Dr. Arshad Ahmad

Vice Chancellor of LUMS

Compiled from 1 recorded interview. Every statement below is drawn from the passage cited beside it.

Dr. Arshad Ahmad is the Vice Chancellor of LUMS. He was born in Karachi and raised there. He was hired full-time at McGill University in 1982. He also worked at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.

Early life and background

Ahmad's family came from a modest background, and his parents encouraged education. He describes himself as an average student interested in history and the arts. He says he was uncertain about his path at that age. [1]

Ahmad was the first in his family to leave for study abroad. His first plane flight was to Islamabad, with a basketball team. He was admitted to a school of architecture in the UK. His brother-in-law, an architect, was an important figure in his life. His brother joined him and they lived together. [1]

Education

Ahmad won a scholarship to attend the Karachi American School. He moved to Karachi Grammar School after the scholarship ended, and he completed his O and A Levels there. [1]

Ahmad graduated in 1980. He moved from Concordia University to McGill University for his MBA, and he entered the MBA program right after finishing his first degree. He says his two years at McGill are where he discovered what he would do for the next 50 years. He studied accounting and finance. [1]

Ahmad did a PhD in psychology and human learning. His PhD focused on cognition, instruction and computers in education. He took a one-year sabbatical. He says he had a burning desire to learn about learning. [1]

Early jobs

Ahmad says he worked from the start of his studies to earn pocket money. His first job was as a store detective in a grocery store. His grocery store job also covered cash, inventory and cleaning work. He says he was opportunistic and tried to make the best of what he had. [1]

Teaching at McGill University

Ahmad says he loves teaching. He says his first teaching evaluation was poor, though he thought he was doing well. He says a chair encouraged him and gave him another chance after the poor evaluation. He says his early teaching covered content too fast and left students behind, and that he gave students a lot of ambiguity in class. He says he misused class time in his early teaching. [1]

Ahmad was nationally recognized for his teaching and won a national teaching award. He says he coordinated a program for ten years, meeting 10 new teachers around the country every year. He was invited to teach at institutions around the world. He says his finance specialization has over 100,000 students. [1]

Vice Provost role

Ahmad worked at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. A university in Hamilton, Ontario had a Vice Provost, Learning and Teaching position open. He was appointed to the Vice Provost role at that Hamilton university. He says he never saw himself as an administrator before that role. [1]

Ahmad says the impact of his teaching felt limited. He says that feeling drove him to take on the Vice Provost position. [1]

Return to Pakistan

Ahmad says it felt natural to return to Pakistan, where he grew up. He says he wanted to give something back to Pakistan for what it gave him. He was asked to give a talk at LUMS before he applied for the post. He says he joined the LUMS search late in the process. [1]

LUMS

Ahmad says LUMS was the first to introduce a four-year bachelor's program, and that it also introduced a five-year law program. He says LUMS has just graduated 100 PhDs in science and engineering. He says LUMS's School of Education is four years old. He says that school offers two MPhil degrees and undergraduate minors. [1]

Students and alumni

Ahmad says about 5,000 students study at LUMS and half of them live on campus. He says one out of three students at LUMS is among those who need up to 100 percent of their tuition. He says LUMS has about 17,000 alumni, of whom about 11,000 live in Pakistan. He says the NOP program started 21 years ago. He says between 13,000 and 18,000 people apply to the NOP program. [1]

Faculty, tuition and growth

Ahmad says strong LUMS faculty receive offers the university cannot match. He says LUMS sought governance changes so faculty could focus on their strengths. He says LUMS tuition has gone up and will probably rise again. He says LUMS does not pay faculty enough, which is a competitive disadvantage. He says a university's quality depends on its faculty. [1]

Ahmad says LUMS does not want to be a big university or open another LUMS in another city. He says LUMS prefers collaboration over competition or growth. He says LUMS has grown about 10 percent each year. He says LUMS has hard limits because its campus is 100 acres. He says zoning laws limit LUMS buildings to seven floors. [1]

Campus and programs

Ahmad says a new building has been designed for two and a half years and has just received funding. He says the new building will showcase a museum, permanent and otherwise. He says LUMS is going to put six centers working side by side with industry. He says the LUMS campus has every tree species found in Punjab and attracts birds from Central Asia. He says he wants to keep the campus green and not turn it into a concrete jungle. [1]

