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Study (9) Access & Equity

July 22, 2016

Submitted by: Dr. Afshan Huma

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CONTENTS

1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 6

1.1 Objectives of the Study ................................................................................................................. 7

1.1.1 Research Questions............................................................................................................... 7

2 Methodology ......................................................................................................................................... 7

2.1.1 Phase I: Literature review and Inception report ................................................................... 7

2.1.2 Phase II: Collection and Review of Previous Studies and Reports ........................................ 7

2.1.3 Phase III: Collection of Primary Data ..................................................................................... 8

2.1.4 Phase IV: Qualitative Interviews ........................................................................................... 8

2.1.5 Phase V: Data Analysis and Report Writing .......................................................................... 8

2.2 Sampling Framework .................................................................................................................... 8

2.2.1 Criteria for selection ........................................................................................................... 10

2.2.2 Affiliated Colleges ............................................................................................................... 11

2.3 Analytical Framework ................................................................................................................. 11

3 ANALYSIS OF PREVIOUS STUDIES AND REPORTS ................................................................................ 14

3.1 Household integrated economic survey (HIES) (2013-14) .......................................................... 14

3.2 Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement Survey 2014 -15 National / Provincial

Pakistan Bureau of Statistics ................................................................................................................... 15

3.3 Education for All Report .............................................................................................................. 16

3.4 The Pakistan Education Statistics Report 2014-2015 ................................................................. 18

3.4.1 TPV report 2012-2013 ......................................................................................................... 26

3.4.2 Student Satisfaction Survey ................................................................................................ 28

4 CURRENT SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS ...................................................................................................... 30

4.1 Gender ........................................................................................................................................ 30

4.1.1 Enrolment ........................................................................................................................... 30

4.1.2 Scholarships Availed ............................................................................................................ 39

4.2 Regional....................................................................................................................................... 42

4.2.1 Enrolment ........................................................................................................................... 42

4.2.2 Scholarships Availed ............................................................................................................ 45

4.3 Socio-economic background ....................................................................................................... 47

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4.4 Fields of Education ...................................................................................................................... 49

5 Over all Access and Equity .................................................................................................................. 51

5.1 Increase in Enrolment ................................................................................................................. 51

5.2 Number of Universities/DAIs ...................................................................................................... 53

5.3 Cost and Scholarship Comparison............................................................................................... 54

6 Interviews to discuss the current policy and procedures ................................................................... 56

7 Conclusions around the research questions ....................................................................................... 60

8 Recommendations .............................................................................................................................. 62

9 References .......................................................................................................................................... 66

10 ANNEXES ......................................................................................................................................... 68

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Acronyms and Abbreviations

AIOU Allama Iqbal Open University AJK Azad Jammu & Kashmir DAI Degree Awarding Institutions FGD Focus Group Discussion GB Gilgit Baltistan GOP Government of Pakistan HE Higher Education HEC Higher Education Commission

HEI Higher Education Institutions HIES Household Integrated Economic Survey KIIs Key Informant Interviews M& E Monitoring and Evaluation MDG Millennium Development Goals QA Quality Assurance QEC Quality Enhancement Cells SSS Student Satisfaction Survey SSU Second Stage Sampling Unit TESP Tertiary Education Support Program UC University Category VC Vice Chancellor

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Executive Summary PAKISTAN: TERTIARY EDUCATION SECTOR ASSESSMENT


With a GER currently hardly reaching 9 percent, enrollments in higher education are poised to increase,

and actually, the GOP is planning to raise the GER to 15 percent by 2020. Even by then, assuming that

the capacity will allow reaching this number (without a further deterioration of quality), HE in Pakistan

will remain closer to the elitist stage than the massification stage. There is therefore a risk that the mode

of selection of this “elite” will be based as much on social/financial or other factors as on academic

merit. Already, cost-recovery is at high levels, and may constitute an obstacle for talented but poor

students. It is critical that, as the system expands, meritocratic values prevail. A more thorough

understanding of what is the current situation will contribute to design mechanisms ensuring this will be

the case.

The study was conducted and report was finalized and submitted within eight weeks. The major purpose

of study was to provide a description and an assessment of the current status of access to tertiary

education in Pakistan and to discuss which schemes need to be in place so that equity of access is

guaranteed when enrollments are expanding. For this purpose 31 universities were requested to

provide enrolment and financial aid data. Over all enrolment and financial aid data was also obtained

from the statistics and HRD department of HEC. Previous studies and National Survey studies of Bureau

of Statistics were also reviewed and analyzed. A situational and gap analysis was conducted on the basis

of available data only.

It was found that there is gender disparity within each level of education especially in the fields of

specializations. There is also regional disparity although scholarship schemes have quota for deprived

areas yet the students coming from those regions often cannot fulfill the merit criteria and miss the

chance to avail the funding opportunities. Time line of scholarship and the income bracket was also

found not to be appropriate for ensuring equity and access to higher education.

Recommendations were made on the basis of quantitative data analysis and seven interviews in five

regions.

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1 INTRODUCTION

“What the best and wisest parent wants for his own child,

that must the community want for all its children.”

(John Dewey)

“Education, and specifically higher education, has characteristics of being a consumption good and an

investment good” (Ramsey, 2012). Education one of the major socio economic indicators of the

development of any country. It is no doubt the backbone of strong economy. Higher education is

offered to the people with a perspective of preparing them to bring a better future through their

expertise. In the era of knowledge economy it can be safely said that a nation can be transformed into a

developed nation if Higher Education is given due importance. It brings improvement and betterment

not only in individual development but its effects can be seen in the overall advancement and upgrading

of employment and earnings, health, longevity, successful parenting, civic participation, and general

awareness in all spheres of life. (Dearden, 2000).

Equity means creating equal opportunities for equal access in higher education. This include

Representational and Resource Equity. Representational means proportional participation and Resource

means educational resources, when unequally distributed, broadens the equity gaps. The last but very

important is the "Equity Mindedness". This includes the responsibility of the leaders of the higher

educational institutions to create awareness by addressing the equity issues. (Bensimon, 2009)

This research based project which will peep into the reality of the practices going on in the Higher

Educational Institutions e.g. Universities/ Degree Awarding Institutions and Affiliated Colleges with the

universities.

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1.1 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The main purpose of the study is to provide a description and an assessment of the current

status of access to tertiary education in Pakistan and to discuss which schemes need to be in place so

that equity of access is guaranteed when enrollments are expanding.

1.1.1 Research Questions

Q.1 How far the universities/ institutions ensure equal opportunity for male and female population?

Q.2 How far the enrolment in various programs exhibit inclusion of students from different socio-

economic backgrounds?

Q.3 How do the universities/ institutions provide financial support for academic activities in various

fields of study?

Q.4 How can the future higher education policy be framed better in the context of access and

equity?

2 METHODOLOGY

The research was conducted within a given time period of eight weeks only. It was carried out in four

phases:

2.1.1 Phase I: Literature review and Inception report

In it related literature regarding access and equity in higher education around the world and specifically

in developing countries, was reviewed to consolidate the base of the study and further to provide a

theoretical framework for the work in progress.

2.1.2 Phase II: Collection and Review of Previous Studies and Reports

The collection of secondary data related to the study was completed in this phase. Various reports and

studies were collected via using internet search engines

Household integrated economic survey (HIES) (2013-14)

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Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement Survey 2013 -14 National / Provincial

Pakistan Bureau of Statistics

Pakistan Education Statistics 2014-15, NEMIS, Academy of Educational Planning and

Management

Education for All 2015, National Review, World Education Forum, UNESCO

HE Students’ Satisfaction Survey, 2016, Higher Education Commission

Third Party Validation (TPV) of Scholarship Programs (DLI7/NEED-BASED SCHOLARSHIPS)

2.1.3 Phase III: Collection of Primary Data

On the bases of the review in phases I and II, HEC was requested to provide the baseline data regarding

enrolments and scholarships being awarded through HEC, further an online survey was developed to get

data regarding the unanswered questions and latest information on the subject of access and equity in

higher education in Pakistan from the universities. (Survey tool attached)

2.1.4 Phase IV: Qualitative Interviews

Further an interview protocol was developed for the conduction of elite interviews related to the access

and equity policies of the universities as well as their affiliated colleges from the focal persons of the

concerned institutions.

2.1.5 Phase V: Data Analysis and Report Writing

The Received datasets from HEC and institutions were tabulated and analyzed, interview data was also

analyzed and a set of recommendations was drafted on the bases of these data analyses.

