Nazeer Hussain University - Karachi, Pakistan
Nazeer Hussain University ST-2 Block-4 Federal 'B' Area.,
Karachi
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FOUNDING PRINCIPLES:
While the state holds the primary duty to provide adequate education for its subjects, in certain instances when it fails to discharge its obligations, responsibility falls onto others to take up the challenge. The central need is to go beyond merely educating the wealthy elite or other exclusive sections of society, and to address education in a much broader and more inclusive way. As such, the aim should be to develop independent and critical thinkers who can form a sustainable basis for a healthy and thriving society. Sir Michael Barber, one of the UK’s leading educationalists, has been tasked by the Pakistani government to implement large-scale changes that will transform the country’s educational system. He writes: ‘Pakistan has been through a precarious time... it’s still a fragile place, with major security threats... [and] if the education system fails for another 1020- years, we could see it going on a huge downward spiral... But an educated Pakistan could be a thriving democracy. It could see economic growth comparable to India or China.’ Furthermore, the lack of education in Pakistan is playing a central role in exacerbating the country’s ongoing problems of poverty, corruption, terrorism and political instability. As the sixth most populous country in the world, with about 170 million citizens, it seems obvious to point out that the provision of good quality secular education could help the beneficial transformation of the country. If the Pakistani state by itself does not have the resources to combat all of the educational problems, and if private schools cater only for a privileged minority, thankfully there have been efforts by charitable organisations to step in to meet the challenge. As one leading example, the Society for the Unwell and Needy (SUN), a UK-registered charity founded in 1997, has built the SUN Academy Schools for the poorest children in the 18 million people who live in Karachi’s metropolitan area. Now the same organisation is using its energies to found the Nazeer Hussain University (NHU) in the heart of the same city. This has been a project long in the planning: NHU obtained its university charter back in 1998 from the Sindh government, and under the terms of this charter, it is allowed to offer Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in up to eighteen academic disciplines. The core values of the Nazeer Hussain University are to create independent thinkers, pursue innovation, engender social responsibility, and promote academic freedom. It is an institution which is culturally committed to openly accessible higher education backed up by concepts of social welfare and egalitarianism. The NHU aims to create the conditions for high-quality education for the most needy by celebrating the cultural and social diversity of individuals. Admission is open to all who have the potential to succeed, regardless of their race, religion, gender, physical disability, and (perhaps most crucially) financial means. Intellectual merit is the only criterion for the selection and support of the students and staff team. Above all, the Nazeer Hussain University aspires to become a centre of excellence which provides high-quality education for all of its students. It aims to inculcate the qualities of character, courage, intellectual honesty and self-discipline, thereby providing students with the knowledge and skills to succeed within their chosen field, and enable them to live as responsible members of the greater community within Pakistan.
