs, especially amongst lower skilled airport, janitorial and support staff based on migrant labour. Given the dearth of rights, these labourers have no union to represent themselves in the Gulf. Not to mention their success at sucking away alot of PIA's experienced staff.

Further afield the airline market looks quite grim. Traditional European carriers are struggling and several budget airlines have shut-down. Cathay Pacific, Qantas, JAL, Singapore airlines, US airlines have all experienced persistent losses over the past decade for one reason or the other. Mainly, the impact of higher oil prices, coupled with increased competition and rising airport charges has shrunk profit margins across the globe. Airlines are making money (those that still do) on volume and attracting business and premium travellers. It is here where PIA struggles.

Challenging regional dominance? 

Emirates has been profiled as an airline which will dominate the skies. It is expected to become the long haul equivalent of mass, budget airlines, an Easy Jet or Ryan air for the world. With an excellent airport in Dubai that subsidises its headquarters and acts as a global hub, purchase of high volume Airbus A380s have all helped to get bums on seats and increase marginal revenue per passenger, even whilst facing increasing competition from Qatar Airways and Etihad.

PIA then is poorly equipped to contest the dominance of Gulf Airlines. A major source of revenue is the Indian market and the massive economies of scales flights in and out of India enjoy. Problems with Indian airlines such as Kingfisher have helped nudge customers towards Gulf airlines, while opening up opportunities for other airlines. Lufthansa for example is bullish on its prospects in India. Its brand new Boeing 747-800 will be deployed on routes serving the Indian market.

Pakistan of course is excluded from the Indian market. Which is a shame, as PIA could have become the low cost alternative, bringing customers from Europe, transiting in Karachi for say onward flights to Mumbai. But that is still a pipe dream.

To sell and move on?

Privatization is consistently offered as a solution.

Then again, as a "strategic asset" its unlikely to be sold off completely. They are too many rent seekers attached to the organization to allow the gravy train to be privatised. There is the option of a partnership or a management buy out but that is unlikely to happen. In the region this has been tried before.

SriLankan airlines management was handed over the Emirates. The relationship remained rocky and came to a dead end when Emirates refused to disembark ticket paying passengers to accommodate government dignitaries. Emirates exited the partnership and Sri Lankan airlines is back in state hands.

Given the state of the global airline market PIA is unlikely to attract buyers. Pakistan itself is not an attractive market in terms of relocating overseas senior managers. Some say that PIA has many assets but the aeroplanes are old, depreciation has taken hold, so who is going to pay a "fair" price for it? Does the PIA brand have any value that could attract a potential buyer? Debatable. Who would want to buy into an organization with strong labour unions whose demands are unlikely to be met by the state and so will pass on to any potential private buyer. Who would buy into that?

What PIA does have is property holdings and more importantly sovereign landing rights as a flag carrier. The later is where PIA's strengths lie and who else but the state to leverage it?

Karachi as a "hub"

Now a year or so ago the Turkish dream filled the papers as a possible way to "save" PIA. Turkish Airlines, with which PIA already has a code sharing agreement, would have taken over some of PIA routes while PIA would have taken over some Eastbound Turkish Airline routes.

Pakistani passengers would then transfer at Istanbul and Eastbound passengers at Karachi. Now setting aside all the claims and counter claims regarding back handed deals etc, lets look into whether Karachi has the potential to be a major hub, attracting Eastbound travellers to opt for PIA-Turkish Airlines over someone else?

One of the big advantages that hubs like Dubai have is that the have transformed transiting through the airport as an experience in itself. There is something for everyone and most importantly, people are willing to spend money while they wait to change flights. People fly Emirates because their prices are competitive, they have a wide network, a reputation for good service and the attraction of slotting in a stopover or transit through Dubai. Doha in its new airport set to open later this year is trying to do the same and Qatar Airways has started to encourage stopovers in Doha, ditto for Etihad and Abu Dhabi.

Karachi does not offer any of this. The only way the Turkish Airlines-PIA alliance could have worked to increase passenger numbers would have been to cut prices and by becoming a lost cost option. However, Kuwait Airways has been trying to do just that, yet it remains loss making.

The confidence with which the MD of PIA at the time spoke glowingly about how new traffic was going to be generated by gaining Eastbound passengers was extremely optimistic. If you are on holiday, would you really want to transit through Karachi if given the choice?

And lets not forget about the all important First and Business class travellers. Now its here where airlines make their money. Are they proper lounges available which would compete with facilities offered at other airports in the region? Is PIA part of an airline alliance which is all important for business travellers? Now one potential benefit that was not really elaborated on when the Turkish Airlines-PIA partnership was announced, was whether this would perhaps help PIA gain entry into Star Alliance, which Turkish Airlines is part off. Perhaps this partnership would have helped to improve standards of customer service at Karachi Airport. However, attracting business travellers at a hub which struggles to keep the internet going is far too optimistic.

Alcohol, a variety of dinning options, recreational areas, lounges etc, all add to the experience of flying through an airport. Why people in PIA assumed that customers would consider transferring via Jinnah Terminal Karachi is beyond me.


(The following piece in the Economist about the fate of Eastern European airlines is quite analogous to the situation PIA faces: http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2012/02/eastern-europe)

Refund policy: The end of university looting (IHC rules in favour of university students)

The following blog was originally posted on Tribune Blogs.