2.2 SAMPLING FRAMEWORK

52 universities were identified to conduct the study. After initial discussions following 31 universities are

identified for the sample study:

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Category Name of University Region

Public Sector Universities/DAIs

Universities/DAIs Chartered By the Govt. of Pakistan

1. IIUI 2. AIOU 3. QAU 4. NUST 5. COMSATS

Islamabad

6. Karakoram University Gilgit

Universities/DAIs Chartered By the Govt. of the Punjab

7. FJWU 8. PU 9. Agr U 10. BZU 11. UET

Rawalpindi Lahore Faisalabad Multan Texila

Universities/DAIs Chartered By the Govt of Sindh

12. Sindh U 13. UoK 14. Shah Abdul Latif

University

Jamshoro Karachi Khairpur

Universities/DAIs Chartered By the Govt of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

15. Gomal University 16. Islamia College University 17. Khyber Medical

DI Khan Peshawar Peshawar

Universities/DAIs Chartered By the Govt of Balochistan

18. University of Balochistan 19. SBK Women University

Quetta Quetta

Universities/DAIs Chartered By the Govt of AJ&K

20. University of AJK Muzaffarbad

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Private Sector Universities/DAIs and Universities Chartered by Govt. of Pakistan

Universities/DAIs and Chartered by Govt of Pakistan

1. AKU 2. LUMS

Karachi Lahore

Universities/DAIs Chartered By the Govt of the Punjab

3. GIFT 4. UMT

Gujranwala Lahore

Universities/DAIs Chartered By the Govt of Sindh

5. Hamdard University 6. SZABIST

Karachi Karachi

Universities/DAIs Chartered By the Govt of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa

7. Gandhara University Peshawar

8. GIK IES

Peshawar Peshawar

Universities/DAIs Chartered By the Govt of Balochistan

9. Alhamd Islamic University Quetta

Universities/DAIs Chartered By the Govt of AJ&K

10. Alkhair University AJK Bhimber

Total Sample: 30/177 i.e. 18% 2.2.1 Criteria for selection

Universities catering a relatively bigger population

Universities located in various geographical regions of Pakistan

Universities offering:

o Sciences and Social Sciences

o Medical

o Veterinary Sciences

o Space Technology

o Information Technology

o Agriculture

o Arts and Design

o Engineering

o Open Distance Education

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2.2.2 Affiliated Colleges

Due to time constraint and the information received from universities the survey data was not filled for

affiliated colleges. Only interviews were conducted to collect basic information.

2.3 ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK

The analytical framework was developed on the basis of research areas given in the ToRs. This

analytical framework helped in developing the questionnaire, interview protocols and document review:

Research Area Research Questions Information needed

(a) Survey of the distribution of students by type of institution (university / affiliated colleges / External degree programs; public/private) and individual characteristics (e.g., gender, socio-economic background) in order to assess levels of vertical (in or out HE) and horizontal (which institution) equity;

Q1. Where is the University located and where are the students coming from? Q2. How many students are enrolled?

Comparison of the universities amongst each other in general

Public vs Public Public vs Private Private vs Private Male and Female Provincial and Regional

comparison Department vise

comparison Comparison of social and

natural sciences Comparison of socio

economic background of private and public

Q4. What is the socio-economic background?

Comparison of Socio economic background

Socio economic background of male and female

Male vs Female Public and Private

Student population divide. Geographical location of student body.

Number of students by:

level

program

gender

Income level of student families.

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(b) Analysis of the current system of scholarships (need-based and others) for undergraduate students: targeting (criteria and actual implementation), level of scholarships;

Which scholarships are offered by the university?

No. of local and international scholarships

University and Organizational scholarships

What are the criteria set for the award of scholarship?

Public and private Social and natural sciences Male and female

What is the actual situation of scholarships being awarded?

Public and private Need and merit based

within social and natural sciences

Distribution by: level; program; gender Need based; achievement; …

Scholarships actually awarded in past five years

(c) Analysis of the current pattern of cost sharing (singling out tuition fees, registration fees, examination fees, meals and dormitory fees) as practiced by different HEIs;

In which area the cost is being subsidized by the institution?

Canteen Fee Transport Hostels Laboratory fee Library fee Research funding Academic support Books/Journals etc. Data collection expenses

Total cost of: Tuition fees, registration fees, examination fees, meals and dormitory fees, transport, learning materials, lab fee, field research expenses...

Share of Institution in all heads mentioned above Capital vs Recurrent

(d) Assessment of the various schemes to waive or reduce fees (fee reimbursement program) and of other student aid mechanisms currently in place

What is being offered by the university under student support services?

Same as above

Which modes of communication and outreach informed students

Total waiver: Installment options Reimbursement Student loans Assistantships

University funding Vs. External Modes of Communication for information dissemination

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about educational and scholarship programmes?

Which is most effective channel of access?

Is the process of awarding scholarships to students transparent and adequate?

Mode of communication mostly used by the students Details of procedures Information access

(e) Estimate of the total direct and indirect costs of college / university attendance borne by households, by socio-economic background of household heads.

What is the income level of households at various locations? Which are the major expense heads? What is the expense of higher education?

Income Expense heads Direct cost Indirect cost Opportunity cost

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3 ANALYSIS OF PREVIOUS STUDIES AND REPORTS

Before going into detailed analysis of the equity and access issues in higher education, it is pertinent to

peep into development of education with reference to other development indicators as well. The review

of six different studies exhibit an overall picture of social development in general and education in

particular. First fours studies show the socio-economic scenario with special reference to education.

Household Integrated Economic Survey 2013-2014

Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement Survey 2014-15, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics

Pakistan Education Statistics 2014-15, NEMIS, Academy of Educational Planning and

Management


3.1 HOUSEHOLD INTEGRATED ECONOMIC SURVEY (HIES) (2013-14)

The Household Integrated Economic Survey report of 2013-14 was published by Statistics Division

Pakistan Bureau of Statistics Islamabad in the year 2015. The report is based upon a survey study

covering 17989 households. It depicts a general picture of household income, savings, liabilities, and

consumption expenditure and consumption patterns at national and provincial level with urban/rural

breakdown. The following tables only give a short glimpse of the monthly income quintiles of the sample

survey. The tables show a rural urban comparison within Pakistan and then in four provinces.

Table 1. Average monthly income Quintiles per household (PKR)

Total 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

Pakistan 26312.62 13262.05 16726.81 20228.13 25185.31 51579.35

Urban 34830.78 14988.72 18376.71 22849.30 26171.04 56353.41

Rural 21870.94 12969.96 16236.10 19109.29 24635.70 45135.86


Punjab 21890.14 12672.27 16100.68 19255.52 23408.96 39473.63

Urban 28079.49 15806.37 17929.94 21232.24 25136.82 40872.88

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Rural 16496.64 12066.19 15445.40 17824.43 20358.37 32783.33


Sindh 28847.09 12694.01 16166.61 20372.21 25564.32 57864.85

Urban 39651.08 13806.43 17524.48 23065.78 26320.39 66119.11

Rural 23844.29 12508.50 15774.74 19377.01 25275.19 49221.87


KP 24984.72 16423.78 18360.13 19495.77 26220.85 42888.59

Urban 37994.75 16019.24 19841.67 23124.88 30477.20 63307.22

Rural 21972.56 16498.70 18164.84 18707.89 25186.08 32290.59


Balochistan 25303.93 17147.93 21316.32 26707.23 29067.67 49609.72

Urban 34637.87 20205.55 29440.63 33437.69 31295.40 56172.75

Rural 22235.66 16635.57 19547.26 23822.34 28262.70 41884.64

It must be noted that this is only a sample survey and does not clearly mention how much of the

population belongs to one quintile exactly. Yet this depicts some baseline scenario for estimating the

level of income at an average household in various parts of the country.

3.2 PAKISTAN SOCIAL AND LIVING STANDARDS MEASUREMENT SURVEY 2014 -15 NATIONAL / PROVINCIAL PAKISTAN

BUREAU OF STATISTICS

Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement (PSLM) Survey is one of the major studies conducted

to examine the achievement of targets and indicators of PRSP and MDGs. Education is one of the 13

indicators studied under PSLM. According to survey report of 2014-15, the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER)

for primary schools (Age 6-10) at National level has decreased to 91 percent in 2014-15 from 92 percent

in 2012-13. The decrease in overall Pakistan is due to decline in Sindh to 79 percent in 2014-15 from 81

percent in 2012-13. Punjab with 98 percent has the highest GER and Balochistan with 73 percent has the

lowest among the provinces.

The literacy rate of population (10 years & above) at National level remains stagnant at 60 percent

during the period 2014-15 and 2012-13. Literacy remains much higher in urban areas than in rural areas

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and much higher in men than in women. Punjab with 63 percent is the highest and Balochistan with 44

is the lowest.

The Net Enrolment Rate (NER) for primary schools (Age 6-10) at National level decreased to 67 percent

in 2014-15 as compared to 68 percent in 2012-13. Punjab with 70 percent has the highest NER at

primary level whereas Balochistan with 56 percent has the lowest. The PSLM 2014-15 shows decrease in

the share of primary enrolments in government schools. The overall share has decreased to 62 percent

in 2014-15 as compared to 66 percent in 2012-13. The PSLM survey collects information on enrolment in

all types of schools i.e. public and private.

NER for middle schools (Age 11-13) which gives more realistic picture decreased to 37 percent in 2014-

15 as compared to 38 percent in 2012-13. Province wise comparison reveals that, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

with 41 percent has the highest middle level NER whereas Balochistan with 26 percent has the lowest.

