LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Problems in Ph.D. English Degree Programme in Pakistan -
The Issue of Quality Assurance

Umar-ud- Din, M. Kamal Khan and Shahzad Mahmood

Abstract

The present study aims at identifying the issues and problems of quality assurance in Ph.D. English degree in Pakistan. The study shows that the quality of Ph.D. English degree is highly affected by the lack of qualified faculty, limited number of approved supervisors and the absence of the collaboration between universities within the country. The data was collected from 35 students of the M.S. degree programme, in preparation for the degree of Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics. Respondents' agreement to these issues and other problems like access to digital resources, the Internet, well-equipped libraries etc., suggests that quality assurance in Ph.D. English degree programme can be guaranteed only if these issues are given urgent attention and are solved on priority basis.

Introduction

This study aims to explore issues and problems that affect quality assurance in Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) English degree programme particularly in Pakistani Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).

Ph.D. is the highest academic degree awarded by Pakistani HEIs. According to Chris Park (2005), "Ph.D. is a research degree awarded for demonstrating ability to carry out academic research and to produce new knowledge". Recent studies have demonstrated that for developing countries, higher education can play vital role in accelerating the rate of growth towards a country's productivity potential (Bloom, Canning, and Chan 2006).

The Ph.D. degrees offered by the universities in Pakistan (either public or private) should equip the trainee researchers with the skills such as observation, critical analysis and finding solution and designing tools to solve local problems. In Pakistan, like in many other countries of the world, most of the research is carried out in the fields of natural sciences and technical education. There is little emphasis on research in languages or humanities.

In this age of knowledge based economies, need of the hour is that effective research should be carried out in every walk of life including English (language and/or literature): the primary language of higher education and research. Unfortunately, the number of Ph.D.s in English in Pakistan is not encouraging and amongst them, only a few are engaged in research projects that can foster the economic progress of the country. The universities offering Ph.D. in English (Linguistics/Literature) are also very few. The obvious reason for this is the non-availability of the academics that can run quality research projects effectively.

Objectives

The study aims to discover:

1. The issues concerned with the quality assurance of Ph.D. English degree in Pakistan.
2. To suggest measures to make the Ph.D. English degree in Pakistan compatible with the international market.

Research Question

Following is the research question of the study:

How can the higher education system guarantee excellence in Ph.D. English degree in Pakistan?

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