Profile DR. NURUL ISLAM

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By AMANULLAH BASHAR
Feb 26 - Mar 04, 2001

Dr. Nurul Islam, the Chief Executive of College of Management & Information Technology (CMIT) is an educator by nature and has given the best of his life for the cause of knowledge and wisdom. Having his Masters in Economics from University of Karachi in 1964, LLB in 1965, he also carries to his credit a Ph.D. in Business Management (1978) from Missouri (USA). Before establishment of his educational centre in 1966, Dr. Nurul Islam served the cause of education at various learning centres in different academic and administrative capacities. The CMIT is offering following courses in the public sector. Diploma in Information Technology (DIT), Diploma in Business Administration (DBA) and 2-year BBA, MBA and IT Graduation courses. While Greenfield Institute of Management and Computer Sciences is offering various courses in the private sector.

PAGE: The ever growing demand for IT experts has made a noise in the education sector. There is a mushroom growth of large and small education centers especially in the field of IT. Are you satisfied with the quality and standards of the education they are imparting?

Dr.Nurul Islam: Before making any comments regarding the quality education, the more important aspect is the contradictory behaviour of the society as well as the government towards the education sector. Generally speaking, people avoid sending their children to the government schools at primary or secondary levels, as they prefer to send their children to the schools run by the private sector as their first priority. However, soon after completion of the secondary levels, the education centres run in the public sector becomes their choice while the private sector becomes the last choice. Those educational institutions having a government stamp have been given the license to fleece the students due to their monopolistic status. This monopoly situation not only causing serious complexes among the students who are unable to get admission in the public sector institutions but depriving a large number of talented students to get education in the institutions recognized by the government. The level of the tuition fee being charged by the public sector institutions is so high that only the affluent class can afford while more than 80 per cent deserving segment of the students goes to the private sector institutions. Leaving aside the exceptions, majority of the students of the public sector institutions has the financial capacity to get education abroad. This means those education opportunities both at home and abroad is available only to a certain class. If we were really interested to grow economically we would have to spread the quality education at the grass root level at an affordable price. In order to achieve this goal, monopoly of the educational institutions in the public sector has to be done away with immediately. A uniform syllabus will have to be introduced without discrimination of the tag of public or the private sector.

PAGE: Do you think that the IT has the potential to become the saviour to the national economy.

Nurul Islam: Certainly, IT is the need of the hour. But unfortunately our educational institutions are running aimlessly. There is an immediate need to give them a direction that what type of graduates does the market need.

In view of the rapid global changes are taking place in the field of IT, it is hard to match the changes due to economic constraints in Pakistan. Hence there is a need to frame a policy in accordance to the needs of the local market so that the students spending their time, money and efforts could take a tangible advantage of their efforts.

PAGE: You are generally critical about institutions running in the public sector what is your contribution being an entity in the private sector.

Nurul Islam: CMIT is an organization which is free from cosmetics of catchy decorative walls, AC and carpeted class rooms and other garnishing fixtures and fittings. We purely emphasize on quality of education at an affordable price. Our students hardly paying Rs50,000 to Rs60,000 for a two year degree courses are equally as good as the students of the public sector institutions in the market who generally pay Rs3 lakh to the similar courses.

PAGE: How to check mushroom growth of unscrupulous institutes especially in the IT sector which are deceiving the poor in the name of short courses for getting employment.

Nurul Islam: Unfortunately, moneyed people having no educational background are also making investment in this sector purely on commercial grounds to make money. It is also necessary that only those having reasonable education background should be allowed to enter the education sector. Those institutions operating in the education sector should be made liable to produce at least one research or textbook in a year to prove their commitment and interest to the cause of education.