NER at Matric level (Age 14-15) National level increased slightly to 27 percent in 2014-15 from 26

percent in 2012-13. Looking at the provinces, Punjab with 29 percent remained at the top and

Balochistan with 15 percent has the lowest percentage.

3.3 EDUCATION FOR ALL REPORT

The Pakistan Education for All Review Report 2015 is one of the most comprehensive reports published

by Ministry of Education in the context of the World Education Forum (Incheon, Republic of Korea,

19‐22 May 2015). This report was submitted in response to UNESCO’s invitation to its Member States to

assess progress made since 2000 towards achieving Education for All (EFA).

According to the report published in 2015 the education setor in Pakistan is up against multifarious

challenges and among them are the challenge of Access and Equity at all levels. These two challenges

are directly related to expenditure on education. The following table shows the distribution of education

expenditure on higher education in the past five years which was Rs. 106,165 million (22%) of the total

education expenditure.

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Table 2: National Education Expenditure by Sub-sectors (PKR in millions)

2010/11 2011/12 2012/13

Education 322811 393523 479853

Primary Education 100518 132150 178255

Secondary Education 77828 108648 138512

General Universities College & Institutes

60365 69453 82616

Professional & Technical Universities, Colleges & Institutes

18071 19347 23549

Teacher & Vocational Training 8886 9572 10484

Other 57143 54353 46437

The report further elaborates that the expenditures have increased over the past decade but the pace is

slow which is mainly the result of limited budgetary allocations for youth education and absence of any

sort of strong coordination and management mechanism or effective strategy for reaching the most

vulnerable groups. There are lesser opportunities for girls for improving youth literacy especially in rural

areas. The largest gap exists in Balochistan and KP due to non-supportive environment at home as well

as in the communities.

Gender parity indices (GPIs) are critical for just, equitable and harmonious development in societies.

Across provinces, statistics reveal no set pattern in GPIs for various education indicators. The education

above grade 12 is counted as tertiary education in Pakistan and it usually includes age group of 17-23. At

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%

90.00%

Punjab Sindh KP Balochistan Pakistan

Figure 3.1: Youth Literacy Rate 2012-2013 by province and gender

Male Female

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the higher education level we have two main sectors one comprises of universities and degree awarding

institutions while the other is a huge network of affiliated colleges. The Higher Education commission is

not only responsible for allocation of public funds to higher education institutions but also for

accrediting the degree programs. Public Higher Education Institutions are offering a wide range of

programs while private ones offer relatively narrow range.

Higher education as an investment (as the report states)

The government has formulated a long-term roadmap as the Vision 2025 for a developed and

prosperous Pakistan addressing key sector of the country. The Vision 2025 stands on 7 Pillars. Pillar-I

emphasized developing human and social capital. It seeks to bring human resource development to

the top of national agenda by substantial expansion in levels of education as well as improvements in

the quality of education. A larger share of the GDP, at least four per cent to education, would have to

be allocated. Key goals under this pillar are; i) universal primary education with 100 per cent net

primary enrolment, ii) increase higher education coverage from seven per cent to 12 per cent, and

increase number of PhDs from 7,000 to 15,000.

To realize the Vision, the 11th Five Year Plan presents a comprehensive approach for addressing

human and social development gaps with an emphasis on developing human and social capital to take

full advantage of Pakistan’s youth bulge. Pakistan has been projected to become the 5th populous

country by 2030, with a population ranging between 230 and 260 million people.

Large portion will be the youth. This dividend can be gained through higher productivity and a faster

economic growth by providing quality education throughout the population. In line with the

Government of Pakistan’s development Vision, the Higher Education Commission has taken numerous

measures to address the above mentioned human resources needs by providing access to higher

education to masses, providing opportunities to the youth to seek higher studies in the top world class

university, provision of research and academic conducive environment to student and faculty.

3.4 THE PAKISTAN EDUCATION STATISTICS REPORT 2014-2015

The Pakistan Education Statistics report is compiled and published by National Education Management

Information System at National Academy of Educational Planning at Management under Ministry of

Federal Education and Professional Training. The report presents and overall picture of education at

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various levels. Here we are only focusing the issues of access and equity. Education plays a vital role in

the development of nations. The government of Pakistan is committed to develop a high quality,

equitable and widely accessible system of education in the country. Timely, accurate, valid and reliable

data is helpful in measuring the access, equity and quality of the education system. The latest education

statistics are provided by Pakistan Education Statistics 2014-2015 which would be beneficial in

improving the standards, communication and collaboration to fulfill our national and international

commitments. The Pakistan Education Statistics Report 2014-2015 focuses on the analytical aspects

through trend analysis along with measuring the effectiveness of the education system in the country.

The very first and foremost analysis available in this report is enrolment ratio at various levels of

education.

Table 4. Enrolment Ratio at different levels

Level Enrolment

Primary 17,869,859

Middle 6,295,471

High/ Higher Sec./Inter Colleges 3,543,321

Degree Colleges 674,451

BECS/NCHD&TVI &TTI 2,533,135

Universities 1,594,648

0

2,000,000

4,000,000

6,000,000

8,000,000

10,000,000

12,000,000

14,000,000

16,000,000

18,000,000

20,000,000

Primary Middle High/ HigherSec./InterColleges

DegreeColleges

BECS/NCHD&TVI &TTI

Universities

Figure 3.2 Enrolment trend from lower to higher education

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Looking at the dropping no of enrolment from primary to university level raises many questions, one of

which is the question of Access and Equity to be ensured at each level of education.

Access

Access has a two-way role for reaching, providing a passage, an entrance or a doorway to education.

Physical approach: Availability of educational services for population at different levels, beginning from

primary to tertiary levels.

Utilization of existing opportunities: it is not only important to provide education opportunities but also

to keep track of the utilization of these opportunities.

Equity

By 2015 Pakistan not only aims to achieve the Millennium Development Goals but also to eliminate

gender disparity at all levels of education.

Equity in education reflects the extent to which access and opportunities for students are just and fair.

This includes reduction in disparities based on gender, poverty, residence, ethnicity, language, location

etc.

Location wise Equity

This refers to the education opportunities available to the people living in a disadvantaged area. Mostly,

the disadvantaged areas are rural or they can also be economically deprived areas within an economy,

or the low income groups living in an urban area.

Gender Equity

Gender refers to social roles attributed to men and women. To facilitate the gender analysis social

expectations about the behaviors, attitudes and characteristics of men and women are of major

importance. The nature and scope of access and equity can be determined by the various rights, roles

and resources that both the genders enjoy in the society. Issues of access and equity between men and

women are commonly found in developing and poor countries.

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Gender parity

Gender parity indicates the level of access to education for females in comparison to that of males.

Gender inequalities are spread nationwide. It differs according to traditions and cultural beliefs of

various societies from labeling women as housewives to labor market discrimination towards women.

Investing more in Universities

Universities are institutions of higher education which award academic degrees in various disciplines.

Mostly, at this stage of education higher education institutions offer grades 15 and 16, however at

present universities are offering grades 13 to 16 for the completion of four years bachelor degree and

MA/MSc also. MS/M.Phil degree and Ph.D degrees are beyond 16 years of education and are only

awarded by universities.

University education not only provides high –level skills but essential training for the labor market, it is

more than going to the next level; it is a crucial component of development of humans worldwide. The

personals educated at higher level develop the capacity and analytical skills that drive the local

economy, support civil society, teach the coming generation, run effective government, and make

decisions which influence the societies.

In Pakistan Higher Education Commission was created in 2002 which resulted in the revival of higher

education in the country. The responsibility of the commission was to promote higher education and

provide local and foreign scholarships to the students.

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Figure 3.3 Percentage distributions of universities by sector

According to the 2014-15 report 163 universities were working in both public and private sector. There

were 91 (56%) universities in the public sector, while 72 (44%) universities were working in the private

sector as shown in figure 3.3.

Figure 3.4: Percentage distribution of universities enrolment by sector

The total enrolment in the universities, i.e. at post graduate stage is 1.299 million. Out of this enrolment

1.112 million (86%) students are enrolled in public universities, whereas, 0.186 million (14%) students

are studying in private universities as shown in figure 3.4.

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Figure 3.5: Percentage distribution of universities enrolment by gender

The total male enrolment in the universities is 0.666 million (54%) whereas, the female enrolment is

0.602 million (46%) as reflected in figure 3.5.

2. Degree Colleges

Degree College (undergraduate education) is an education level taken in order to gain one’s first tertiary

degree (except for an associate’s degree). Undergraduate education is post-secondary education up to

the level of a bachelor’s degree. In Pakistan Undergraduate and post graduate systems prevail in the

domain of graduation.

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Figure 3.6: Percentage distribution of degree colleges by sector

In the education system of Pakistan, 1410 degree colleges are providing their services. Out of these 1252

(89%) are in public sector, and 158 (11%) are in private sector as shown in Figure 3.6.

Figure 3.7: Percentage distribution of degree colleges’ enrolment by sector

The enrolment in grade 13 and 14 in degree colleges is 1.144 million. The students enrolled in the public

sector are 1.1018 million (89%) whereas, rest of the 0.126 million (11%) students are in public sector as

given in Figure 3.7.