Ahmad says a special zone for computer science and AI programs could be possible. He says LUMS could run niche programs elsewhere but would not build another LUMS. He says LUMS has a national incubation center that is doing well. He says an executive development center as old as LUMS has trained 37,000 managers. [1]

Research and energy

Ahmad says LUMS's Energy Institute has written reports that went to the federal government. He says a conservative estimate puts government savings from the energy reports at one billion US dollars a year. He says the power sector is Pakistan's biggest threat. He says LUMS wants to work behind the scenes, guiding policy. [1]

Ahmad says an electric rickshaw made at LUMS was built with a South Korean company, and that six startups have come from work on swappable-battery two and three wheelers. He says a LUMS water research team matched conventional yields with zero pesticides and one third the water. He says the water research team uses solar power and drones. He says the LUMS water research work is led from electrical engineering. [1]

Online courses

Ahmad says LUMS formed a learning and teaching center after COVID. He says LUMS formed a learning institute, with half of the faculty taking developmental courses. He says LUMS made online courses a strategic priority. He says LUMS's online courses are more robust than some classroom courses. [1]

Ahmad says he invited vice chancellors to meet, and nine signed up for a shared course initiative with HEC. He says the shared course idea was to offer top courses free to all universities in Pakistan. He suggested naming the shared course platform Pakistan EdX. He says LUMS has offered 10 courses to the shared program. He says students in higher education will access these courses at almost zero cost. [1]

Ahmad says the courses are asynchronous, with no live portion. He says that in 2018 he invited a colleague to Pakistan. He says the course of the colleague he invited is called Learning How to Learn. He says the offer of a course came on the condition that it be made in Urdu. [1]

Skardu program

Ahmad says a program offered 300 people the chance to live together for a month in Skardu. He says the condition was that those courses be 80 percent field based. He says students had no water for drinking, bathing or cooking, and no electricity. [1]

Views on teaching

Ahmad says that good teaching is a craft that is learned, not innate. He says anyone can learn to teach. He says deliberate reflection is central to learning teaching. He says practice only builds teaching skill when the teacher reflects. He says there are no shortcuts to developing teaching skill. [1]

Ahmad says most learning happens outside the classroom. He says students want time with faculty beyond office hours. He says silence can be a teaching tool. He says ambiguity is introduced on purpose at a certain stage of development. He says one-way knowledge transfer is not how people learn. [1]

Ahmad says all subjects are interdisciplinary and the boundaries between them are artificial. He says no discipline, including religion, should have artificial boundaries drawn around it. He says the value of a PhD depends on the quality of the program. He says that when a course is designed, students have to be at the table. He says curiosity is the root of learning. [1]

Views on education and Pakistan

Ahmad describes Pakistan's education sector as a frontier that remains to be unlocked. He says education is as urgent as climate change and food security. He says K to 3 and K to 6 are the most formative stages. He cites estimates of 30 to 50 million children dropping out before high school. He says teachers need to be valued and given dignity and purpose. [1]

Ahmad says he is full of hope for Pakistan, and that hope is what determines where a country goes in the future. He says Pakistan is a young country, only 75 years old. He says Pakistan's youth should be treated as partners, not clients. He says Pakistan's record on gender equity and inclusiveness is embarrassing. He says international students find that Pakistan is not a dangerous place. [1]

Ahmad says Pakistan holds what he calls the third pole of frozen ice in the Himalayas. He says Pakistan has more data on water and infectious disease than anywhere else. He says universities have a moral obligation to showcase regional collaboration. He says LUMS should temper its focus on the West. He says he wants LUMS to be a household name in South Asia and Central Asia. [1]

Ahmad says Islam did not say that questioning is forbidden. He says much of what the Greeks borrowed came from Islamic studies. He says Iran has some amazing religious scholars. He says Pakistan has more in common with Indonesia and Malaysia than with European countries in that regard. [1]

Personal life

Ahmad says his family did not move to Pakistan with him. He says being alone in Pakistan is his hardest challenge. He says his children are grown up. [1]

Timeline

1980
Graduated.[1]
1981
Worked as a research assistant for a professor.[1]
1982
Hired full-time at McGill University.[1]
2018
Invited a colleague to Pakistan.[1]

Appearances

DateTitleWhere
2022-11-30 The VC who came back to fix Pakistan's universities Thought Behind Things

Frequently asked questions

Who is Dr. Arshad Ahmad?

