LAHORE: Punjab Higher Education and Information Technology Minister Raja Yassir Humayun Sarfraz's comments about Pakistani students' habit of "writing rote-learned answers" and, therefore, being unable to compete with their international counterparts, have drawn widespread outrage among students and aspirants who gave the MDCAT 2020, as well as students from other fields.
In a press conference here in Lahore on Tuesday, Humayun, who was flanked by Special Assistant to Punjab Chief Minister, Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, responded to a journalist who asked about students upset over the Higher Education Commission (HEC) for out-of-syllabus questions in examinations.
Terming the students' mindset "absolutely wrong", he said: "Unless and until the students are able to develop a habit of responding to unseen topics, they will never be able to progress.
"Why are our graduates unable to compete with their international counterparts? It's because all of them are habitual of writing rote-learned answers and, whenever an attempt is made to improve [the system], people come out on the streets.
"I believe whatever the HEC is doing is correct although I'm in no way related to the HEC, which is a federal institution," the Punjab minister said.
In response to a reporter's question that PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz "accused you of doing away with the facilities for the students, ending the laptop scheme, and expelling students of Balochistan university", Humayun termed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif a "show-off".
"Nawaz Sharif announced free education for Balochistan students in the universities in Punjab but did not allocate any funding [for that]. When we got to know about the issue and it arose especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when universities face various challenges, Punjab's governor, as well as Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, resolved the issue permanently through their personal efforts.
"With regard to the scholarships, I believe there's no programme bigger than the Ehsaas programme in Pakistan's history and it will keep expanding depending on our fiscal space," the Punjab minister said.
The Laptop Prize Distribution was "a superficial shallow plan, a scheme to waste money, and an investigation is underway [over claims] that the laptops were bought at a higher-than-actual price", he added.
"Had that money been spent on the labs in universities and colleges, it would have been commendable, but that's what we'll do."
Humayun also criticised the PML-N government for failing to do much for the universities, saying only the Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology (KFUEIT) in Rahim Yar Khan was "properly established".
"Those universities are not up to the international standards," he said, referring to the Government College University Faisalabad (GCUF), Government College Women University, Sialkot (GCWUS), Government Sadiq College Women University, Bahawalpur (GSCWU), Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Engineering & Technology (MNS-UET), University of Sahiwal, University of Jhang, and the University of Home Economics Gulberg, Lahore (UHE).
"No university honours [in its name] anyone who is still alive but Mian sahab has that honour too," the minister added. "We started resolving the problems after we came into the government.
"Nawaz Sharif announced the University of Narowal in his last year but complain that the PTI is not doing anything" for education, he said, adding that that was not fair. "One university in 10 years. This is their performance."
Students were outraged over Humayun's remarks, lamenting how it showed they would "never be able to get justice".
"Listen to this man. He says [students] should be prepared for out of syllabus MCQs [multiple choice questions]. And further that our students cannot compete with international students," wrote one on Twitter.
"They should be ashamed [for such comments]. There are many such examples of our graduates," he added.
"We are not against the conceptual questions, we are against the statement wise Mcqs from Federal Books," said another.
One user said the comments were "just disguisting (sic) excuses to defend themselves".
"So now they're questioning abilities of Students of Pakistan," said another. "Don't drag students in political affairs."
A Twitter user who appeared to be in a position to hire fresh graduates also chimed in, saying he thought the Punjab minister was correct.
"Because when ever I interview new graduates they're like 0. They show their selves like MBA, BBA, MBBS, but during the interview they're like nothing. I appreciate this."
"Stop this rata (rote learning) method and start learnings (sic). I hope you understand," he said.
One user, in apparent reference to the 'Go Nawaz Go' chant, wrote: "Go PMC Go".
Watch the press conference here:
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