25


Figure 3.8: Percentage distribution of degree colleges’ enrolment by gender

The total boys’ enrolment at degree colleges’ stage is 0.226 million (57%), while the girls enrolment is

0.171 million (43%) as reflected in Figure 3.8.

26


REVIEW OF EXISTING SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS

3.4.1 TPV report 2012-2013

During the year 2012 -2013 the Higher Education Commission initiated and completed a third party

validation for the scholarship programs. According to the TVP report 2012-2013 the number of

scholarships awarded under the program that have actually been awarded to the students in the year

2012-13 are given in table below:

Table 4. No of Scholarships in each Region

Province Federal AJK Punjab KPK GB Sindh Baluchistan Total

Number of Universities 9 3 14 9 1 7 6 49

Number of Scholarships 1208 303 2623 793 45 717 533 6222

Third party Validation was not a population survey rather it was a sample study which verified the

provision of scholarships within the fourteen sample universities only. One of the major findings is

thatthere was more than 99% of congruence between the number of scholarship provided by the HEC

and the number of scholarships validated at universities.

Table 6. No of Scholarships Validated S.No Name of University Number of 5

scholarship provide by HEC

Number of scholarship 5 mentioned in University Document

1 COMSATS Institute of information and technology 671 671

2 International Islamic University 238 238

3 Mirpur university of Science and technology 92 92

4 Sardar Bahadur Khan Women university 30 28

5 University of Karachi 286 282+2

6 Quaid-e-Awam university Nawabshah 139 139

7 Shah Abdul latif university Khairpur 39 38

8 University of engineering and technology Peshawar 66 52

9 Agriculture University Peshawar 365 364

10 Government college university Faisalabad 216 211+3

11 University of Sargodha 393 393

12 Islamic university Bahawalpur 370 370

13 University of Education 121 121

14 University of Quetta 180 180

Total 3206 3179 (99.15%)

27


An average of cost and allocation of budget is shown below:

Table 7. Average cost paid by scholarship

University Allocation Number of scholarships

Average per child cost

UETP 16.42M 52 315,750

UAP 27.35M 364 75,137

CIIT 85.4M 671 127,273

QUEST 10.91M 139 78,489

MUST DNA DNA DNA

GCUF 22.9M 214 107,009

IIU 31.08M 238 130,624

IUB DNA DNA DNA

UoS 38.5M 393 97,964

UoK 22.932M 286 80,182

UoEL DNA DNA DNA

SBKWUQ 2.05M 28 73,285.71

UoKh 2.87M 38 75,526.32

UoQ 4.21M 47 89,531.91

The results from the study highlighted that

The program had been instrumental in engaging and providing support to needy students.

Altogether 6222 scholarships were awarded under the program, which were validated through

the sample of half of the scholarships in 14 universities,

More than 99% of scholarships were congruent in both HEC and university documents. Also the

students were validated on sample basis and none of the student contacted during the study

was found bogus or fake.

The criteria of the scholarship was also found to be robust but still the program is incapable to

attract need students who cannot fulfill the required documents because of unavailability.

One of the finding that needs to be focused as the current survey also exhibited the same is that the

scholarships are being advertised for the already admitted students, due to which the wider

dissemination of the scholarship program is not possible. There is a lack of standardization of the

28


scholarship provision amongst the universities was reported and that also is a major issue, as 4-5

different models are being implemented in different universities.

First of all the scholarship was perceived a great help and support for their academic career. More than

70% of the students showed satisfaction with the procedures of advertisement, criteria and they also

believed that the selection process of the scholarship was just and transparent. Scholarship forms and

documentation was mentioned to be tedious and complicated. The disbursement of the funds in some

universities are not according to standard procedures, as currently universities are following different

disbursement patterns. Some universities providing yearly stipend to the students, where as some

provide half yearly. In both of these cases the problem persists and creates hurdles for the needy

students, although students’ responses on various aspects of the program showed a level of satisfaction

towards the program. They appraised the availability of funding as a relief from tension which results in

better academic performance yet they expressed their concerns and wanted scholarship money to be

provided on monthly basis as well as demanded inclusion of some other provisions like hostel fee and

tuition fee.

3.4.2 Student Satisfaction Survey

In the beginning of this year 2016, a survey study was conducted by Socio-Economic and Business

Consultants to assess the student satisfaction level with reference to the scholarship programs offered

by HEC at University level. Following was the sampling framework

Table 8. Sampling framework of SSS

Disciplines # of Sample Universities # of Sample Students

General 18 1440

Engineering 7 560

Business 4 320

Agriculture and Veterinary 5 400

Medical 6 480

Arts 2 160

Total 42 3360

29


42 Focused group discussions were conducted with 8-10 students in each group. Two volunteer students

were asked from each university to participate in the discussion. 84 semi-structured interviews were

also conducted with the alums.

In light of the findings of student satisfaction survey, the overall student satisfaction figures show

promise, yet it is worth mentioning that the percentage of students who were completely satisfied with

different aspects of university life was substantially low. Hence one can simply conclude that we need to

look into depth of problems being faced by the students at each level. Major set of findings include but

is not limited to the following list:

The most satisfied students attended management studies, suggesting that the sector is appropriately serving its students.

By and large students were sufficiently informed about available universities and programs at the pre-admission stage. Friends and family, who may or may not be sufficiently knowledgeable, facilitated and sometimes influenced students to make a university and/or a career choice.

Conducting orientation sessions as a tool to familiarize newly recruited students with university life has been institutionalized across disciplines. The quality of information disseminated during orientation sessions did not completely meet students’ expectations, especially in the Agriculture university category.

Students were severely ill-informed about financial aid and scholarships. A structured university mechanism whereby students were informed and guided about scholarships either did not exist or did not function optimally across disciplines. The answer probably lies between the two poles. Therefore, the extent and mode of dissemination of information regarding scholarships varied and relied on individual departments across disciplines other than management studies. Medical, Agriculture and Arts groups were least informed about university and HEC scholarships.

Students found the process of obtaining scholarships cumbersome across disciplines other than Business Management studies.

Students were supported during the process of obtaining university and HEC scholarships and course selection to some limited extent. Least supported students were from Agriculture, Arts Engineering and General Universities especially for obtaining HEC scholarships.

The ratio, access to student accommodation and quality of infrastructure and services was one of the weakest areas of tertiary education. In particular, students from Arts, Medical and Agriculture university categories expressed their concerns regarding hostels.

30


4 CURRENT SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS

(This section is presenting data analysis around the research questions)

To analyze the current situation of participation at higher education and to identify the issues of access

and equity following three aspects of analysis were chosen- Gender, Region and Socio Economic Status

4.1 GENDER

4.1.1 Enrolment

To analyze gender parity over all enrolment statistics were obtained from Statistics Department of

Higher Education Commission, Islamabad. Following tables and graphs provide an over view of the

gender (dis)parity with regards to enrolment in various parts of Pakistan.

Table 9: Enrolment in 14years Bachelor’s Program Year 2014-15

Sector Province Bach 14 Y Male Bach 14 Y

Female

Public AJK 62 285

Private AJK 37 33

Total AJK 99 318

Public Federal 61 11

Private Federal 0 0

Total Federal 61 11

Public Balochistan 106 3

Private Balochistan 29 6

Total Balochistan 135 9

Public KPK 0 0

Private KPK 2080 86

Total KPK 2080 86

Public GB 0 0

Private GB 0 0

Total GB 0 0

Public Punjab 755 418

Private Punjab 1924 637

Total Punjab 2679 1055

Public Sindh 108 74

31


Private Sindh 633 191

Total Sindh 741 265

Public D. Learning 115632 131386

G. Total G. Total 121427 133130

Although the data shows male and female has 48% is to 52% enrolment ratio at the 14 years Bachelor

level programs, which depicts better enrolment in female. Yet we can clearly see a disparity across the

regions and across public and private sectors of education as well as in distance education. Distance

education is where male female enrolment is at its peak. Female population in distance education is

almost 15000 more than males. While in regular universities it isn’t so.

Male48%Female

52%

4.1 Male Female ration in 14 year Bachelor program.

Male Female

32


Table10: Enrolment in 16 years Bachelor’s Program Year 2014-15

Sector Province Bach

16 Y Male Bach

16 Y Female

Public AJK 4710 2154

Private AJK 57 54

Total AJK 4767 2208


Private Federal 9445 3213

Total Federal 58083 22064




Public KPK 39925 9400

Private KPK 16647 1203

Total KPK 56572 10603

Public GB 1007 813

Private GB 0 0

Total GB 1007 813




Public Sindh 50424 24295


Total Sindh 89714 40329


G. Total - 339120 162712

33


The above data shows male and female has 68% to 32% enrolment ratio at the 16 years Bachelor level

programs, which depicts that females are almost half the number of males in 16 year programs at

university level. Distance education universities are not offering many 4 year programs at Bachelor level

but even in the enrolment of 16 year programs at bachelor level, females are almost half in the number

as compared to males. This indicates that 16 year bachelor program is not attracting or feasible for

females.

