Media Development Trust and NUST sign MOU to improve Media Ethical Practices in Pakistan.

Media Development Trust and NUST Business School signed a Memorandum of Understanding for Developing Research and Media Development Initiatives. (in the picture L-R: Salman Sheikh, Board Member MDT, Amir Jahangir, President MDT, Dr. Ashfaque Hassan Khan, Principal and Dean NUST Business School and Prof. Dr. Zafar Iqbal, Chairman Mass Communication Department, NUST  

Media Development Trust and National University of Science and Technology (NUST) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to develop initiatives for development, empowerment and mainstreaming research on media in Pakistan. The MOU signing ceremony was held at the Mass Communication Department of NUST, where the faculty members, students and media scholars were present. Prof. Dr. Ashfaque Hassan Khan, Principal and Dean, School of Social Sciences & Humanities, NUST and Amir Jahangir President Media Development Trust signed the MOU.

On this occasion President Media Development Trust (MDT) and CEO Mishal Pakistan, Amir Jahangir said that Media Development Trust is working with different academic institutions in the country to bridge the gap between academic research and industry practices. There is a gap between media practices and the theories being taught at our universities, we need to address this to improve the state of media in Pakistan. Also research institutions need to have more focuson how to commercialize their research by increasing industry-academia collaboration.

He further said that, Media Development Trust and its strategic partners Mishal Pakistan and AGAHI, in collaboration with NUST would create capacity building initiatives for the faculty and students through interactive workshops, seminars and research initiatives on specific sectors with a focus on media. MDT and NUST will create a hybrid pool of resources for knowledge sharing.

Sharing his views on the MOU, Principal and Dean, School of Social Sciences and Humanities NUST, Prof. Dr. Ashfaque Hassan Khan said that we are honored to be a part of the industry academia collaboration with the Media Development Trust and will put all efforts to make this initiative credible and objective. The department offers a unique opportunity to combine innovation in media with the students in the mass communication field for joint research projects, engaging prominent media institutions and experts of national and international repute.

Chairman, Department of Mass Communication NUST, Prof. Dr. Zafar Iqbal said that NUST’s Department of Mass Communication has been envisioned as a center of excellence for promoting media and communication studies in the country. We aim to accomplish this in a manner that can be useful for media professionals, academic scholars, researchers, development sector, policy-makers and regulatory bodies.

According to the MOU, both the organizations will work together to create research opportunities for students and faculty members in the media sphere including the Media Credibility Index (MCI). They will also develop initiatives for the students to understand issues relevant to media sciences and journalism in terms of media management, content analysis and outreach strategies. Collaboration on capacity building of students and faculty members, will build technical skill sets to work on the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) of projects related to media and journalism.

Media Development Trust and NUST will work together to create Fellowships in media research to improve the human capital available for the sector in Pakistan; this will lead to Industry Academia collaborations. The MOU will also encourage excellence in research by awarding “TRUST Gold Medals”, every year for the students of Media & Communication Studies achieving first positions in Bachelor and Masters Programs.

President Agahi, Puruesh Chaudhary, President AGAHI and Country Ambassador of the Center for International Media Ethics (CIME), while sharing her views, said that media’s contribution to the sustainability of functioning democracies is significant. Media serve as a catalyst for human development and provides the justification to create a more cognizant collective consciousness of the society. We believe this collaboration will foster an enabling atmosphere through which free and independent media can flourish with plurality, diversity and will responsibly raise the bar of professionalism for ethical media practices in Pakistan, Chaudhary added.

The partnership between the two leading research institution Mishal (a country partner institute of the Global Competitiveness and Benchmarking Network, World Economic Forum) and Pakistan’s top research university will identify the gaps in the knowledge ecosystem and build the capacity of the students and faculty members for creating opportunities according to the new tools of global communications. Both the organization will work together to create a knowledge exchange program between NUST and research institutions both at domestic and global level; whereby different programs will be developed to build synergies in the field of journalism and communication. Media Development Trust, in collaboration with NUST’s Mass Communication Department will also develop an annual report on the “State of Media in Pakistan”.

