Just two days are until the general elections of 2024, and a huge influx of young voters especially under the age of 25 is likely to decide the future landscape of the country. In a recent survey conducted by IPSOS Pakistan for the voice of Americans, some interesting trends have been observed regarding the thinking of the Youth of the country as far as the elections and the current political dynamics of the country are concerned. The survey has revealed that the Pakistan Army has garnered the highest level of trust among other institutions of the state, with a staggering 74 percent approval rating. Conversely, the election commission emerged as the least trusted institution among the eight considered. The survey, titled ‘Political Participation Landscape of Pakistani Youth,’ encompassed 2,050 respondents aged 18-34 from various regions of the country, as reported by The News International.

Following the Pakistan Army, the Supreme Court ranked as the second most trusted institution, with a 58 percent approval rating, while the media secured the third position in terms of trustworthiness. With the Pakistan Army historically influential in security and foreign policy matters, it has maintained a significant role in the nation’s governance, having governed the country through several periods of military rule.

Additionally, the survey shed light on the public perception of political parties, indicating a 50 percent approval rating among respondents. Notably, opinions were divided regarding the media’s coverage of pertinent issues, with 2 in 5 individuals expressing skepticism about its efficacy, particularly among males and the affluent, as highlighted in the report.

Regarding electoral integrity, the majority of young Pakistanis surveyed expressed confidence in the fairness of the upcoming 2024 elections, with two-thirds expressing belief in their impartiality. Furthermore, one-third of participants acknowledged the possibility of foreign or international influences impacting the performance of the Pakistani government, reflecting a sentiment of ‘international influence’ on the nation, as stated in the report.

Additionally, an overwhelming 75 percent of the surveyed individuals, equivalent to 3 out of 4 respondents, are optimistic that the upcoming elections will guide the nation in the correct trajectory, while 2 out of 3 anticipate that these elections will uphold fairness and freedom. Moreover, the report highlights that a striking 88 percent of participants deem their vote to be significant.

Regarding political engagement, only 54 percent of the youth stated that they actively stay informed about political developments, candidates, and their agendas within their respective constituencies. Moreover, a mere 29 percent expressed their support for specific politicians and political parties, intending to participate in their rallies and events. However, when queried about their voting intentions for the February 8 general elections, a substantial 70 percent affirmed their commitment to cast their votes.

Furthermore, the survey indicates a noteworthy trend of shifting political affiliations among the youth, with 1 in 5 respondents transitioning their preferred party allegiance between 2018 and 2024. While 78 percent asserted their intent to maintain allegiance to their current party, 22 percent expressed an inclination to switch to a different political affiliation.

The Ipsos survey also highlights a prevalent sentiment among 3 in 5 young Pakistanis, who feel that political leaders fail to grasp their concerns or priorities adequately. Notably, this sentiment is more pronounced among females, rural residents, and individuals in Islamabad.

Regarding information sources, television, social media, and word of mouth emerged as the most favored mediums among Pakistani youth. The survey indicates a gender disparity in social media usage, with females exhibiting a preference for television over males, who tend to favor social media platforms for news consumption. Notably, WhatsApp emerged as the most widely used social media platform among youth, followed by Facebook, with Twitter lagging at 8 percent usage.

In terms of salient issues, economic concerns overshadow other considerations, with education and healthcare emerging as the top priorities for respondents. Notably, inflation was identified as the primary national concern by 70 percent of participants. Moreover, the survey underscores the youth’s emphasis on health and education, while military intervention in politics is perceived as of minimal significance, according to the findings.

Related: Why do University Students need to Vote on 8th February?

The writer, Muhammad Saad, is an M.Phil scholar of Political Science at GCU Lahore.

According to the latest census data, individuals aged 18-35 make up over 60 percent of the population in Pakistan, and 64% of the total population is below 30 years old. Recent surveys indicate that the electoral participation of first-time voters, specifically those aged 18-25, will play a pivotal role in determining the outcome of elections. Consequently, political parties are actively striving to connect with young voters through various channels, such as featuring their leaders in YouTube podcasts and leveraging other social media platforms.