Male68%

Female32%

Figure 4.2 Enrolment By Gender in 16 years Bachelors

Male Female

34


Table11: Enrolment in Master’s Program Year 2014-15

Sector Province Master 16 Y Male Master 16 Y Female

Public AJK 1272 2551

Private AJK 360 601

Total AJK 1632 3152









Total KPK 12095 8401

Public GB 727 863

Private GB 0 0

Total GB 727 863








G. Total G.Total 98237 121043

35


Although the data shows male and female has 45% is to 55% enrolment ratio at the 16 years Master

level programs, which depicts better enrolment in female. Yet we can clearly see a disparity across the

regions and across public and private sectors of education. This population is mostly the one coming

from 14 year bachelor level, where the male female ratio was 48% to 52%. Here again the female

population is enrolled more than males mainly in the distance education programs.

Male45%

Female55%

Figure 4.3 Enrolment by Gender at 16 Year Masters Level

Male Female

36


Table12: Enrolment in MS/MPhil Program Year 2014-15

Sector Province

MS/MPhil MS/MPhil

Male Female

Public AJK 567 581

Private AJK 281 137

Total AJK 848 718









Total KPK 7718 2318

Public GB 45 45

Private GB 0 0

Total GB 45 45







Public D.Learning 3680 1582

G. Total - 58313 36108

37


At MS/M.Phil level once again it is evident that females are less than half of the male participants. This

population comes from both 16 years Bachelor and 16 years Bachelor programs. Even having a larger

female population enrolled at 16 years Masters Level, the gender parity at MS/M.Phil is not maintained.

The overall ratio is 32% to 68%.

Male62%

Female38%

0%0%

Figure 4.4 Enrolment By Gender at MS Level

Male Female

38


Table 13: Enrolment in PhD Program Year 2014-15

Sector Province Ph.D Male Ph.D Female

Public AJK 67 52

Private AJK 31 15

Total AJK 98 67







Public KPK 1209 357

Private KPK 358 65

Total KPK 1567 422

Public GB 27 6

Private GB 0 0

Total GB 27 6








G. Total G. Total 9248 5126

39


The male and female enrolment ratio is 64% to 36% at PhD Level. Although the overall decrease of

enrolment from MS/MPhil to PhD level is huge but the female male ratio is not drastically different at

these two levels.

4.1.2 Scholarships Availed

One of the major initiatives to increase access and equity in higher education is to offer scholarships and

fellowships to the students so that the issues of financial burden may be resolved. Three of the main

scholarships schemes which focused on enhancing access were the HEC need based scholarships and

USAID scholarships and Prime Minister Fee Reimbursement Scheme offered at universities. Other than

these three schemes every university itself also offers some smaller number of scholarships to the

students who cannot afford to pay the expenses of university education. None of these schemes initially

focused on gender disparity. All student who applied and were found eligible as per criteria of

neediness, were awarded these scholarships. The data available forscholarship programs at HEC does

Male64%

Female36%

Figure 4.5 Enrolment by Gender at PhD Level

Male Female

40


not provide male-female ratios but the following analysis of data provided by the universities gives a

glimpse of how the availed scholarships at various universities were distributed among male and female.

Table 14: Need Based Scholarships Awarded by HEC during 2014 -15 and 2015-16

Institutions 2014-15

2015-16

Female Male Female Male

University of Karachi 169 46 121 32

University Of Sindh, Jamshoro 106 224 180 370

International Islamic University Islamabad 18 45 52 128

University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir,

Muzaffarabad 81 48 32 66

Punjab University, Lahore 563 305

Agriculture University, Faisalabad 120 86 279 419

Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad 81 130 77 121

University of Engineering &

Technology, Taxila 12 304 3 99

COMSATS, ISLAMABAD 108 449

Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur 17 17 56 85

Gomal University, DIKHAN 133 277

BZU, Multan 20 24 180 229

Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi 75 0

Sardar Bahadur Khan Women University,

Quetta 78 0

Total 624 924 1937 2580

41


The table 14 and figure 4.6 shows the sample data and male-female ratio of the Need Based

Scholarships awarded at various universities during past two academic years i.e. 2014-15 and 2015-26.

The male-female ratio is 58% to 42 %. It is important to be noted that these scholarships are offered at

regular universities only, where the gender parity is already not maintained. Although more females in

some of the institutions availed these scholarships. Thus there is no clear pattern or trend evident with

respect to gender.

In comparison to HEC Need Based Scholarship USAID Merit and Need Based Scholarship Phase –I shows

even more disparity.

Table 15. USAID Merit and Needs based Scholarship Program

Male Female Total

Phase I 1424 382 1806

Phase II 985 816 1801

Total 2409 1198 3607

Male58%

Female42%

Figure 4.6 Need Based Scholarships awarded during 2014-2016

Male Female

42


The data given in the table above clearly shows disparity between male 67% and Females 33% who

availed the USAID Merit and Need Based Scholarships. It was discussed with the DG Human Resource

Development at HEC and he mentioned that in the phase I it depended upon the applications received,

but in Phase II it was ensured that a 50-50% may be maintained but due to the previous years’ disparity

of number of applicants the overall ratio shows major difference in male and female awardees.

4.2 REGIONAL

4.2.1 Enrolment

Using the same tables as given in the Gender section following charts show regional analysis of

enrolment

1. Under graduate level

Enrolment in 14 years Bachelors Program

(Excluding Distance Learning which comprises 95% of the whole 14 years

Bachelor programs’ enrolment)

Male 67%

Female 33%

4.7 USAID Merit and Needs based Scholarship Program

Male Female

43


16 years Bachelor Program

The given dataset only includes enrolments of universities and the degree awarding institutions and it

excludes the enrolment of affiliated colleges. So it only depicts a trend of enrolment in various regions.

We can clearly see a huge difference of enrolment within 14 years Bachelor Programs and 16 years

Bachelor Programs. A point to be noted here is that this data is only for the universities and degree

awarding institutions; while the 14 years Bachelor Program is offered at the affiliated colleges as well.

Thus the enrolment figures given in the data do not show the whole figures of enrolment.

AJK6%

Federal1%

Balochistan2%

KPK29%

Punjab49%

Sindh13%

0%

4.8 Enrolment in 14 years Bachelors Program

AJK Federal Balochistan KPK Punjab Sindh

AJK1% Federal

16%

Balochistan3%

KPK13%

GB0%

Punjab39%

Sindh26%

D.Learning2%

Figure 4.9 Enrolment by region at 16 years Bachelor

Program

AJK Federal Balochistan KPK GB Punjab Sindh D.Learning

44


2. At Masters Level

Although the data of Universities and DAIs shows that at Bachelor’s level almost 95% of the population

is enrolled in Distance Learning programs, the ratio decreases drastically at Master’s level with the

overall decrease in enrolment in all regions.

3. At MS level

federal7% ajk

2%balochistan

4%

KPK9%GB

1%

Punjab26%

Sindh8%

ODL43%

Figure 4.10 Enrolment by region at Masters level

federal ajk balochistan KPK GB Punjab Sindh ODL

AJK2%

Federal20%

Balochistan2%

KPK11%

GB0%

Punjab39%

Sindh21%

D.Learning5%

Figure 4.11 Enrolment by region at MS level


45


4. At PhD Level

The above two figures show that Punjab has the maximum enrolment at MS and PhD level; while

Balochistan and KP as well as GB has the least enrolments. It is a point of concern considering that the

under developed and far flung areas are not reaching at the MS and PhD Level.

4.2.2 Scholarships Availed

HEC has played a significant role in sponsoring students to access higher education and retain in the

mainstream until completion of their programs. Two major schemes offered in past four years are Need

Based Scholarships and Prime Minister’s Fee Reimbursement Scheme. The data given below shows the

regional distribution of the two funding programs.

AJK1%

Federal29%

Balochistan1%

KPK14%GB

0%

Punjab37%

Sindh17%

D.Learning1%

Figure 4.12 Enrolment by region at PhD level


46


Table 16: Need Based Scholarships Embedded in Annual Recurring Grant of Universities 2012-2016

Regions

FY 2012-13 FY 2013-14 FY 2014-15 FY 2015-16

No of students

Amount Allocated

No of students

Amount Allocated

No of students

Amount Allocated

No of students

Amount Allocated

AJK 262 21.251 435 35.814 454 38.608 587 56.303

Balochistan 458 41.790 520 60.597 520 64.233 1,017 93.308

Federal 1,234 203.177 1,853 302.718 1,853 344.900 1,804 292.665

GB 32 2.458 46 3.564 46 3.778 114 9.476

KPK 1,233 103.939 2,031 191.161 2,164 213.212 2,964 271.287

Punjab 3,902 370.865 5,421 544.459 5,458 582.626 6,768 681.902

Sindh 2,839 237.820 4,124 355.270 4,165 383.169 5,354 503.344

Total 9960 981.3 14430 1493.583 14660 1630.526 18608 1908.285

The above table shows gradual increase in the number of students in all regions in past four years, from

2012 to 2016.