The initiative will also develop a learning platform with a special portal for debate and research on media management, ethical media practices and other regulatory issues faced by the Pakistani media practitioners and researchers.

Media Development Trust, through its strategic partners Mishal Pakistan and Agahi, is working on different research and advocacy projects for the development of media in Pakistan which includes, Media Credibility Index (MCI), Agahi Awards, ILM-o-AGAHI, TRUST Gold Medals for outstanding students in media sciences and journalism scholarships.

National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) was established in March 1991 for the promotion of higher scientific education in the country, especially in the fields of science and technology, by providing a stable and disciplined academic environment together with need-based research, pertinent to industrial requirements. The University will start its Masters’ program in the mass communication in fall 2014. Over the years, the university has expanded in scope, services and stature and has emerged as a leading comprehensive University in the public sector.

Media Development Trust established in 2011 is an initiative to improve industry-academia linkage through media and communication; the initiative engages leading professional and researchers in media development across the globe. Media Development Trust also creates synergies and understanding through media and communication between societies for better understanding of issues arising from cultural, social and political challenges.

Pakistan needs to improve its digital eco-system for sustained economic growth, Global Information Technology Report 2014, World Economic Forum

Pakistan needs to improve its digital eco-system for sustained economic growth;Global Information Technology Report 2014, World Economic Forum The Global Information Technology Report 2014

The Global Information Technology Report 2014 features the latest results of the NRI, offering an overview of the current state of ICT readiness in the world. This year’s coverage includes a record number of 148 economies, accounting for over 98 percent of global GDP.

Watch the live launch conference: http://new.livestream.com/wef/gitr2014

The Global Information Technology Report 2014
please click image to download complete report

Pakistan ensures technology affordability to businesses and individual consumers, announced by the Global Information Technology Report 2014 of the World Economic Forum (WEF).

At the rank of 111 among 148 countries, Pakistan’s performance has been relatively stable on the Network Readiness Index 2014 of the World Economic Forum (WEF), Pakistan lost 6 ranks as compared to 2013.

Pakistan showed slight improvement on the Business and Innovation Environment pillar by improving in ranking at 101 as compared to 102 last year. Also on the readiness sub-index it improves from 21 in 2013 to 19 this year. The efficiency of legal system in settling disputes has risen from 109 last year to 112 in 2014. Similarly the efficiency of legal system has also deteriorated from 97 to 108 in 2013 and 2014 respectively. 

“One of the key findings of the report is that Pakistan cannot only rely on ICT infrastructure development to become competitive. Rather, the benefits of ICT can only be fully derived when a country implements a holistic strategy aimed at creating conditions for skills, innovation and entrepreneurship to flourish alongside modern infrastructure” said Amir Jahangir, Chief Executive Officer of Mishal Pakistan, a country partner institute of the World Economic Forum.

One of the primary concerns for Pakistan is the lack of data protection laws, this can have medium to long-term impact on the development of a knowledge-based industry fostering innovation and entrepreneurship, a burgeon that Pakistan needs to capitalize due to its demographic potential”, Jahangir further added. 

The Report showed concerns on Pakistan’s human capital development on the skills pillar to improve performance on the network readiness index as the quality of the education system has gone bad to worst i.e. 75 (2013) to 84 this year. An alarming decline in the performance in maths and science education has also been pointed out where Pakistan stands at 104 now from the ranking of 88 in 2013. The report showed serious efforts required by both the public and private sector on the extent of staff training where it has lost 16 points and the country stands at an alarming 128 rank. 

The Global Information Technology Report 2014
Please click to download presentation 

Pakistan has shown improvements in the business and innovation environment pillar, where availability of latest technologies has improved from 83 (2013) to 79 (2014), however, lack of venture capital has dropped 22 points and ranks at 77 this year. Pakistan is also losing its regional competitiveness advantage on doing business indicators, where number of days to start a business ranks at 98 and the number of procedures to start a business at 119 now.      