There was some speculation regarding who this judgement applies to. According to the lawyer involved in this case, Bilal Mirza, this applies to both public and private institutions. Essentially no educational organization can demand non-refundable deposits, at least that's how I have interpreted the order.

Read the detailed verdict here: 

Detailed Judgement: ISB HC ruling on University Fees

Largely unreported, Pakistani students earned a well-deserved victory in the Islamabad High Court last week. The High Court ruled the current policy adopted by several public and private universities to demand non-refundable deposits at the time of offering admission ‘illegal’.

This is a problem that many students are familiar with. When the admission season starts, they apply to a range of institutions and even start hearing back from a lot of them. However, they are still in waiting for their first choice to respond.

In the meantime, unsure whether they will get into their most preferred university or not, they start making deposits at other institutions; only to later gain admission where they originally wanted and losing out on the sums deposited at all the other universities.

Recently, a student named Muhammad Usman Syed filed a petition at the Islamabad High Court, holding Comsats Institute of Information Technology and the High Education Commission (HEC) as respondents. His legal representatives, Bilal Mirza and Omer Farooq of Farooq Khan & Mirza argued that the policy of holding deposits and deeming them non-refundable is against international practises, where many institutions employed a pro-rata rate of refund.

The court was found in favour of the plaintiff and the HEC has been directed to implement a fee-refund policy in universities.

The findings of the case have a major impact on students across the country, especially at this time of the year. Over the summer holidays, a large number of students will submit admission applications in local universities. While the HEC may still take some time to implement the new policy, aspiring students in local institutions should be aware of their rights during the admission process.

Now that the precedent has been set, perhaps it’s also time for private schools to look into their admission practices and the hefty deposits that they charge?

I had the chance to briefly chat with Bilal Mirza, Advocate High Court, on the details of this case. Here is the transcribed interview:

1) Could you give a brief background of what policies the universities had adopted and why the plaintiff considered them to be unfair? 

There has been a prevalent practice adopted by many universities to announce their results well in advance of top tier universities in any given field. It requires the applicant students to deposit a hefty amount, which the prospectus ambiguously refers to as security deposit and the amount is stated as ‘non-refundable’, to be paid before a deadline deliberately set just prior to announcement of admission results by top tier universities.

Therefore, a student who wishes to secure his academic future and applies to several universities, is coerced into paying this amount in order to have a back-up option in the event he/she does not qualify for the top tier university. Many students, who do eventually get admission in top tier universities, are not returned this amount on a arbitrary ground that the applicant paid this amount with full knowledge of the fact that it is non-refundable and therefore now ‘estopped’ from claiming it.

The petition was filed to challenge:

• The practice of announcing results early with a deliberately short deadline
• The non-refundable policy of universities where students are forced to forfeit a sum paid to the universities without any legitimate reason – as the universities have provided no services as consideration.

Federation of Pakistan, through the Ministry of Education and the HEC were made parties to the proceedings. This was done so that appropriate directions may be issued for formulation and implementation of rules and regulations on this matter which was previously not being regulated by the HEC.

2) When was the case filed? What was the respondent’s response to the courts proceedings?

The case was filed in early 2011 at the Islamabad High Court not long after it was re-constituted. The respondent university’s main submission was that every university is empowered to formulate, approve and promulgate its own policies. It said that the present no-refund policy has been posited in pursuance of the same. Furthermore, as the amount is stated as non-refundable in the prospectus, therefore doctrine of estoppel was attracted and applicant students are not at the liberty to claim a refund.

3) What does the verdict mean? What can universities do and not do?

The judgement passed by the Honourable Islamabad High Court has declared that there is no estoppel against law. Even if an applicant was aware of the terms of the prospectus, it is not possible for one to contract out of fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution of Pakistan.

The no-refund policy of the universities has been declared to be against principles of natural justice. As it is exploitative, therefore it is in contravention of the tenets of the Constitution of Pakistan.

The Honourable judge also stated that is against the dictates of Islam and moral values to make claim to an amount against which no service, labour or product is given.

Furthermore, it has been emphasised that the educational institutes are expected to demonstrate parental conduct and approach towards students instead that of businessmen.

Educational institutes cannot be allowed to operate purely on commercial considerations rather main object should be to impart education with purpose of building nations.

It was also observed that the brunt of such policies is borne by the lower and middle classes, which is blatant discrimination as the right to education is not reserved only to the rich, influential and mighty ones. Also, entire families suffer due to these policies and brilliant students are deprived of education due to lack of resources to pay non-refundable security deposits.

 4) Is there any scope for this verdict to be applied retrospectively? If I was in a similar situation a year or two ago, can I claim money back?

Directions have been issued to the Ministry of Education and HEC to conform their policies with the observations made. The HEC has already adopted the dictum of the judgement by announcing that it will issue detailed regulations in compliance of the judgement and will eliminate the no-refund policies. Only expenses actually incurred by universities in processing applications etc. may be retained and the remaining amounts are to be refunded to the applicants. The judgement, unfortunately, does not have retrospective application but will benefit all students who henceforth apply for admissions in Pakistan.

5) Can this verdict be applied to other institutions such as private schools and colleges?

Yes, it applies to all public and private sector institutes.