Pandemic COVID-19 has bedazzled many of the highly developed countries like USA, France, and Germany, among others leading to global realization that instead of focusing and shifting the top dollar to warfare, it should have been spent on Research and Development (R&D), especially in Healthcare. In comparison with modern technologically advanced nation, Pakistan allocation of funds in R&D is 0.42 percent of its GDP, which is the lowest among the developing countries. Along with other factors, the topmost persistent variable in this dismal performance is the deliberate victimization of highest caliber emerging scientists by this corrupted system filled with the disease of nepotism, cronyism and discouraging attitude of the cartels of Public Sector Universities in specific and Research Institution in general.
Those scientists, who acquire higher education from the topnotch foreign universities having a rich and contemporary research background unfortunately, flee Pakistan shortly after returning with missionary zeal because they are often not considered for teaching position and research slots as they have no links with the well-known educational cartels called “The Syndicate”. For instance, Dr. Shahid Ali Shah, a neuro-biochemist having a PhD and two Postdocs specializing in Alzheimer disease was not considered for Assistant Professor post in Public Sector Universities, especially Kohat University of Science and Technology (KUST), even though he was more than qualified for this position because he was the only candidate having four research publications in the most prestigious research journal i.e. “Nature” along with versatile research and teaching experience. Instead a candidate, who was already working as a lecturer in KUST having a measly M.Phil leading to PhD and a few research articles in very low impact factor journals, was appointed because he was the blue eyed guy of the Syndicate. In this suffocation of educational capitalism, how can the Federal Minister for Science and Technology, Fawad Hussain Choudry complain about the lack of interest in research by the universities, particularly Covid-19? The environment in Public Sector Universities is empty from knowledge and research is nonexistent; they are just merely retesting and reproducing the same thing over and over, only changing the research material. There have been no significant discoveries by these indigenous Professor and Pseudo-academicians that could be commercialized by the local industries to add value to our economy.
In addition to this, when a scientist dishearten from this system opts for establishing his own privately administered research laboratory is faced with impossible task of getting an accreditation or registration as there is no framework, SOPs and clear cut procedure to do so. It indicates the failure of Ministry of Science and Technology to provide easy, simple and fast track mechanism for setting up private state of the art research labs. The only worth the name institution i.e. Pakistan Standard and Quality Control Authority is a symbolic institution, which is mainly concerned with checks and balance over the processed food items. Moreover, this ministry has not involved international donors, who can provide funds for research projects, specifically in the healthcare. Occasionally, if there are some donors, they come through the channel of a disastrous agency, called Higher Education Commission. This commission is synonymous with inefficiency and non-uniformity. After the implementation of 18th amendment, HEC has become redundant. But, recently in the wake of corona, public sector universities were asked to submit proposal for research on COVID-19, knowing the bitter reality that universities do not have the research facilities to study and tackle this problem. For this purpose, Pakistan is in dire need to constitute International Standard Scientist Committee comprising overzealous, brilliant and committed scientists, who are not a part of educational cartels i.e. “The Syndicate”. In this outdated and biased system, the dream of “Knowledge Economy” by the PM Imran Khan will remain a dream because the Pseudo-Scientists working at the helm of affairs are not equipped with the skills-set, mandatory to take the scientific challenges head on. They may look good on a piece of paper or have apparently impeccable curriculum vitae, but they lack practical knowledge.
