Impact of Globalization on Higher Education in Pakistan: Challenges and Opportunities

Globalization, a process of interconnectedness of people and higher education, has a prominent position in intellectual society of this globalized world. Technological advancement has made possible access to knowledge and not restricted to physical boundaries. This cohesiveness has also an impact on higher education in Pakistan. Being a developing country it is earning fewer benefits from globalization as compared to developed nations. Moreover, Pakistan is also under cumbersome pressure to implement policies of powerful states in all fields of life including higher education. Since this globalized world has pros as well as cons so, in Pakistan where on one hand it has played positive role in development of research, improvement of knowledge and ability of teachers and students, enhancement of skills, betterment in quality of education, expansion of job market, etc. It has also imparted negative effects like brain drain, commercialization of knowledge instead of propagation of knowledge, ignorance of national needs in educational policies, promotion of academic imperialism and global citizenship instead of nationalism in Pakistan. No doubt, according to social Darwinism adaptation is prerequisite for survival, thus, for competing with global change higher education policy should be designed in the context of globalization, however, national needs should be given priority. The study is qualitative in nature and explores how globalization has not only created opportunities but has also posed challenges in perspective of higher education in Pakistan. This study also gives some recommendations through which Pakistan can meet aforementioned challenges successfully.