47


Table 17. Prime Ministers Fee Reimbursement Scheme availed during 2012-2016

*Actually tuition fee of 94,151 students were reimbursed during 2012-16. However, their tuition fee

(Annual / semester wise) was paid each year separately.

Highest amounts and numbers of scholarships are given in Punjab and lowest in ICT which is rational are

per size of population in each regions. Although Balochistan and GB have been given special quota as

well.

4.3 SOCIO-ECONOMIC BACKGROUND

In the questionnaire sent out to universities they were asked to provide number of students coming

from different socio-economic backgrounds, most of the universities do not have this data available.

Only 8 out of 31provided a distribution of students’ population belonging to various income level

households.

Province

FY-2012-13 FY-2013-14 FY-2014-15 FY-2015-16 Grand Total

Total No. of

Students

Total Amount

in Million

Total No. of

Students

Total Amount

in Million

Total No. of

Students

Total Amount

in Million

Total No. of

Students

Total Amount

in Million

No. of Students

Total Amount

in Million

Balochistan 5336 98.59 11,100 197.62 13,553 435.59 596 31.51 30,585 763.31

KPK 879 54.47 8,792 254.09 11,198 512.83 2,138 138.36 23,007 959.74

Sindh 8 0.49 8,096 132.96 8,974 202.59 1,538 34.29 18,616 370.33

Punjab 5 0.24 18,084 392.78 11,010 424.02 9,467 290.06 38,566 1,107.11

ICT 3 0.37 394 18.79 604 32.80 169 13.13 1,170 65.09

AJK 0 0.00 3279 78.16 4929 125.02 5040 214.14 13,248 417.32

GB 874 30.36 2250 47.85 2100 70.19 1389 42.11 6,613 190.51

FY Wise Total

7,105 184.51 51,995 1,122.25 52,368 1,803.05 20,337 763.59 131,805 3,873.40

48


The above two figures show the distribution of student population in four class intervals i.e.

1: Below 20000 per month

2: 20000-40000 per month

3: 40000- 60000 per month

4: above 60000 per month

135%

231%

320%

414%

4.13 Student Population from different income level households at Public universities

1 2 3 4

13% 2

11%

39%

477%

4.14 Student Population from different income level households at private universities

1 2 3 4

49


The two charts show this very clearly that the distribution of population between public and private

institutions show reverse trends. In the public sector universities the largest population comes from the

two lower class intervals while in private universities it comes from the top most class intervals of

income level.

4.4 FIELDS OF EDUCATION

Data provided by the universities showed huge variation within the specified fields of education. Within

sciences more male enrolment is recorded than females and within social sciences at some places more

female enrolment is recorded. The overall ratio of sciences and social sciences depends upon the

location and program offerings as well. Equal opportunity policy is adopted by all universities at the time

of enrolment. Although specific number of seats are offered in sciences mostly while in social sciences

as many students who fulfill the merit criteria are given admissions. Same is the case with scholarship

awards. Within HEC Need Based Scholarship and Prime Minister’s Fee Reimbursement Scheme there is

no fixed number of scholarships to be awarded within various subject areas, rather it depends upon the

number of applications and eligible candidates. One other Merit and Need Based Scholarship program

under USAID is awarded for specific subject specializations which gives a sample picture of how the

scholarships are distributed within various fields of education.

50


Social Sciences30%

Medical 4%

Eng and Tech23%

Business Adm18%

Agr25%

Figure 4.15 USAID scholarships awarded in various fields

Social Sciences Medical Eng and Tech Business Adm Agr

51


5 OVER ALL ACCESS AND EQUITY

5.1 INCREASE IN ENROLMENT

The following dataset is provided by the HEC Statistics Department; this clearly shows the trend and

gradual increase of enrolment at Higher Education institutions in Pakistan.

Table 18. Enrollment at Universities/DAI + Constituent Colleges by sector

Year Distance Learning Public Private Total

2001-02 89749 142652 43873 276274

2002-03 108709 167775 55261 331745

2003-04 159257 202871 61108 423236

2004-05 187557 216454 67953 471964

2005-06 199660 242879 78934 521473

2006-07 272272 276226 91563 640061

2007-08 305962 331664 103466 741092

2008-09 339704 348434 115369 803507

2009-10 386329 419852 142087 948268

2010-11 439515 430320 147447 1017282

2011-12 436850 459487 142812 1039149

2012-13p 477890 482877 177968 1138735

2013-14P 490596 543257 209187 1243040

2014-15P 472395 597624 228581 1298600

The above data shows a clear increasing trend with respect to enrolment figures at national level in past

15 years. Number of students has increased over the years and so has the number of universities and

institutions. Which helped in removing barriers to higher education. Yet to review the part played by the

public private and ODL institutions must be analyzed.

52


The above two charts depict that although the number of private universities shows how public and

private institutions as well as the access through distance education, have contributed in this increase of

enrolments over the years. One more important feature to ponder is that the contribution of ODL and

contribution of private universities increased over the period of time while the contribution of Public

Sector universities even with the increase of enrolment has declined. This is a crucial finding that in the

ODL32%

Public52%

Private16%

5.1 Enrolment in Public Private and ODL in 2001-2

ODL Public Private

ODL36%

Public46%

Private18%

5.2 Enrolment in Public Private and ODL in 2014-15

ODL Public Private

53


presence of so many scholarship schemes why more n more people are inclined to enroll in distance

education institutions. We also need to look here again at the gender parity.

Figure 5.1 Total Enrollment at Universities/Degree Awarding Institution (excluding affiliated colleges)

The above graph as shared by the HEC Statistics Department shows the overall increase in enrolment at

Universities and DAIs in past 12-13 years. In 2012 the ration of male to female enrolment was 63 % to

37%. While in 2014 it is 55% to 45%. Hence we see increasing gender parity.

5.2 NUMBER OF UNIVERSITIES/DAIS

Table 19. Number of Universities and Degree Awarding Institutions 2016

Charter Public Private

Federal 25 08

Punjab 27 24

Sindh 20 29

KP 19 10

Balochistan 07 01

Kashmir 05 02

Total 103 74

276

332423

472 521

640741

803

948

1039

11391243 1298

174 204244

280 308 345399

447

520 556620 675

713

102 128179 196 213

295342

356428

483519

568585

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

2001-

02

2002-

03

2003-

04

2004-

05

2005-

06

2006-

07

2007-

08

2008-

09

2009-

10

2011-

12 p

2012-

13 p

2013-

14 p

2014-

15 p

Stu

de

nts

(0

00

)

Total Male Female

54


In comparison of only 46 universities in the year 2000 and only 87 in the year 2007 as reported in the

Education Statistics of Ministry of education, this dataset which taken from HEC’s website (on March 11,

2016) clearly indicates that the number of universities has increased significantly in past 10-15 years.

The spread of universities and institutions is all over the country almost but it also indicates where is the

need of more investment in developing more institutions and providing more financial aid to ensure

access and equity at higher education level around the country. As mentioned earlier in the section 4.2.1

GB and Balochistan are the two regions where minimum enrolment is recorded at higher levels, this

dataset also supports the finding and further makes it evident that FATA is another region where higher

education institutions are needed to be developed and supported.

5.3 COST AND SCHOLARSHIP COMPARISON

In the process of collecting primary data from universities the first and foremost finding is that

universities do not calculate unit costs and never breakdown the costs of each program in to

subheadings such as given in the research tool.

I. Tuition Fee

II. Registration Fee

III. Examination Fee

IV. Dormitory

V. Transport

VI. Laboratory

VII. Library

VIII. Books and other learning materials

IX. Field Research

They were only able to inform that universities share the cost of “Dormitory, Transport, Laboratory and

Libraries plus some learning materials and equipment used in classrooms” while the students fully bear

55


“Tuition fee, Registration fee, Examination Fee, Books and Field research costs” while they pay

subsidized amount for dormitory, transport, laboratory, library, books and learning materials.

Following is the cost range per student as per the data provided by the universities.

Table 18 Cost Range per Student per year

Sector Social Sciences Sciences

Public Sector Universities

80000- 150000 170000-250000

Private Sector Universities

200000-350000 300000- 900000

Average scholarship amount as given under the Need Based Scholarship of HEC is between PKR 70,000 -

200000 per student per year. There is no data available which may show the overall no of scholarships

awarded in various fields of education yet this comparison indicates that funds being allocated at HEC

for scholarships cannot cover the cost of more than a limited number of student in sciences and it is

next to impossible to cover the cost of a student at renowned private university. The cost per student in

engineering and other such fields also demand a lot more than what an average scholarship scheme

offers. Thus more scholarships are awarded in social sciences than sciences.

In relation to this analysis on further point to ponder is that the average income in none of the provinces

is as high that the parents may be able to afford the studies of more than one child even in the highest

income quartile mentioned in the section 3.1. Yet the universities reported that other than HEC and

provincial scholarship schemes they also offer student aid policies for the needy students. Therefore

more funding is required in an average household.

