The doors are locked and entry is not allowed…even if you are a faculty member, you cannot get in for your classes and teaching assignments as it is second day of students’ protest in the Women Campus of International Islamic University, Islamabad. This recent protest is widely reported in national dailies and news channels. We can even see what students are really up to and think about soaring strike culture at IIUI. Is it unusual that students went on strike in an educational institution in Pakistan? Of course, not! We have a plethora of evidence that every now and then students stage such demonstration somewhere in Pakistan and at times they are bloody cool! However what is unusual in case of IIUI is its punching strike rate which we have observed over the last couple of years. If you don’t recall, we can give you some flashback in the form of pictures, videos and news coverage. Enjoy, if you are not among the big bosses!What makes our students to go on strike is a million dollar question for IIUI administration. What else we can do for you chaps, they monger every time whenever a news item pops up. To them, IIUI is a complete institution by all means: competent faculty staff, visionary leadership, shining students, superb infrastructure, efficient management and on the top of every thing, moderate and always on cutting edge! So what goes wrong every now and then that some trouble makers start marching around, shouting meaningless and shameful slogans such as “water in hostels”, “books in libraries”, “good teachers in classes”, “over stuffed hostels”, “increased fee” etc. etc.
We’ll as
k them to remain cool and comfortable. Students are notoriously immature and they never comprehend how prideful our President is when it comes to his achievements within very short span of time. If you really want to feel that sense of pride then go through the recent interview of our President on Dawn’s educational pages. It is indeed a much revealing piece. In addition to expose the decaying quality of Dawn’s journalism, this interview clearly tells us that our president could be proud for 4 times just in one session of interview. Not only this, he could take pride at least for 2 times in the same interview and this obviously for what he has done for IIUI! He is perhaps in run for this year’s Presidential Pride of Performance Award! All the best Dr. sahib!Unfortunately students and the most of the faculty do not share this sense of pride and they are highly critical of what is happening on campus. Isn’t it a matter of subjective interpretation? One thing is for sure that Dr. Siddiqi’s tenure as president witnessed unprecedented strikes and agitations on Campus. By the way the interview reveals that the “visionary president” lacks some vision when he narrates the history of IIUI (He says: “We started with the faculty of Islamic Studies with the strength of just 40 students,” whereas we all know that faculty of Islamic studies (was there ever a faculty with this name?) was not the pioneering faculty of IIUI; Dr. Siddiqui was then “proud of the Department of Social Science which has been established under his enterprising aegis”. Yet another sheer misrepresentation of facts! He does not even know about certain basic statistics of IIUI and says “We are lucky to have four PhDs teaching in the faculty of Engineering”. In fact IIUI hosts seven (7) PhDs in the Faculty of Engineering & Technology: http://my.iiu.edu.pk/Faculties/EngineeringTechnology/FacultyStaff/tabid/79/Default.aspx )
If you really want to know that why it is all happening then there are simple answers. Answers that do not need Socratic wisdom but of course, call for invoking your ordinary prudence! Our problem is maladministration and mismanagement. Despite all rhetoric about power decentralization, we are an extremely enclosed body-corporate where decision making is centralized and irrational. Whatever notional powers are devolved, they are among the few handpicked and largely incompetent people who ultimately create these situations for the President. Let’s take the example of this strike. Who decided about the increase of hostel fee and how that decision was reached? Like all other cases and after students’ agitation and strike, the decision was withdrawn in the name of clarification and misconception. Our familiar buzz words at IIUI! Every time after facing music, our President delicately shifts the whole blame to his subordinate authority and ironically that authority cannot even utter a word: Et tu, Brute?
We sincerely believe that strike culture is merely a tip of an iceberg of maladministration. It is high time for IIUI administration to come out of its boastful pride and think about the ground realities. Such matters cannot be resolved with poorly drafted counter press releases.