Dr. Arshad Ahmad is the Vice Chancellor of LUMS. He was born in Karachi and raised there. He was hired full-time at McGill University in 1982.[1]

What does Dr. Arshad Ahmad do?

Dr. Arshad Ahmad is the Vice Chancellor of LUMS. He says LUMS is not only a business school, and that it is a private not-for-profit institution. He says LUMS wants to work behind the scenes, guiding policy.[1]

Where did Dr. Arshad Ahmad study?

Dr. Arshad Ahmad completed his O and A Levels at Karachi Grammar School. He moved from Concordia University to McGill University for his MBA. He did a PhD in psychology and human learning.[1]

Where is Dr. Arshad Ahmad from?

Dr. Arshad Ahmad was born in Karachi and raised there. He says it felt natural to return to Pakistan, where he grew up.[1]

What is Dr. Arshad Ahmad known for?

Dr. Arshad Ahmad is known as the Vice Chancellor of LUMS. He was nationally recognized for his teaching and won a national teaching award. He says his finance specialization has over 100,000 students.[1]

What does Dr. Arshad Ahmad say about learning to teach?

Dr. Arshad Ahmad says that good teaching is a craft that is learned, not innate, and that anyone can learn to teach. He says deliberate reflection is central to learning teaching. He says there are no shortcuts to developing teaching skill.[1]

What did Dr. Arshad Ahmad suggest for online courses in Pakistan?

Dr. Arshad Ahmad says the idea of a shared course initiative was to offer top courses free to all universities in Pakistan. He suggested naming the shared course platform Pakistan EdX. He says students in higher education will access these courses at almost zero cost.[1]