The report, highlighting the “affordability of technology”, ranks Pakistan as the 10^th most affordable cellular serviced country, where Liberia tops this list while Sri Lanka is at 4^th, Bangladesh at 5^th and India being on 7^th number globally. Pakistan ranks at number 1 on the Internet and telephony competition globally. On monthly subscription charges for fixed (wired) broadband Internet service (PPP $), Pakistan stands on 62 as compared to Sri Lank being the most affordable (among 148 countries), Bangladesh being at 3^rd and India at 4^th in the region.

On the “businesses usage of technology” Pakistan has improved its indicators, where business-to-business usage of Internet has improved from 116 to 104 this year, similarly the business to consumer usage has also gained improvement by securing the position of 103 from 112 last year.

On the government usage of technology Pakistan showed some depressive performance as importance of ICT to government’s vision has gone from 117 in 2013 to 128 in 2014. Similarly, the government in promoting the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) Pakistan was also weak as this year it ranked at 91 from 77 in 2013.

Little progress is being made in bridging the digital divide between technology savvy nations and others, according to the 13th edition of the Global Information Technology Report 2014. The stalling of progress is worrisome for emerging and developing nations, which are at risk of missing out on many positive impacts information and communications technologies (ICT) bring, including increased innovation, economic competitiveness and greater social inclusion.

In the South Asian region, Pakistan was outperformed by Sri Lank at 76, India 83, Bhutan 94, Iran 104, whereas Pakistan was ahead of Bangladesh at 119 and Nepal 123.

Lower down the Index, many large emerging economies continue to struggle to realize their full digital potential. China (62nd), Brazil (69th) and Mexico (79th) and India (83rd) all drop in the rankings. However, countries that have developed a strong vision to develop their ICT capacity do well, such as the United Arab Emirates (24th), Kazakhstan (38th) or Panama (43rd), which all improved.

With this year’s coverage extending to a record 148 economies, the Global Information Technology Report (GITR) report remains one of the most comprehensive and authoritative assessments of the impact of ICT on competitiveness of nations and the well-being of their citizens.

Published under the theme, “Rewards and Risks of Big Data”, the report’s Networked Readiness Index (NRI) measures the capacity of 148 economies to leverage ICT for growth and well-being. It finds consistency at the top end of the rankings this year, with Finland (1st), Singapore (2nd), Sweden (3rd), the Netherlands (4th), Norway (5th) and Switzerland (6th) all retaining their positions from last year. The United States (7th) continues its upward trajectory, while Hong Kong SAR (8th) and the Republic of Korea (10th) both climb. The United Kingdom (9th) is the only nation in the top 10 to fall.

Network Readiness Index Rankings for 2014:
Global Information Technology Report 2014, World Economic Forum

To measure this, the NRI assesses the preparedness of an economy to fully leverage ICT in terms of:

1. ICT infrastructure cost of access and the presence of the necessary skills to ensure an optimal use 
2. Uptake and use of ICT among governments, business and individuals
3. Business and innovation environment, and the political and regulatory framework
4. Economic and social impacts accruing from ICT

“Over time, the GITR series has become one of the most respected studies of its kind. It is used extensively by policymakers and relevant stakeholders as a unique tool to identify strengths and weaknesses and to define and build national strategies for developing and better leveraging their digital potential,” said Soumitra Dutta, Anne and Elmer Lindseth Dean at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University and co-editor of the report.

“In addition to the persistent digital divide across countries, governments should also be wary of understanding, identifying and addressing potential internal digital divides so that new opportunities can be created for all and support enhanced social inclusion,” said Beñat Bilbao-Osorio, senior economist at the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness and Benchmarking Network and co-editor of the report.

In this sense, “digital strategies should not focus only on developing the ICT infrastructure, but also in creating the right conditions for an effective use of ICT to boost innovation, competitiveness and higher social inclusion,” said Bruno Lanvin, executive director of INSEAD’s European Competitiveness Initiative (IECI), and of Global Indices projects at INSEAD.