Therefore, university students nationwide must refrain from merely treating the 8th of February as just another holiday and, instead, actively participate in the electoral process by casting their votes for the candidate they believe is most suitable for their constituency. The significance of the upcoming election should not be underestimated, as the choices we make on election day will shape the trajectory of history for the next five years. The economic policies implemented by the incoming government will have a direct impact on the lifestyles and career options of students currently enrolled in universities and pursuing higher education.

Even during the movement for the independence of Pakistan, students played a pivotal role in organizing and mobilizing the Muslim Youth of the sub-continent under the umbrella of the Muslim Students Federation, the student wing of the Muslim League. The founding fathers of the country acknowledged the presence of the youth, especially students in the political arena. Muhammad Ali Jinnah himself addressed student conventions throughout India and motivated students to take part in the independence movement. The famous Ali Garh became the epicenter of the movement.

To enhance accessibility for individuals, particularly the youth, HUM News has introduced a user-friendly portal in collaboration with Google Maps. This platform not only enables users to identify their constituencies but also allows them to view the profiles of candidates from various political parties. Comprehensive information on both provincial and national assembly seats is now just a click away, providing a convenient and informative resource for all. To check the polling station, you still have to send your ID card number to 8300, but this portal is one of its kind as it shows the trends of voting in the past election, etc. The editor of English HUM News, Nizamuddin Khan announced his release yesterday on his “X” account.

After months of hard work, HUM News has launched an interactive election portal with all necessary information about your constituencies just a click away!
To benefit from accurate delimitation with the ease of navigating through Google maps visit: https://t.co/24yFEqXF3k pic.twitter.com/G8PwawoPmI

— Nizamuddin Khan (@salarzai_) February 1, 2024

University Students can benefit from this wonderful tool to exercise their political right and to know about different candidates taking part in the elections from their constituency. Their participation will eventually decide the future of this country.

The writer, Muhammad Saad, is an M.Phil scholar of Political Science at GCU Lahore.

Related: Punjab schools get six-day break for smooth elections

Do you know the dark side of school bullying? In this article, we have discussed some of the major issues and detailed insight into the dark side of school bullying.  Bullying, an age-old societal woe, has entrenched itself as a harrowing reality within the educational landscape. While schools are meant to be sanctuaries of learning and growth, the shadows cast by bullying behaviors often mar this ideal. The dark side of school bullying is a complex and multifaceted issue that warrants deep exploration to comprehend its profound impact on individuals, communities, and society at large. Scroll down and delve into the details of the dark side of school bullying.

Understanding Bullying: What Are the Types of Bullying?

Bullying takes various forms, transcending physical altercations to encompass emotional, verbal, and increasingly, cyber dimensions. It is characterized by repetitive aggressive behavior, an imbalance of power, and a deliberate intent to harm another individual mentally or physically.

1. Physical Bullying

 This form involves direct physical aggression, including hitting, kicking, pushing, or any other physical act causing harm.

2. Verbal Bullying

 Verbal harassment, insults, name-calling, or any form of demeaning language fall into this category.

3. Emotional Bullying

 Often subtler, emotional bullying entails manipulation, exclusion, spreading rumors, or intentional isolation to cause distress.

4. Cyberbullying

With the advent of technology, bullying has extended its reach into the digital realm, where perpetrators use social media, texts, or other online platforms to harass, intimidate, or humiliate their victims.

The Perpetrators and Victims of school bullying?

Perpetrators of bullying can be anyone; often, they might have their insecurities, and struggles, or might have experienced bullying themselves. Contrary to popular belief, bullies are not always inherently malicious but might exhibit these behaviors due to a lack of proper guidance or unresolved personal issues.

The people who bear the brunt of bullying are known as victims, and they are on the opposite side of this troubling coin. The emotional anguish, dread, anxiety, and occasionally physical damage that victims endure can harm their mental health, self-esteem, and academic achievement. Bullying can cause trauma that lasts long after school ends, impacting social interactions and mental health well into adulthood.

Impact on Mental Health and Academic Performance?

