Replug: (A-) Level playing field?

In the last few years, increasingly, many O and A Level students in Pakistan have brought such exquisite grades that it seems nothing can stop them short of touching the stars. But just two years down the lane, the ride becomes bumpy when the time for college admission comes.

Most of them aspire to go abroad — if not immediately, then in the long run; if not for education, then for work. But few scholarships at the bachelors’ level are available and those whose parents do not have much “dough” (as Holden Caulfield puts it) have to reconcile themselves to the Pakistani higher education systems. Education at some institutes is perhaps more flexible compared to the other more conservative institutions. This step down from the foreign to local system is often disappointing.

In O and A Level, diligence and intelligence are rewarded. But this is not necessarily the case in many of our universities — where nepotism, favouritism and flattery often carry the day. In the four-year bachelors courses offered here, a significant component of the pedagogy still relies on rote-learning and evaluation is often based on memorised answers to long, subjective questions.

But all is not lost for the O and A Level students who decide to stay back. For local admissions, they have to get an equivalency for their O Levels (and both O and A Levels if they have taken both). The O Levels equivalency draws a cumulative score of only the best six subjects. Moreover, while the O Level curriculum is relatively innovative and rigorous, even average and mediocre grades like Bs and Cs translate into the coveted first division, much harder to attain in the local system. Also, while the larger colleges like LUMS, UET, IBA have a big and bright pool to choose from, colleges slightly less prestigious usually give these students full preference in interviews and admission processes.

The economic recession everywhere has further dimmed the hopes of many by reducing financial aid — especially for foreign students. There is a natural discrimination between those who can pay and those who cannot. The former have a better chance of getting in with equally good grades. But academic performance in your high school is not the only criterion, especially at American colleges. 16 As, of course, have a better chance of landing you in Harvard than 9 As, but “grade inflation” throughout the world means that colleges have to rely even more on other criteria like extra-curriculars.

Many Pakistani schools have enhanced access to extra-curricular activities for their students. From teaching foreign languages like French and German, introducing sports like Rugby, and encouraging parliamentary debates the schools have it all these days but still lag behind the developed world in terms of opportunities and infrastructure. Music, fine arts, performing arts, and most important community service and volunteering could be stressed more. What most children in Pakistan hear of and think about in their late teens, the average western student has already been exposed to much earlier. Plus international organizations (like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch), media outlets and arts/sports organizations hardly have any scholarships, internships or apprenticeships for high school students here, unlike the West. Whereas most top schools in Pakistan are obsessed with academics, other countries are increasingly turning towards well-rounded students with ambition, creativity and leadership skills.

This piece was first published in The News in August 2011.