My Perspective on Private Universities in Pakistan: A Student's View
Introduction
Asalam o alikum. My opinion of private universities will only be applicable if viewed from the student's perspective. I don't have foresight or a future sight, so take all this with a grain of salt. The university I graduated from is considered the best CS university in Islamabad, located in H-11 between IIUI and Roots.
Studies in General
Studies in general were quite flexible. Teachers were allowed a free hand to teach whatever they wanted. Even in core courses, the course outline was changed according to the speciality of the instructor, rather than the course's original purpose. For example, if an instructor was excellent at teaching data structures, the course on OOP was incorporated to cater to data structures, rather than the other way around.
Course syllabi were rarely repetitive. In the earlier semesters, help sessions were organized. However, most of the topics required for the projects were taught after the submission period, making them more of a hit-and-trial method. Discussing implementation details with course instructors led to lower marks and the instructor taking the credit for concepts. This hesitation, which affected the use of new ideas and the production of good work, could not be quantified or measured.
Project Assignments and Demonstrations
Most projects were given in two formats: skeletal code or a template. Any logic that was not taught or made by the student was heavily criticized in terms of marks. Demonstrations were confidence-shattering, and instructors often started by asking students where they had copied the project from or who made it for them, rather than praising their work.
No skeletal code or class to help understand implementation details was given. Help sessions in earlier semesters were hit-or-miss, as they were only available late in the submission period. Discussing implementation details with instructors could lead to lower marks and the instructor receiving credit for the concepts.
Examinations and Grading
Official rubrics were present for projects, but most midterms and assignments lacked grading criteria. When students asked examiners why marks were cut or why different marks were given for the same answers, the examiners disengaged with the questions. This was common in the later semesters.
The grading system was biased. Certain instructors helped specific students with assignments, providing answers and even marking their term projects worth 20% without a submission. These students were given passing marks, while other students who submitted fully completed projects were critically analyzed and failed for flaws not taught in the course.
Systematic Incompetence and Harassment
Despite all these issues with proper evidence being sent to the respective members, no changes were made. Students who were failing kept failing, while those with high CGPA kept teachers happy. This led to several students considering suicide due to delayed degrees. This pattern was consistent, and no one from the HQ or university administration cared, as it was generating money for them.
Marks were tough to obtain. Students from multiple sections were consistently failed on false promises of academic failure due to low marks. Grading between sections for the same courses often meant more students could be failed that way. The threshold for passing was different for the same course taught by different instructors. At the end of the day, the faculty provided explanations for these malpractices, and any word against them resulted in the student being pinned down and harassed later.
Conclusion
This is not taking into account the changes in student behavior, clerk egos, and other related problems. Thank you for listening to my rant. My fingers hurt, and I will edit and update this later with proofs of all these claims, currently present in a Google Drive link. However, providing them will only pinpoint the particular student, and I will upload them here later with all the problems and proofs.