The ramifications of bullying reverberate across various spheres of life. The victims who have been bullied, their mental health suffers greatly as they usually struggle with depression, anxiety, and PTSD. However, in extreme situations, the victims may also think of self-harm or suicide. The constant fear of bullying can cause several issues such as; attention problems, which can affect academic performance and cause disinterest in the learning process.

Addressing the Issue: What is the Role of Schools and Society?

Institutes play a vital role when it comes to reducing and addressing bullying problems. Strict actions may include putting in place thorough anti-bullying rules and creating a welcoming and encouraging atmosphere. Institutes should also train their staff and teach students on how to identify, stop, and report bullying events.

Furthermore, societal awareness and intervention are imperative. Encouraging empathy, teaching conflict resolution skills, and providing mental health support not only aid victims but also cultivate a culture of compassion and respect.

A Call for Collective Action?

The dark side of school bullying casts a long and distressing shadow over countless lives. The extensive consequences it has on mental health, educational achievement, and general well-being highlight how urgent it is to address this widespread problem.

Sympathy, education, and a united front against bullying are the foundations of a society that encourages kindness and understanding. It is our significant responsibility to combat bullying in all of its manifestations as we negotiate the intricacies of interpersonal relationships and prepare for a more secure, more sympathetic culture both inside and beyond our educational organizations. By uncovering the depths of this major issue, we open the door to recovery, resiliency, and a day when no one has to live in constant fear and suffering.

We hope this article helped you learn about the dark side of school bullying. What are your thoughts and views on the dark side of school bullying? Share your thoughts and views with us in the comments section!

Other than The dark side of school bullying, you can also read The Impact of Bullying on Students’ Wellbeing

Education is the key to a better future, both for individuals and for societies as a whole. It empowers people to reach their full potential and contribute to their communities. Unfortunately, education is not a priority in Pakistan.

There are a number of reasons for this. One is that Pakistan is a developing country with limited resources. The government has to make difficult choices about where to allocate its budget, and education often gets the short end of the stick.

Another reason is that there is a cultural perception in Pakistan that education is not as important for girls as it is for boys. This is partly due to the fact that girls are often expected to marry and have children at a young age. As a result, many girls are denied an education altogether, or they are pulled out of school early.

The lack of investment in education has a number of negative consequences. One is that Pakistan has a high illiteracy rate. According to the World Bank, only 58% of the Pakistani population over the age of 15 is literate. This is significantly lower than the global average of 86%.

Another consequence of the lack of investment in education is that the Pakistani workforce is poorly skilled. This makes it difficult for Pakistan to compete in the global economy.

The Pakistani government has taken some steps to improve the education system in recent years. For example, it has increased the budget for education and made it compulsory for children to attend school until the age of 16. However, more needs to be done. Here are some things that the Pakistani government can do to make education a priority:

• Increase the budget for education to at least 7% of GDP.
• Hire more teachers and improve their training.
• Build more schools and improve the quality of existing schools.
• Make education compulsory for girls and boys up to the age of 18.
• Provide financial assistance to poor families so that they can send their children to school.
• Change the cultural perception that education is not as important for girls as it is for boys.

Education is essential for Pakistan’s development. It is the key to creating a more prosperous, peaceful, and just society. The Pakistani government must make education a priority and invest in its future.

Related: Education and other non-priorities

Around the world, universities have multiple goals. Core among them remains teaching in degree programs to pass on knowledge, make (mostly) young adults understand the world we inhabit, elevate them to become capable of reasoning, and become contributing members of society.

They offer graduate programs – MS, MA, PhD – to prepare students to conduct research and create new knowledge. While the pursuit of knowledge for knowledge’s own sake is a perfectly good reason for getting an education, universities do not exist in a vacuum or bubble. As such, another goal of universities is to make a positive impact on the immediate and wider communities they are a part of.

What about universities in Pakistan? What goals do or should they prioritize? How well are universities’ operations aligned with those priorities? Over the last two decades, all incentives have been reoriented towards a single goal: raising the number of research papers with author affiliations from Pakistan, however frivolous they might be (save for a small fraction). Twenty years later, those research papers have just become an expensive flex and a way to decide who gets promoted and who does not. In terms of our universities’ reputation as a place of quality scholarship, innovation in the economy, and wider society, the impact of university research is not discernable.