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6 comments:
Dear brothers & sisters,
Assalam-o-Alaikum and Ramadan Kareem:
I read this blog with interest... and certainly with some disgust as well. As a graduate of International Islamic University Islamabad, I shall remain indebted to this great seat of learning, which offered me (and numerous others) a strong foundation to serve the now fast developing Islamic financial industry. I joined IIUI in 1986 and graduated in 1990 (BSc Hons Economics; gold medal) and passed out is 1991 (MSc Economics; gold medal). During this period Dr. Anwar Hussain Siddiqui served as a Vice President for several years.
I don't know the exact nature of the recent protests in the university, but I can tell with 100% certainty that such protests during my stay in the university were not entirely a reaction to problems faced by students and faculty. There has always been a political dimension to it, which serves interests of some of the groups and individuals associated with the university.
Dr. Siddiqui isn't an angel and I am sure the protestors would fail to find an angel amongst them as well. As a former student of the university, who now has no vested interest in the university, I can confirm that Dr. Siddiqui is indeed a better qualified and better intended leader for the university. Those who are protesting against him might have some genuine problems facing them but I am sure Dr. Siddiqui has very little to do with their problems. IIUI attracts a large number of students who come from humble backgrounds (like myself) and as a consequence of that bring a set of problems with them from home. When such students with weak and vulnerable backgrounds reach the university, they are lead by the so-called student leaders who themselves come from weak family backgrounds (but are empowered by the student politics). These student leaders lack wisdom and vision and lead student masses to such protests, sometimes convincing them with reason and at times with force and threats.
Referring to some facts and Dr. Siddiqui's reported ignorance of them is nothing but a product of sheer lack of exposure of the blog-writer. How many readers of Dawn would know what we at IIUI call Faculty of Usuluddin? Other numbers reported in the newspapers may have been misreported by the interviewer. As someone who is frequently interviewed by BBC, CNN, and other electronic and print media, I can confirm that many a times the interviewer comes up with some numbers never mentioned by me!
At the end, my brothers and sisters, let us be proud of a great institution that is going to contribute to your personal lives and that of many others, in sha Allah.
It would have been much better for you Dr. Dar to share some illustrations that how Dr. Anwar Siddiqui is "indeed a better qualified and better intended leader for the university"? Any achievement or good initiative on his part during this term? We can only see negative things happening every day in the university. He has spoiled faculties like usuludding and integrity of the women campus with the appointment of people who have absolutely nothing to do with Islamic character of this great institution. Mr. Dar, come on and seek first hand knowledge from faculty members and students who have no political motives but they are crying as they can see an institution dying before them. Whatever was special with International Islamic University (please thing about "International" and then "Islamic") that’s destroyed by this leadership. It is always easy to talk about good things when you are thousands of miles away and linked only with the so called elite of an institution.
My brother Akhtar,
Assalam-o-Alaikum:
I am certainly not well-informed of the present situation in the university. What I can share with you is that the students were never happy with Dr. Hussein Hamid Hassan (President of the university during my time) and Dr. Muhammad Afzal (the then Rector). I have heard people complaining against Dr. Mahmood Ghazi as well. In my opinion, all these guys tried to do whatever they could for the university and of course for the students and faculty. The best thing is to do whatever we are required to do. Students must concentrate on their studies and teachers should continue teaching. Let the administration do what they are required to do. We must support our leaders, and inform them of our concerns in a civilised way. This blog is a good initiative, which should focus on the good things this university has contributed to the Pakistan society and the wider world. No harm in pointing out shortcomings but we must do it like we do in our own households. If one's father or elder brother happnes to be on wrong side of the fence, he should be told with politeness and due respect. Only then mutual respect and benefit prevail.
We shouldn't fall prey to the prevailing tragedy of Pakistani nation who don't have a living hero. All their heros are dead except Hazrat Isa and a yet to come hero, Imam Mehdi.
Thanks Dr. sahib for your reply. I really appreciate your positive views about IIUI and I can fully understand the perspective which you applying in the given circumstances. You are right that people (students plus faculty) used to criticize almost all leadership (names you have mentioned and many more) but one thing is for sure that largely that criticism (at least which I am privy to) was true despite whatever good things those people have done in IIUI. My argument is pretty straightforward regarding this. The university is now ranked 8th by the Higher Education Commission in Pakistan and on all aspects of quality, it had failed conspicuously. It is an external and objective assessment of IIUI performance and “credit” for such performance should go to IIUI administration (whosoever is there). So if people criticize Dr. Hassan, Dr. Ghazi and now Dr, Siddiqui for their ad-hoc policies, lack of vision, dubious appointments and malfunctioning, the current state of IIUI affairs is clear evidence in this regard. After all it was their responsibility to boost IIUI standards. This does not caste doubts about their personal skills and many other good attributes but here people are trying to judge them by performance as managers.