“Nations and organizations need to understand where they stand in terms of a Big Data maturity, assess their progress, and determine what they need to do to extract greater business and organizational benefits from the vast volume of data,” said Bahjat El-Darwiche, partner, Strategy& (formely Booz & Company) and sponsor of the report.

“The Internet of Everything and big data applications are ushering in the next wave of technology innovation,” according to Dr Robert Pepper, vice president of Global Technology Policy at Cisco. "Big data requires big judgment, and the right policies are needed so that the Internet of Everything can deliver on its promise of immense economic and social benefits."

The Global Information Technology Report is the result of a long-standing partnership between the World Economic Forum and INSEAD, and, since last year, with the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University. The soft-data on Pakistan for the Global Information Technology Report is generated by Mishal Pakistan through the annual Executive Opinion Survey. 

The NRI uses a combination of data from publicly available sources and the results of the Executive Opinion Survey, a comprehensive annual survey conducted by the Forum in collaboration with Partner institutes, a network of over 160 leading research institutes and business organizations. This survey of more than 15,000 executives provides insight into areas critical for networked readiness.

ForumARTICLE

The top 10 countries for embracing IT

Which economies are best placed to benefit from new information and communication technologies (ICTs), bridge the digital divide and extract value from big data?

The Networked Readiness Index (NRI), part of the 2014 Global Information Technology Report: The Risks and Rewards of Big Data, published today, ranks 148 countries for the quality of their digital infrastructure and ability to use ICTs to generate economic growth, foster innovation and improve the well-being of their citizens.

Here is a list of the top 10 economies making the most of the digital age, according to the NRI:

1. Finland tops the rankings for the second consecutive year, thanks to its outstanding digital infrastructure, which the Global Information Technology Report (GITR) says is the best in the world. With more than 90% of its population using the internet, and with high levels of innovation, Finland is reaping the rewards of investing heavily in ICT in the mid-1990s, which it did in response to a financial crisis.

2. Singapore remains in second place in the NRI. Supported by a government with a clear digital strategy, which offers an ICT infrastructure that is relentlessly being improved, and the best online services and highest-quality education systems in the world, this city state has become a knowledge-intensive economy and ICT powerhouse.

3. Sweden stays in third place, reflecting its world-class yet affordable digital infrastructure and stable pro-business environment, despite high tax rates. These strengths have led to outstanding use of ICTs by individuals, businesses and government, as well as one of the highest innovation performances in the world, making Sweden a truly knowledge-based society.

4. The Netherlands also retains its high ranking from the 2013 index. This service-based economy has quickly and skilfully recognized the importance of ICTs in boosting innovation and competitiveness. Information technology permeates all sections of society in the Netherlands, with nearly everyone able to access a computer and home internet connection, and a large number of government services available online.

5. Norway, with a well-developed and affordable ICT infrastructure, sits in fifth place in the NRI. Digital uptake is almost universal among Norway’s population: 95% are internet users and more than 90% have access to a personal computer and internet connection at home. In addition, the country benefits from a stable pro-business and pro-innovation environment and a government that is aware of the importance of connectivity for the economic and social development of a geographically vast nation with a widely dispersed population.

6. Switzerland benefits from an excellent, if expensive, ICT infrastructure and a strong education system that provides the necessary skills to create a knowledge-based, technology-rich economy. These assets, coupled with a stable political and regulatory environment and excellent conditions for innovation and entrepreneurship, have resulted in outstanding digital uptake and use by businesses.

7. The United States moves up two positions to seventh on the list, thanks to improvements in many areas of the index, including the country’s already strong business and innovation environment and ICT infrastructure, notably in terms of wider access to international internet bandwidth. Overall, the country has seen a robust uptake of digital technology by all major stakeholders, whether businesses, governments or individuals.

8. Hong Kong has shown the most pronounced improvement among the top 10, climbing six positions to eighth place. This has been driven by improvements in conditions for innovation and entrepreneurship, better skills training and increased use by both business and government. Hong Kong enjoys a well-developed infrastructure, and this has had a positive economic and social impact.