Some might point to the nascent local startup scene as evidence of research impact. For the most part, those startups are not the result of any great research that happened at universities but have been enabled by the easier availability of young university graduates in greater numbers than before. In other words, more than any research done in universities, it is boring old teaching – for which there are no demands on quality, no repercussions for doing it badly, and no appreciation for doing it well – that has made an impact. Valid and world-class research continues to remain the forte of a select few places in a select few universities.

Our higher education sector is not the only one where the majority of students – undergraduates – suffer from mediocre to badly delivered teaching while the incentive structure in place puts all emphasis on research at the expense of the learning experience. Higher education in the US is in a similar bind. According to a US News report, in 2021-22, median tuition per annum at private universities stood at $38,185 and for out-of-state/international students at public universities at $22,698. If you choose a university with a good reputation, that same bill can easily cross the $60,000 per annum mark. For context, according to the US Census Bureau, the national median household income in 2022 was $74,580.

For such an exorbitant price tag, students are justified in expecting a great learning experience. Unfortunately, that is often not the case, especially in the first two years. Teaching is often off-loaded onto adjunct faculty members who are hired on short-term contracts, paid by the hour, and do not spend more time on campus than they must because they have cobbled together three or four teaching assignments (often at different institutions) to make ends meet and are, therefore, not available to students.

To make matters worse, tenure-track faculty members who have secured sufficient research grants have the option to ‘buy out’ their teaching time – pay the university to not teach and hire an adjunct professor in their stead, so they can dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to their research.

When the research so produced is world-leading, this arrangement all makes sense from the universities’ perspective. However, for undergraduates, who make up the majority of the student population, their tuition payments support this research ecosystem while they get the short end of the stick. A recent report by The Chronicle of Higher Education (‘Americans value good teaching. Do Colleges? – The evidence doesn’t look good’, September 20, 2023) suggests that the rising cost of higher education is compelling more incoming undergraduate students and their parents (who often foot the bill) to pay attention to the quality of teaching universities offer.

Universities in the UK take a very different approach to ensuring the quality of teaching they deliver. During their first few years of service, young faculty members are required to earn a Post-graduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE) – usually around 18 months in duration, costing around GBP 10,000 (often at the employer’s expense) and rated equivalent to half an MEd degree. It provides formal training on education theory and practice in higher education.

To ensure that faculty members have sufficient time to deliver a good teaching experience for students, even teaching-focused faculty is typically assigned one or two courses in a semester. For faculty members expected to do research, it can be as little as one or less.

I have frequent opportunities to speak to faculty members in universities in Pakistan. Here, universities offering a relatively low teaching load will still assign two to three courses a semester, but most will assign as many as five or more, while also maintaining an expectation of research. Even the most well-qualified and well-intentioned faculty member could not do justice to such a workload.

Given the prevailing conditions, things are about to get worse. Adjusted for inflation, public funds for universities have been drying up. Every week newspapers report on yet another university that has been unable to make payroll for months. Universities are under more pressure than ever to raise funds on their own. The quickest way to do that is to raise student enrollment numbers, which will mean even more work for faculty, and/or raise tuition fees, which will put higher education out of more people’s reach.

Since universities lack the resources to raise salaries, some have decided to look the other way and let their faculty members moonlight by teaching at other institutions in the evening. The practice of hiring adjunct professors on the cheap as a means to save money has been a widespread practice for years; a PhD-qualified adjunct professor can be had to deliver a course for as little as Rs120,000 for a whole semester (four to five months). If the university can get away with it, an MS/MA-qualified person can be hired full-time for Rs45,000-50,000 and loaded up to teach as much as the day allows.

Budget allocations are reflections of a government’s actual priorities – everything else is lip service. When teaching – the core function of a university – has been relegated to the lowest rung, what hope can we hold out for the future? On the trajectory we are on, universities will go the way of schools: overworked and underpaid staff and able to attract only those who could not find work elsewhere, an occupation of last resort.