References

  1. The VC who came back to fix Pakistan's universities . Thought Behind Things , 2022-11-30.
Show the source passages (156 statements)
  1. Dr. Arshad Ahmad is the Vice Chancellor of LUMS. Putting Learning First Ft. VC LUMS | 289 | TBT
  2. He was born in Karachi and raised there. Ji, born in Karachi, raised in Karachi, studied in Karachi, right up till college.
  3. His family came from a modest background. we were from a modest family, had to make sure that we sort of stood on our own feet.
  4. His parents encouraged education. Parents encouraged education very much. Very grateful to them.
  5. He won a scholarship to attend the Karachi American School. They offered scholarships. I got one in the Karachi American School.
  6. He moved to Karachi Grammar School after the scholarship ended. So then I moved to Karachi Grammar School, lucky enough to get in there.
  7. He completed his O and A Levels at Karachi Grammar School. So I did my O's and A's in Karachi Grammar School.
  8. He was the first in his family to leave for study abroad. I was the first one to leave in the family
  9. His first plane flight was to Islamabad, with a basketball team. my first trip was to Islamabad on the basketball team. It's the first time I sat in a plane.
  10. He was admitted to a school of architecture in the UK. although I had admission in the UK in a school of architecture of all the places.
  11. His brother-in-law, an architect, was an important figure in his life. Because my brother-in-law, who's an architect, was also a very important figure in my life.
  12. He describes himself as an average student interested in history and the arts. I was a pretty average student. I wasn't excelling in anything really that much, except I was very much interested in history, in the arts
  13. He was uncertain about his path at that age. And so, I think I was like anyone else, but also very confused at that age.
  14. He says he worked from the start of his studies to earn pocket money. if you wanted to sort of have some pocket money and do other things, then you had to work. And I did from the get-go.
  15. His first job was as a store detective in a grocery store. Well, it's kind of funny now because my first job was as a store detective in a grocery store.
  16. His grocery store job also covered cash, inventory and cleaning work. Guarding the merchandise, occasionally doing the cash and then learning inventory and doing all kinds of mopping floors
  17. He says he was opportunistic and tried to make the best of what he had. I always found myself to be opportunistic in the sense of trying to make the best of what I had
  18. His brother joined him and they lived together. Then my brother joined me, so that was good living with him.
  19. He graduated in 1980. Uh, yeah. I graduated in 80 and then just the way the semester worked
  20. He moved from Concordia University to McGill University for his MBA. No, no, to McGill then from Concordia.
  21. He entered the MBA program right after finishing his first degree. I got right into the MBA program. Right. From the same university?
  22. He says his two years at McGill are where he discovered what he would do for the next 50 years. And did two years of that, which is where I discovered what I'm going to be doing for the next 50 years.
  23. He studied accounting and finance. Well, hardcore in the sense that I did accounting and finance.
  24. He did a diploma in accounting after his MBA. I did my diploma in accounting after the MBA and um, you know, did the exam and so on.
  25. He says he had promised his father and his parents that he would do what they wanted him to do. I'd made a promise to my father and my parents that I will do what they wanted me to do.
  26. He says accounting did not excite him. What I learned though in my concentration was this did not excite me.
  27. He worked as a research assistant for a professor in 1981. I was working as a research assistant for a prof. Right. This is in 81.
  28. He taught a class for a professor who had gone to France to give a presentation. And she had to go off to France to give some presentation and she said, teach my class.
  29. He was hired full-time at McGill in 1982. And that started to blossom in in 82 when I had the opportunity to uh get a full-time work at McGill.
  30. He started at McGill as a lecturer on semester contracts. Oh, you know, I was one of those lecturers. Um, so I had a contract, pehle toh like an adjunct, semester by semester.
  31. He taught at other institutions alongside his McGill job. then I started moonlighting and teaching everywhere else.
  32. He says he loves teaching. I just love teaching.
  33. He says his first teaching evaluation was poor, though he thought he was doing well. my sort of first evaluation of teaching was not good, although I thought I was great.
  34. He says a chair encouraged him and gave him another chance after the poor evaluation. But he was a good chair. He encouraged me and he thought, learn from this, I'll give you another chance.
  35. He says his early teaching covered content too fast and left students behind. So I think I was just leaving people behind thinking I'm doing my job, covering all the content.
  36. He says he gave students a lot of ambiguity in class. what I was doing in the classroom was giving a lot of ambiguity.
  37. He says he misused class time in his early teaching. the third thing that didn't help me at all was that I really uh misused my time with them.
  38. He says he did well on the questions he attempted but did not pass the course. So I got I did well on the questions I attempted, but I didn't pass the course.
  39. He says he did not have the money to buy a calculator. Hamare paas paise nahi the ke Hewlett-Packard ya ye Casio jo bhi calculator khareed lein.
  40. He was nationally recognized for his teaching and won a national teaching award. I was nationally recognized for my teaching. I got this award.
  41. He says he coordinated a program for ten years, meeting 10 new teachers around the country every year. then I started coordinating that program. So, I was meeting 10 new teachers around the country every year. I did that for 10 years.
  42. He was invited to teach at institutions around the world. And I was being invited to teach all over the world.
  43. He did a PhD in psychology and human learning. So, naturally for me, the program was, uh, psychology and human learning, and that's what I did.
  44. His PhD focused on cognition, instruction and computers in education. Uh, cognition, instruction, and especially computers in education.
  45. He took a one-year sabbatical. I took a year sabbatical.
  46. He says he had a burning desire to learn about learning. But there was this burning desire in me to learn about learning.
  47. He says the value of a PhD depends on the quality of the program. Now, that depends on the PhD program. So you can have good programs, you can have those where you're basically getting a piece of paper
  48. He says that good teaching is a craft that is learned, not innate. It is a craft. I think good teaching is something you learn. You're not born with.
  49. He says anyone can learn to teach. Anyone can learn to teach. I am I'm a firm believer of that.