9. The United Kingdom drops two places from last year. Like the Netherlands, the UK was early in recognizing the importance of ICTs, especially to innovation and competitiveness, and as a result has become highly digitized, with a thriving e-commerce environment. This, coupled with a pro-business approach, has had wide-ranging economic and social benefits.

10. South Korea moves up one position and enters the top 10. A country that has based its economic success largely on the ICT industry, Korea’s government ranks first in the world in terms of online services. The country’s focus on developing its technological capacity as part of its economic development strategy has also improved its reputation for innovation.

Top information technology trends are featured in the Global Information Technology Outlook module ofForum Academy, the Forum’s online professional leadership development platform.

76% Schools Infrastructure in Sukkur Unsatisfactory

Infrastructure of 76% Schools in Sukkur Unsatisfactory

Future of next generation depends on quality of education, Dr. Arshad Mughal, Advisor to CM Sindh.

“Despite government’s pre election promise to increase the budget allocation on education to 4% of GDP over the next five years, Pakistan still spends a meager 1.9 % of the GDP on education. Due to such low expenditure, Pakistan is among the least spending countries on education. The situation has led to an emergency situation in the education sector”.  This was the consensus at the ILM-o-AGAHI education journalism workshop in Sukkur today.

“All the sectors of community have to work collectively for the to improve the socio-economic situation of the people”, this was stated by Dr. Arshad Mughal, Advisor to Chief Minister Sindh, while addressing the participants of the workshop. A large number of participants from academia, civil society and media attended the ILM-o-AGAHI education journalism workshop.

According to Annual Status of Education Report 2013 (ASER Pakistan) there are 22% out of school children in Sukkur between the ages of 5 to 16 years. The 39% government schools in Sukkur have no boundary wall and 54% without electricity.  

Asif Farooqui, Program Manager, ILM-o-AGAHI, said that, “Education spending in Sindh is not rationalized and resources are not allocated according to the needs. Across Sukkur 76% of government school buildings are in an unsatisfactory condition, almost half of the government schools in Sindh are missing the facility of electricity”, this is an alarming situation as Sukkur ranks 5^th among 23 districts in Sindh on the Alif Ailaan’s District Education Rankings 2013 for schools and 8^th on the quality of education in Sindh. 

The ILM-o-AGAHI workshop was organized by Mishal Pakistan in collaboration with Ilm Ideas (a 3 year UKaid funded program). More than thirty education reporters from leading media entities of print, television, radio and online journalism were selected for this workshop.

Member PPP Sindh Council and former Tehsil Nazim, Mohammad Aslam Sheikh, shared his views with participants about the current state and challenges for female education in the region. He said, Evidence from around the world suggests that increasing investment in girls schooling is one of the most cost-effective way for socio economic development”.

Senior journalist and lead trainer for ILM-o-AGAHI, Mubashar Zaidi, while addressing to the participants said, “The situation is worst in rural Sindh as compared to other parts of the country. There is a dire need to address the issue of non-functional schools in Sindh. Education is one of the most neglected areas of reporting and media organizations should allocate sufficient space for education stories”, he added.

President, Sukkur Union of Journalist, Jan Mohammad Meher, while addressing the participants, stressed that journalists should focus more on field reporting. Reporting on education can drive reader’s interest only when journalists report the complete picture. The education story should be around facts and real life issues. He further said, according to Alif Ailaan Education District Rankings “Sukkur ranks 98^thcountry wide in terms of enrollment, literacy rate and basic education standard out of 145 districts across Pakistan.”

Mumtaz Ali Pirzada, Regional Coordinator, Idara Taleem-o-Agahi, shared the findings of Annual Status of Education Report with participants. He said, ASER 2013 reflects that every single child among four school going children is out of school and remaining three are deprived of Quality Education. ASER 2013 states that out of four children studying in class five only ONE can read story in Sindhi/Urdu. Same is the case with learning levels of English and Arithmetic. Stakeholders are highly urged to take considerable actions to promote quality education in Sukkur.

