Many of Pakistan’s leading universities have existed for decades, but their stated goals remain largely unfulfilled. Instead of producing leaders and innovators, they are creating graduates eager to leave the country permanently. The evidence is clear — institutions could simply publish alumni records to show where their students are and what they contribute. Such transparency might also help guide much-needed reforms.The core issue lies in the widening gap between mission statements and real-world outcomes. As one critic notes, “Frankly, no one who matters in Pakistan cares for the challenges of South Asia, for a just and tolerant society or for cutting-edge research. Why should we expect students to be different just because institutions adopt noble mission statements?”
Unfortunately, neither top-tier institutions nor civil society appear concerned with this disconnect. The bigger question remains: what does it mean to prepare students for the future if they are not even grounded in the past or engaged with the present? Instead, admissions based on privilege and foreign-language education often detach students from the realities of the society they are meant to serve.In practice, these universities mirror Western models, valuing acceptance into Ivy League schools over solving Pakistan’s pressing issues. This trend drains intellectual talent and fuels a modern-day brain drain, echoing colonial legacies. Data underscores the decline: in 2021, South Korea filed 3,598 patent applications per million people, Japan 1,770, China 1,010, the US 790, India 19 — while Pakistan filed only two.
History shows that South Asia once housed world-renowned institutions like Nalanda and Takshashila, where ideas flourished. Yet today, Pakistan’s higher education lacks roots in its cultural and intellectual heritage. As Proust reminded us, growth must come from within: “…like a tree, which distils from its own sap each new knot in its trunk and the next layer of its foliage.”
Pakistan’s Elite Universities: Noble Visions, Disappointing Outcomes