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6 INTERVIEWS TO DISCUSS THE CURRENT POLICY AND PROCEDURES

To collect information regarding current policies and recommendations for improving access and equity,

there were seven interviews conducted one in Islamabad, three in Lahore, one in Karachi, one in

Peshawar and one in Rawalpindi. The interviews were then analyzed through thematic coding. Following

themes were emerged

1. Information Dissemination

All universities announce the scholarship schemes as soon as HEC sends out information. Usually

it is done soon after the admission is processed. Only need based scholarship is offered at some

universities at the time of admissions. The campaign is usually done through banners, posters,

notices on boards and some of the institutions list it in the prospectus and on the websites as

well. As informed by various Directors of Student Affairs, only AIOU holds open days and

seminars as well as door to door campaigns in certain regions for information dissemination

across the country. One of the interviewees simply stated that the people responsible for

putting up this information don’t care and I saw one of the notice boards myself on which even

a notice was placed upside down. There is no use of social media, although the universities

announce scholarship schemes on their websites. LUMS highlighted that they call for financial

AID applications two months before admissions and yet the HEC scholarship offering does not

match with their timeline.

2. Criteria of Awarding Scholarship

There are multiple schemes of scholarships being offered at the universities which have

different sets of criteria. The universities informed mainly the “need based scholarship” is one

major scholarship being offered, for which the criteria is to have less than PKR 30000 income

level. Both of the university representatives interviewed in Lahore mentioned that it is not really

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possible to ensure this at the university’s end although they try their best through utility bills

and other indicators. Merit based scholarship programs do not have a restriction of income

level, rather it is just given on the basis of high scores achieved in academics. The scholarships

offered for disabled students also doesn’t have clear definitions. In one of the universities the

DSA shared that for a long time only blinds were given this scholarship as the people responsible

for assessment did not want to get into the verifications of disability level. None of the criteria

had any priority given for females. Most of the national schemes have quota system is applied,

for instance Prime Minister’s Fund for Research Studies had the priority set for deprived areas.

3. Procedures of Awarding

Scholarship information is received from HEC and immediately sent out to the departments.

There is a departmental committee that sends double the names of scholarships available. They

shortlist within the departments and then send the list to Director of Financial Aid or Director

Student Affairs. There is then a committee of eight members chaired by the VC that interviews

all applicants and decides final nominations. There are huge variations from family to family in

some of the households the income is low but no of dependents is also less and in many of the

cases the income is not below 30000 but the no of dependents is large. Even the bills and such

evidences do not really reflect the need.

At HEC where there is Quota system in many of the scholarships, the number of scholarships not

availed are carry forward to next year but cannot be given to another region. There is no gender

quota, rather provincial quota. There are challenges with the research degrees. Cannot do the

placement of PhDs for example if we select 60 we cannot place them all in one country and

some of the countries are very expensive. We have fixed budget per scholar. Indigenous

scholarships are also not feasible as we have restricted the local supervisors to only 5 students

at a time. We must not allow more than this. Social sciences students get more into trouble,

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they cannot find supervisors. We usually try to provide funding to the already enrolled. Then we

have quota therefore we cannot give more than fixed number to one province. Although there

is no specific policy for different fields of study, but more funding offerings are now moving

more towards sciences and management sciences. But another major issue is that departments

cannot offer PhD until they have at least two PhD faculty members. If there are only two PhD

faculty members then only 10 students can be enrolled.So for 1000 students to be placed we

need at least 200 PhD faculty members and that also in the relevant fields

Foreign funded programs have their own criteria. For instance China and Cuba have provided

given big number of scholarships.

4. Socio economic Background

In most of the scholarship programs which are need based the income level is required to be

less than PKR 30000 per month. Electricity bills and source of income is ensured by the

institution, which is perceived as an extra assignment to university employees. Universities have

to verify the income level. Other than the national schemes university itself also offers need

based scholarships. But the amount being given to the students by the university is not a

wholesome amount, rather it is usually a fixed amount no matter how costly the program is. As

the universities do not ask for monthly income at the stage of admission therefore it depends

upon the applications received only when the scholarship applications are received. Sometimes

the parents do not allow to apply as they think it is Zakat or Khairat.

The criteria for merit based scholarships is needed to be revised as many of the deserving

students belong to families having monthly income between PKR 60000 to 800000, while having

three or more siblings studying at higher education institutions. They need even more support

than a single child coming from a household of income level below PKR 30000.

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The representative of HEC was of the view that the students coming from deprived area has

never seen a good institution. Needy people are coming from deprived areas. We wish to place

them in the high quality institutions like UET Lahore, LUMS and NUST. There should be a

foundation course. We must have a zero semester for them to prepare them for the university

education. LUMS and other such institution does not take more than one or two students. That

is not at all visible in the big data. Strengthening the public institutions is also a kind of student

aid, instead of pushing the people into private or foreign institutions why not to include more

public sector universities and improve quality of education there. The HEC representative

mentioned that “I think deprived people will remain deprived as the public schools and low cost

schools in deprived areas do not have the quality and yet their graduating students cannot cope

in the high quality institutions”.

5. Specific fields and Gender

None of the scholarships schemes have the criteria defined particularly to ensure that more

females may be attracted. It is clear from enrolment data of universities that in certain fields

more females are enrolled than males and in others it is vice versa. Such as at University of the

Punjab male enrolment is only half of female enrolment in Arts n Humanities at Master Level,

while female enrolment is only one third of male enrolment in Engineering and technology at

Master Level. Such disparity is evident in enrolment data very clearly but no scholarship scheme

has yet been introduced to create gender parity.

6. Universities offering scholarships

Universities have student endowment funds. They also offer scholarships on their own. Such as

some of the universities have their own schemes such as for disability and for orphans. Although

there are no gender specific scholarships. The universities cannot offer huge amounts to so most

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of the university’s own scholarships are not fully covering the cost of studies. University itself

does not give such scholarships beyond Masters Level.

7. Affiliated Colleges

In Punjab the affiliated colleges only get funding through PEEF. Even in KP PEEF scholarships are

offered. In Sindh one of the affiliated colleges informed that there is no scholarship program

being offered. For Balochistan the information could not be collected. The affiliated colleges

visited informed that the students are informed about the scholarships at the beginning of

academic year and they are asked to submit applications. They also conduct all the verification

procedures. The college also offer 500-1000 Rs to the students quarterly. Zakat fund also fulfills.

Private funding is also given such as Dalda. Awareness campaigns are conducted at colleges. The

time of scholarship announcement is not fixed. There are merit based scholarships as well as for

the Government employees from 1-4 BPS and for private monthly income is below 30000, and

there are special scholarships for orphans. All applications are submitted after enrolment. The

college sends applications and PEEF ensures income level. E-scholarship is now coming in which

each child will have account and get an electronic card to receive the amount. Half and full fee

waiver is to be determined at the college level. For this income level is verified by the college.

There are no merit criteria for such fee waiver. Mostly this is done as a reimbursement not in

advance.

7 CONCLUSIONS AROUND THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Q.1 How far the universities/ institutions ensure equal opportunity for male and female population?

Through extensive review of admission announcements, websites, prospectus and deliberations during

the interviews with Directors of Student Affairs and VCs it has been inferred that universities offer all

programs on the basis of equal opportunities. The sample universities other than women universities do

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not offer any special incentives for any gender. Even having enrolment figures of women universities

and Allama Iqbal Open University (where females are enrolled more than males) it is a significant finding

that over enrolment of females in higher education institutions is still lesser than males (45% females to

55% males). At each level of education some remarkable discrepancy is also highlighted in section 4.1.

Especially the Masters level program where females’ enrolment is higher than males KP and Balochistan

show a completely reverse picture. One of the reasons is low youth literacy rates in these regions and

the other reason is that most of females from these regions prefer to enroll in distance education

programs as shared by the Director Student Affairs of AIOU in his interview. From institutional

information provided during interviews it is also evident that female participation in some of the specific

subject areas is lesser than males such as hard sciences, IT and engineering.

Q.2 How far the enrolment in various programs exhibit inclusion of students from different socio-

economic backgrounds?

It was again informed by the universities that they do not have categorized data for specialization

although they were able to provide over all data of how many students are enrolled from various socio-

economic groups. As discussed in section 4.3 in public sector universities there is lesser disparity with

respect to socio-economic background but in case of private universities majority of the students come

from the households above PKR 60,000 per month which is well beyond the average household income

as shown by the review of HIES given in section 3.1. Thus the increase in private universities although

helped in increasing the enrolments but it has brought more challenges to equity at higher education

level.

Q.3 How do the universities/ institutions provide financial support for academic activities in various

fields of study?

As mentioned during the interviews and through the review of policies shared by the universities it is

evident that most of the public sector universities have specific scholarship schemes. Most of the

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student support schemes are either need based or merit based. Merit based financial support is usually

given in sciences and need based financial support is given to all who are referred as deserving by the

internal committee members who ensure that the applicant really belongs to a non-affluent household.

With a limited number of scholarships available at universities this cannot be a very big amount but it

cover the tuition fee usually. While external support involves HEC Need based scholarship, USAID Merit

and Need Based Scholarship as well as PEEF especially in Punjab and KP. List of other scholarships is

attached in annexure.