Social media expert, Ahsan Mukhtar discussed the art of storytelling through social media and said that social media has become an integral part of day-to-day journalism and has catalyzed communication flow in today’s world. Journalist use social media to find and publish news throughout the world.

Through the ILM-o-AGAHI initiative, 18 education journalism workshops will be held across Pakistan for education reporters to increase their capacity and improve the coverage on education issues in media. In each workshop, more than 30 education reporters will be selected to enhance their capacity to report on identified educational challenges and issues to improve understanding and skills among journalists to capture community’s perspective and voice including children’s voice.

Mishal Pakistan is the partner institute of the Center for International Media Ethics and the Global Competitiveness and Benchmarking Networks of the World Economic Forum. Mishal assists the forum in creating soft-data on Pakistan, identifying Pakistan’s competitiveness challenges including primary health & education and higher education.

For more information please visit: www.ilmoagahi.org

DisruptEd the Way Forward for a Prosperous Pakistan

#DisruptED the Way Forward for a Prosperous Pakistan

Challenging the current ways through which the state is addressing the education emergency in the country, DisruptEd – ideas and conversations for disruptive innovation in Pakistan, organised by Alif Ailaan outlined the need for new approaches to fix the broken system. Despite 25 million children being out of school, the country has not been successful in marshaling its resources for reform or change, nor does the state or society or the polity treat education like the crisis or emergency that we claim it is.

Speaking at the closing session, Ahasan Iqbal, Minister for Planning, Government of Pakistan at the DisruptEd in Islamabad today said, ours is a society characters by great disparities in income, education and opportunity. Nearly half of our country’s children are not in schools and getting them there is a herculean challenge. He further said, the role of technology and innovation in such a scenario is imperative to the way we deliver education not only to children but also to the society as a whole.  

25 million children in Pakistan remains out of school across Pakistan, of those 25 million, about six million have never, ever seen the inside of a classroom. The rest have enrolled at one point or another, only to drop out, most likely within the first three years of enrolling at the age of five. An out of school Pakistani child is more likely to be a girl than an enrolled Pakistani child, with over 15 million of the 25 million out of school kids being girls.

On the quality of education, the government data doesn’t capture quality, at any level, in any province. Our entire conception of education quality is based on the Annual Status of Education Report survey (ASER), a civil society initiative. ASER tells us that of the kids in school, only 50% at the Class 5 level can read a Class 2 level passage in Urdu or their native language (for rural Pakistan, this number increases to 55% for urban Pakistan). 

Based on the theme of disruptive innovation in education, the event highlighted that new avenues to deal with education problem must be explored and implemented to change how the crisis is perceived and addressed by the state and other stakeholders.

The one-day DisruptEd – Ideas and Conversations for Innovation in Education, a daylong multi-sessions initiative brought together leading thinkers, policy makers, civil society concerns and media professionals to discuss and debate the potential of innovation in the education sector.

Mosharaf Zaidi, Director Campaign of Alif Ailaan in his speech said, “without a ‘disruption’ to the way things are, a fundamental change that alters the very basics, there is little chance of Pakistan being able to deal with the Education crisis. None of the major problems in education low enrolment rates, poor quality, lack of accountability and the total absence of a robust discourse can be solved without bold new approach.” We need to stimulate thinking in the public, private and non-profit sectors about solutions to these problems, he added.

Pakistan faces a national education emergency but stories related to education rarely make it to the front page of newspapers or appear in prime-time slots on television. Alif Ailaan’s mission is to put the subject of education at the front and centre of public discourse in Pakistan.

The Oscar award-winning director, Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy in her session highlighted the art of story telling on innovation and Disrupted education, she said immersed in an information-driven culture, innovators too must learn to tell a compelling story. 

There are many who claim that Internet bandwidth and capacity are barriers to the use of technology for improving access to education and enriching the learning experience. Others insist that content is king and that educational materials must be developed before or along with the bandwidth to deliver it. But content developers have failed so far to fully exploit the potential of 2G technology. Technology innovation can be the catalyst for change and the disruptive factor for improving the service delivery on education.