You are very right that let everybody does his/her job but can you perform your job in circumstances which are counter productive for any positive activity. How can you be a good and peaceful student if teachers who are enjoying Dr. Siddiqu’s support are not competent to teach? What if those who are appointed are notorious and publically known for their plagiarism and fake doctoral degrees but your admin kept on supporting them until last moment? How will you work as a hardworking faculty if you are told to teach 4 and 5 subjects in one semester in addition to production of state of art research? What if you will be asked to work in an underpaid environment and where president himself differentiates publically between “horses” and “donkeys” (on the basis of earning capacity of a given faculty)? Just a few examples!
I am with you to be positive and talk about nice things but only when nice things are around. There is consensus among academicians in the country about exceedingly low quality standards at IIUI and what else we can do expect speaking and sounding it out?
Last, I am once again with you that Hazrat Isa and Imam Mehdi are not around to fix our problem but I wonder that do we really need them to resolve maladministration issues. There are many good, functional and efficient academic institutions in the country who doing quite well with out such divine support. So it is not asking for too much. You are a bit inflating on this point.
Dear Dr Humayon,
Salamat and hope you are fine. After reading your comment, it is difficult to believe that you have no vested interest in the university. I think people at IIUI and especially in the School of Economics are well aware why you are so vhemently defending Dr Siddiqui.
I have strong objection to the part of your comment where you have tried to deride the students coming from poor families. I wonder how can you think of that since you were one of those students at IIUI in mid 80's and we had the testimony of your humble background in one of the public gatherings from the mouth of Dr Anwar H Siddiqui.
Accusing the students of the problems at campus and thus bailing out the administration of their responsibilities is an attitude of arrogance. You have also tried to represent the students from humble backgrounds as those devoid of any political awareness and those who can be led by the nose. But ironically, in your own case, the situation has been quite different. You rose from a humble background and ended up at Cambridge never to look back!! Perhaps this is the reason for your all out support for IIUI administration and not to think sympathetically of the problems of students from humble background as your foreground is utterly changed now.
I am sorry if it offends but your comment was also not very different.
Dear Dr Muslehuddin (I wish you were the real one, my friend),
Assalam-o-Alaikum:
Without going into details of what people at IIUI or School of Economics consider to be my vested interest in the university, and without referring to sheer ignorance of people of the matter you alluded to in your last comment, I am trying to make a simple case here. Politics of confrontation and protest doesn't pay off, even if it seems working in the short run. It is nothing but a blame game. When I was a student (yes with a humble background and I referred to it in my first comment as well) at IIUI, it was Dr. Muhammad Afzal, Dr. Hussein Hamid Hassan and the predominantly Arab administration which was blamed for slow progress in the university affairs and the problems faced by students and the faculty. Now that the university leadership has tilted in favour of Pakistanis, it seems as if the "glory days" of Arab administration are looked upon as the golden age of the university. My guess, my friend, is that you have spent some time at IIUM and if so you must be very well aware of the fact that IIUM made impressive progress since its inception not solely because of the leadership of the university but also because of generous support of the Malaysian government. In my opinion, IIUI has faced most of its problems because of lack of adequate support of the Pakistani government. Despite this, IIUI remains a great project and a futurist institution for the Muslim Ummah. By boycotting, protesting, raising slogans, shouting, blaming and at times abusing, what kind of an image we are creating of an otherwise great institution? I am making a simple point here... not favouring any person or individual, although I believe that the present predident of the university is a better qualified and better intended person amongst the lot of university leaders. This is my ndividual opinion and everyone has a right to agree or disagree... but of course without the blame game.
I hope I haven't offended you although you tried to offend me, my brother.
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