In conclusion, I want to leave readers with a challenge: How many countries do you know that went from developing- to developed-country status without having good schools and universities? Exactly! If you are waiting for this country to make a serious, long-term commitment to sustainable change and development, look towards education, both schools and universities. Everything else is kabuki.

The writer, Ayesha Razzaque, has a PhD in Education and writes for The News Intl.

With the economic crunch that the country finds itself in, every young graduate is aiming to grab any opportunity to move out of the country to secure his and his family’s future. The dollar’s price is reaching a new high every day and investors have started losing their faith in the market, many economists have called this the worst turmoil in the country’s history. As per different news reports and the data shared by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), 765,000 people left Pakistan for abroad in 2022, nearly triple the 225,000 departures in 2021 and 288,000 emigrants in 2020. This year’s data also included 92,000 highly-educated people such as doctors, engineers, information technology experts, and accountants. the emigrating educated youth included 5,534 engineers, 18,000 associate electrical engineers, 2,500 doctors, 2,000 computer experts, 6,500 accountants, 2,600 agricultural experts, over 900 teachers, 12,000 computer operators, 1,600 nurses, and 21,517 technicians. The group of unskilled workers comprised 213,000 drivers. The data clearly suggests that more and more people from all walks of life are leaving the country, mainly because of financial reasons. But is it right to term this phenomenon as “Brain Drain”? The recent remarks by the Caretaker Prime Minster sparked a new debate on social media.

On two occasions, first in a meeting with business delegates, and secondly while cheering a session with Harvard students, the Caretaker Prime Minister said that the media and others are wrongfully portraying this whole episode rendering it as hopeless in the youth of the country. He mentioned the case of India and said that in the 1960s people were leaving India in bulk and that was also being portrayed as a “brain drain” but 40 years down the history line, the same people have returned to the country as “brain assets.” This statement of his was vehemently criticized by some people on Twitter and many called this statement as “insensitive” as it totally ignored the catastrophe that people here are facing. Ammar Rashid (an Islamabad-based researcher and political organizer) quoted that tweet and said “Only state on the planet proud of the fact that its citizens are escaping the country in the hundreds of thousands at the mercy of human traffickers & dying at sea out of economic & social desperation. Shameless celebration of state failure & economic collapse.”

Only state on the planet proud of the fact that its citizens are escaping the country in the hundreds of thousands at the mercy of human traffickers & dying at sea out of economic & social desperation. Shameless celebration of state failure & economic collapse. https://t.co/Zqlc88oatP

— Ammar Rashid (@AmmarRashidT) August 25, 2023

In the next meeting with the students of Harvard, the Prime Minister was more precise, he said “For me, the people who chose to stay in the United States, or anywhere else in the western hemisphere, it’s not a challenge, at the same it is an opportunity as well at the same time. They go there, they contribute positively to the society and they also send remittance back home and hence play a role in contributing towards the economy”. Again, these remarks were met with severe criticism, Famous morning show host, Farah Hussain commented “Brain Drain where the engine of any country and economy the best minds and most productive persons exit a country Pakistan can’t handle youth bulge can’t give them employment and decent life because of corruption and injustice and they die in ships n seas as illegal immigrants”.

Brain Drain where the engine of any country and economy the best minds and most productive persons exit a country Pakistan can’t handle youth bulge can’t give them employment and decent life because of corruption and injustice and they die in ships n seas as illegal immigrants https://t.co/dnHVdy6hPV

— Farah Hussain (@FarahSaadya) August 28, 2023

There can be many lenses through which we can look at this phenomenon of people leaving the country and the caretaker Prime Minister might be focusing too much on just one aspect. It is true that people who are leaving the country will become our asset one day, but it is also a fact that most of them do not want to leave their homeland but they are left with no choice. The imagery that we saw in that sinking ship should have been enough to wake up the moral conscience but it seems like we are still beating around the bush and our only solution to fight the current economic crises is either gaslighting people or through taxing the salaried the class of the country. It’s about time for our political elite to stand up and address the issue instead of downplaying the crisis.

Related: Education and National Security: Where Do We Stand?

The writer, Muhammad Saad, is an M.Phil scholar of Political Science at GCU Lahore.