Mr. Asad Umar, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s member of the national assembly of Pakistan while talking on public private partnership said that there are serious issues in terms of capacity of state and misplaced priorities of governments. One schooling system policy should be adopted to remove discriminations in education systems.

Marvi Memon, MNA of Pakistan Muslim League (N) shared her views with participants about the status of education at the grass-root level in in Sindh, she said. “Education is our prime objective, however there are a lot other issues like syllabus, teachers capacity, ghost schools and political interference, which needs to be addresses by making legislators accountable to the peoples.

Associate Professor of Lahore University of Management Sciences, Dr. Faisal Bari shared his views about the regulatory framework, he said we have made frameworks and regulations on education but the core issue remains financing free and compulsory education by the state. He said the state and society are not thinking, where we can have money to ensure quality of education.

Kasim Kasuri, Young Global Leader of World Economic Forum and CEO of Beacon House School Systems said that there are many challenges and hurdles for private sector to work in the education sector and no meaningful recommendations have been incorporated while preparing any laws to govern this sector.

A general consensus from various sessions was gathered on the need for a universal education system in the country, where the private sector can bring in the efficiencies through innovation in management, the public sector with its infrastructure and the civil society organization with their civic engagements can improve the current state of education in the country. However the critical factor remains the need for legislators to allocate more attention to education in terms of both governance and allocation of funds.

Alif Ailaan was founded to bring together and empower all those Pakistanis who want to respond to the country’s education emergency, and equip our children to succeed for themselves and for Pakistan.

Every 7th school in Sindh is non functional.

Every 7^th school in Sindh is non functional.

Sindh is facing an education emergency: ILM-O-AGAHI Workshop.

“Education sector is one of the most neglected area in Sindh, whereas ghost schools are the most crucial issue in Sindh”, this was the consensus at the ILM-o-AGAHI education journalism workshop in Karachi today.

According to the recent survey of non functional and ghost schools by Supreme Court of Pakistan, there are at least 6,164 non functional and ghost schools in Sindh, this means every 7^th school in Sindh is non functional. “There is a dire need to address the education emergency in Sindh, as the future of the next generations depend on the quality of education”, this was discussed by renowned speakers from media, academia and civil society while addressing the participants of the workshop. A large number of participants from academia, civil society and media attended the ILM-o-AGAHI education journalism workshop.

The ILM-o-AGAHI workshop was organized by Mishal Pakistan in collaboration with Ilm Ideas (a 3 year UKaid funded program).More than thirty education reporters from leading media entities of print, television, radio and online journalism were selected for this workshop.

According to the Alif Ailaan education data there are 12 million children in Sindh between the age of 5 and 16, of which 6.1 million or 50% are out of school. More than half of the children out of school are girls.

Senior journalist, Mubashir Zaidi, while discussing about the current state of education and role of media, said that the government of Sind spends an estimated Rs. 573 million on schools that exist only on paper. The scope of problem of ghost teachers is crucial as there is no data available on that; however, media reports suggest that many teachers draw salaries from education department without showing up for their jobs. “Education sector is the most neglected area in media, however with the help of civil society, media should play an active role in promoting education” he added. 

While discussing the role of media in policy development, Dr. Tahir Masood, Chairman, Department of Mass Communication, University of Karachi, said that learning outcome of children is also a big issue and requires the attention of education policy makers. Sindh’s children score poorly in reading and mathematics compared to children with the rest of the country. “59% of class 5 students in Sindh cannot read a story fluently in Urdu or Sindhi”, Dr. Masood said.

Senior journalist and media researcher Afia Salam, while talking on the role of media in a society’s evolution said, “Education plays significant role in development of a society, due to advancement in education sector, developed countries makes progress by leaps and bounds in all segments of life. Pakistan’s media can play an active role in creating a demand for quality education in the country”.