Q.4 How can the future higher education policy be framed better in the context of access and

equity?

The proceeding section (8) of this report enlists the recommendations that are listed for improving

higher education policy in the context of access and equity.

8 RECOMMENDATIONS

In the light of review of the previous studies and surveys and analysis of data provided by the HEC

statistics department as well as some limited data collected through the survey questionnaire as well as

through seven interviews conducted in five regions; following are the major recommendations for

future policy making with regards to improving conditions of access and equity by opening up affordable

pathways to education and providing financial aid for students at universities, DAIs and colleges:

1. Data gathering at universities is to be made systematic. Universities need to have information

regarding program costs, unit costs as well as direct and indirect costs to estimate the amount

of funding required.

2. Whenever a university opens fresh enrolment the income level data may be collected with the

admission forms so that need based scholarships may be awarded more equitably. Verification

of income level is a rigorous process and a flawless system needs to be developed for this.

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Universities find it extremely difficult to conduct such verifications especially in the mid of the

academic year and semester when the scholarship is offered and within a specific time frame all

verifications are required. Last year one of the largest universities had to forgo the USAID

scholarships just because of this troublesome procedure.

3. Streamline processes and procedures for dissemination of information regarding admissions and

financial support at pre-admission stage. In particular, providing relevant information on

university websites, regularly updating websites, via text messaging and emails in addition to

print media.

4. Timeline of scholarship offering may be made flexible so that the application may be made

available at the time of admissions. This will help bringing more applicants to the universities,

not everyone has the information about the financial support available.

5. Establish information desks/cells and provide sufficient number of counselors who could

support students through the process of applying for scholarships so that their queries and

concerns are addressed in a timely fashion during the process. Engage senior students as

counselors who have had the experience of obtaining scholarships at the universities.

6. Amount of funding also needs revision because the amount needed to pay the cost of expensive

programs especially at a private university or top ranked foreign universities is not possible with

the amount of scholarships being offered right now. Regional disparity is still evident, it seems

as if Punjab is having a larger chunk of funding and it is not because of any other reason but the

numbers of enrolment in the programs. Still there can be many other reasons which are needed

to be explored as the percentages within one province show that people either do not have

access to higher education, or cannot afford and it is also possible that the trends of business

and other economic activities within various regions do not ask for higher education, hence in

different parts of the country we see different trends of enrolment.

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7. Keeping in view the enrolments in various subject areas and regions it is evident that equity with

reference to gender parity is not ensured in all regions and all specialization. The scholarship

schemes at large do not have special quota for females. Thus scholarship schemes may have

quota for females in specific regions as well as in specific subject areas

8. Specific subject areas may be identified through a need analysis and it might be a good idea to

have specific scholarships like in mining in one region and in agriculture or trade in another so

that the quota specific scholarship may not go un-availed as this is reported about Balochistan in

merit based programs. Another benefit of this need analysis will be that policy makers shall be

looking more closely with the lens of manpower requirement in specific regions at the time of

program offering.

9. Scholarship schemes should have attracted more students into higher education but it will

happen only if most of the scholarships are offered at the time of admission and information is

sent out to prospective populations in time. Once the enrolment is done later such information

is only given to those who are already in the universities/colleges.

10. Balochistan and Sindh need more attention in terms of preparing their students better to

achieve better academic scores and come up to the level where they can achieve merit based

scholarships.

11. Preparatory semester for students coming from deprived areas is a good suggestion for

preparing them to compete in elite institutions within Pakistan and abroad. Some institutions

asked for help in GRE and TEFL test preparation as well as for fees.

12. Laboratory and field research is not funded separately and majority of the students find it very

hard; science experimentation on the one hand field studies on the other hand. Especially in the

social sciences when they need to conduct large sample surveys that include travelling and

other indirect costs as well.

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13. Issues of access are high especially in case of affiliated colleges. A large population of students is

enrolled in affiliated colleges and it is evident that none of the HEC scholarship scheme is

offered to them.

14. Orphan, disabilities and other such funding options should also be streamlined for all. Clear

criteria and definitions are needed to remove ambiguities.

15. Funding amount should be paid in time and e-scholarship card is a very nice suggestion for

smooth and in time transfer of funds to the students.

16. Investing more in the quality enhancement of public sector universities is also a need of the

time. One reason of people not enrolling into higher education can be the poor quality of

education which does not prepare students for practical fields.

17. Two completely ignored aspects of financial aid are affiliated colleges and distance education.

Maximum enrolment of higher education goes to these two sections and none of the HEC

routed scholarships reach to those students. It is also a known fact that the more needy

students are either enrolled in affiliated colleges or in distance education. Hence a policy review

is required at HEC.

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9 REFERENCES

Altbach, P. G., Reisberg, L., & Rumbley, L. E. (2009). Trends in Global Higher Education: Tracking an

Academic Revolution. France: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Asian Development Bank. (2012). Access Without Equity? Finding a Better Balance in Higher Education in

Asia. Philippines: Asian Development Bank.

Bensimon, E. M. (2009, March 19). The ASHE Institute. Retrieved from University of South California:

http://www.usc.edu/

Dearden, R. &. (2000). Estimates of the Impact of Improvvements in Basic Skills on Aggregate Wages,

Employment, Taxes and Benefits. London: John Bynner.

Ferreira, F. H., & Peragine, V. (2015). Equality of opportunity:. ECINEQ .

Jacobs, L. A. (2004). Review of Pursuing Equal Opportunities: The Theory and Practice of Egalitarian

Justice. Cambridge University Press.

Johnstone, D. B. (2009). Worldwide Trends in Financing Higher Education: A Conceptual Framework.

Buffalo: Sense Publishers.

Ministry of Planning and Development (2015). Chapter 24 -Higher Education, in ActionPlan - 2015-

16.http://www.pc.gov.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Ch24-HigherEducation.pdf

Reisberg, L., & Watson, D. Access and Equity. In P. Altbach, Leadership for World-Class Universities:

Challenges for Developing Countries. Boston: Chestnut Hill.

Tham, S. Y. 2011. Exploring Access and Equity in Malaysia’s Private Higher Education. ADBI Working

Paper 280. Tokyo: Asian Development Bank Institute.

World Bank. (2009). Literature Review on Equity and Access to Tertiary Education in the Africa Region.

Yang, L. (2011). World Education Finance and Higher Education Access: Econometric Analyses of

International Indicators and the Implications for China.

STUDIES REVIEWED

Household integrated economic survey (HIES) 2013-14, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics

Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement Survey 2013 -14 National / Provincial Pakistan

Bureau of Statistics

Pakistan Education Statistics 2014-15, NEMIS, Academy of Educational Planning and Management


http://www.usc.edu/

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Higher Education Students’ Satisfaction Survey, 2016, Higher Education Commission

Third Party Validation (TPV) Of Programme, (DLI7/NEED-BASED SCHOLARSHIPS)

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10 ANNEXES

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Annex-A

SURVEY TOOL FOR THE STUDY OF ACCESS AN EQUITY AT HIGHER EDUCATION

Please fill in the following form and submit before April 22, 2016

1. Name of Institution___________________________________________

2. Category

⃝ Federal Chartered ⃝Provincial Chartered

⃝ Public ⃝ Private

3. City_____________________

4. Province_________________

5. Total Enrolment__________________

6. Enrolment by gender level and specialization

Gender Under graduate Master M. Phil PhD

Sciences Social Sciences




Female

Male

Total

7. No of students coming from :

Gender Within City Within Province Across Provinces

Female

Male

Total

8. Number of students from different socio economic background - Monthly Income of family

Gender Below Rs. 20000 20000-40000 40000- 60000 Above 60000

Female

Male

Total

9. What is per student cost in each program offered by university/institution, (calculated or

estimated figures)

Program Total Cost per student

Cost shared by University

Cost Shared by student

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10. Tick the cost heads paid by student

I. ⃝ Tuition Fee

II. ⃝ Registration fee

III. ⃝ Examination Fee

IV. ⃝ Dormitory

V. ⃝ Transport

VI. ⃝ Laboratory

VII. ⃝ Library

VIII. ⃝ Books and other learning materials

IX. ⃝Filed Research

X. Any other ________________

11. Tick the cost heads shared by university

i. ⃝ Tuition Fee

ii. ⃝ Registration fee

iii. ⃝ Examination Fee

iv. ⃝ Dormitory

v. ⃝ Transport

vi. ⃝ Laboratory

vii. ⃝ Library

viii. ⃝ Books and other learning materials

ix. ⃝Filed Research

x. Any other ________________

12. Do you have any waiver schemes in place? Please elaborate and attach the waiver policy

document/s

13. Do you offer scholarships? Please elaborate and attach the scholarship criteria document/s

14. Give suggestions – how can access and equity be ensured at Higher Education Level?

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ANNEX B

Few examples of University Policies

July 22, 2016 Submitted by: Dr. Afshan...

Documents

Transcript of July 22, 2016 Submitted by: Dr. Afshan...