At the workshop, Asif Farooqui, Program Manager, ILM-o-AGAHI, said that, “Education spending in Sindh is not rationalized and resources are not allocated according to the needs. Across Sindh, 77% of government school buildings are in an unsatisfactory condition, almost half of the government schools in Sindh are missing the basic facility of toilet”. He further said, “to encourage journalists to create public debates on education, Mishal is also introducing special categories on education journalism in the upcoming annual journalism “AGAHI Awards 2014”.

Adnan Farooqui, senior communication expert, shared his experiences on the art of story-telling through social media. He briefed the participants about how social media is changing trends of journalism across the globe. How digital communication has made the entire news expression in 145 words.

Through the ILM-o-AGAHI initiative, 18 education journalism workshops will be held across Pakistan for education reporters to increase their capacity and improve the coverage on education issues in media. In each workshop, more than 30 education reporters will be selected to enhance their capacity to report on identified educational challenges and issues to improve understanding and skills among journalists to capture community’s perspective and voice including children’s voice.

Mishal Pakistan is the partner institute of the Center for International Media Ethics and the Global Competitiveness and Benchmarking Networks of the World Economic Forum. Mishal assists the forum in creating soft-data on Pakistan, identifying Pakistan’s competitiveness challenges including primary health & education and higher education.

For more information please visit: www.ilmoagahi.org

Private Sector in Pakistan Keen on Exploring Partnerships with U.S. Companies

Private Sector in Pakistan Keen on Exploring Partnerships with U.S. Companies.

“Private sector in Pakistan wants to establish business relationships with U.S. based companies”, this was the consensus at the 3^rd roundtable on “Entrepreneurship and Private Sector Development in Pakistan”.

The roundtable was organized by the leading U.S. think tank based out of Washington D.C., the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in collaboration with Mishal Pakistan, a leading research institution in the country working on economic research and media development. Stakeholders from business community, policy makers, entrepreneurs and media discussed the possibilities to build linkages between Pakistani and U.S. entrepreneurs.

Sadika Hameed, expert, renowned economist and fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said, “Pakistan has immense potential in certain sectors such as agribusiness, dairy, FMCGs and information communication technology (ICT) which are widely recognized as lucrative industries with great potential for U.S. entrepreneurs. Additionally there are untapped opportunities particularly in regard to research, data & knowledge-based technologies that the United States is well positioned to capitalize on”. Pakistan would especially welcome investments in human resource development, that will also further U.S. business interests, Hameed added.

Amir Jahangir, Chief Executive Officer of Mishal Pakistan informed the participants that, Pakistan offers a relatively good environment on the Ease of Doing Business as compared to other similar economies in the region. The World Bank in its Doing Business Data for 2014 ranks Pakistan at 110 out of 184 economies globally, whereas the average regional score for South Asia is 121. China is ranked at 96 and all other economies in the region lagged behind. In comparison to other countries in the region Pakistan outperforms Egypt at 128, Bangladesh 130, India 134, Bhutan 141 and Iran at 152.

It was also identified that Pakistan is ripe with opportunities for alternative financing to traditional collateral based lending, especially for the enterprising youth, who do not have the initial capital. 

The foreign investors have another reason to invest in Pakistan. As western investors seek to hedge against market volatility, they seek to diversify their investments and reduce exposure to any one market.

Pakistan’s enormous youth population is often perceived as a threat to its stability, with large numbers of disaffected young people facing poor employment prospects. A private sector led development approach can turn the youth bulge from a liability to an asset, paying out a “demographic dividend” as young workers accumulate wealth without a large retired population to support.

The roundtable was a follow-up to stakeholders’ meetings in Lahore and Karachi in March.

CSIS is a bipartisan, nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. The Center’s 220 full-time staff and large network of affiliated scholars conduct research and analysis and develop policy initiatives that look to the future and anticipate change.

Mishal Pakistan is the partner institute of the Center for International Media Ethics and the Global Competitiveness and Benchmarking Networks of the World Economic Forum. Mishal assists the forum in creating soft-data on Pakistan, identifying Pakistan’s competitiveness challenges and opportunities for the public, private, civil society and academia to collaborate for sustained economic growth.