  50. He says deliberate reflection is central to learning teaching. that's reflection. Deliberate reflection.
  51. He says practice only builds teaching skill when the teacher reflects. And the time only is going to be productive if you're reflecting. Good teachers reflect.
  52. He says there are no shortcuts to developing teaching skill. Shortcuts nahi hote usmein.
  53. He says most learning happens outside the classroom. Most learning actually happens outside the classroom.
  54. He says students want time with faculty beyond office hours. They want to spend time with faculty. Hmm. Not just office hours
  55. He says silence can be a teaching tool. So, actually, silence is a pedagogical tool, right?
  56. He says ambiguity is introduced on purpose at a certain stage of development. Although ambiguity is one of those things you purposely introduce at a certain level of development
  57. He says one-way knowledge transfer is not how people learn. That's a very one-way, you know, kind of open someone's head and put knowledge in there.
  58. He says all subjects are interdisciplinary and the boundaries between them are artificial. I mean, I think all subjects are. We just create artificial boundaries and make them one discipline, but actually everything's connected.
  59. He says LUMS was the first to introduce a four-year bachelor's program. LUMS was the first by the way that introduced the four-year bachelor's program.
  60. He says LUMS also introduced a five-year law program. And the five-year law program, another innovation from LUMS
  61. He says LUMS has just graduated 100 PhDs in science and engineering. We just graduated 100 PhDs from science and engineering.
  62. A university in Hamilton, Ontario had a Vice Provost, Learning and Teaching position open. a university in Hamilton, Ontario, which is outside of Toronto, uh had a position opening called Vice Provost Learning and Teaching.
  63. He worked at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. I built a specialization while I was at McMaster in Hamilton.
  64. He was appointed to the Vice Provost role at that Hamilton university. So it worked out. You know, I got the position and I had a chance to see how the university functions.
  65. He says he never saw himself as an administrator before that role. I was never an administrator. I never saw myself as a department chair or head or dean
  66. He says the impact of his teaching felt limited. That the impact I was having as a teacher in my discipline or even some other disciplines, was still limited.
  67. He says that feeling of limited impact drove him to take on the Vice Provost position. And that drove me to take on this position.
  68. He says it felt natural to return to Pakistan, where he grew up. So, it was natural for me to come back.
  69. He says he wanted to give something back to Pakistan for what it gave him. give something back for the gift that you received
  70. He says his family did not move to Pakistan with him. even though my family couldn't. So, and they still aren't here.
  71. He says being alone in Pakistan is his hardest challenge. This is my hardest challenge. I'm alone here.
  72. He says his children are grown up. You know, my kids are grown up.
  73. He was asked to give a talk at LUMS before he applied for the post. and they asked me to give a talk here. And I think I was kind of roped into.
  74. He says he joined the LUMS search late in the process. So I was late in the running. I got squeezed in there.
  75. He says at the time of recording he had been at LUMS for five years. Yeah, for this is my fifth year.
  76. He says LUMS is not only a business school. It's not a business school. It is one of five other schools, although business school being the oldest has produced some of our greatest alumni.
  77. He says LUMS was 31 years old when he joined. in the scheme of things, it's at that time when I joined, it was uh 31 years old.
  78. He says LUMS celebrated its 35th anniversary. And we just celebrated our 35th anniversary.
  79. He says LUMS's business school is the only AACSB-accredited business school in Pakistan. And it is the only accredited uh AACSB accredited, internationally accredited business school in Pakistan
  80. He says strong LUMS faculty receive offers the university cannot match. when you get good at something, then people want your prized faculty and they get offers you can't compete with
  81. He says LUMS sought governance changes so faculty could focus on their strengths. to look at governance systems that would sort of get them away from the administrative aspects of work and focus on what they're really good at
  82. He says LUMS's School of Education is four years old. a very young school of education, which is now only four years old.
  83. He says LUMS's School of Education offers two MPhil degrees and undergraduate minors. It has two MPhil degrees and uh undergraduate minors
  84. He describes Pakistan's education sector as a frontier that remains to be unlocked. it's just a wild west, a wild frontier that remains to be unlocked.
  85. He says education is as urgent as climate change and food security. right there with climate change and food security, education is a ticking time bomb
  86. He says LUMS's Energy Institute has written reports that went to the federal government. So, the energy institute here, only four years old, has written numerous reports that have gone to uh the federal government.
  87. He says a conservative estimate puts government savings from the energy reports at one billion US dollars a year. a most conservative estimate is that having made implementations from their recommendations, the government is saving a billion US dollars dollars each year
  88. He says the power sector is Pakistan's biggest threat. That's the biggest biggest uh uh threat to Pakistan is our power sector.
  89. He says LUMS wants to work behind the scenes, guiding policy. But we want to be behind the scenes and guide and give policy recommendations.
  90. He says an electric rickshaw made at LUMS was built with a South Korean company. an electric rickshaw that is now on the road, made at LUMS with a South Korean company.
  91. He says six startups have come from work on swappable-battery two and three wheelers. Six new startups have come uh along this in this uh area of uh uh two wheelers, three wheelers with a swappable battery.
  92. He says a LUMS water research team matched conventional yields with zero pesticides and one third the water. And have produced the same yield as a small conventional farmer with zero pesticides, one third the water consumption
  93. He says the water research team uses solar power and drones. they are using solar to power, they are using drone technology to measure
  94. He says the LUMS water research work is led from electrical engineering. although it's under electrical engineering is the guy who's leading this, Dr. Abubakar Muhammad
  95. He says LUMS is a private not-for-profit institution. This is a private institution, but it's a not-for-profit.
  96. He says the NOP program started 21 years ago. So, that was the idea of the NOP program 21 years ago.
  97. He says between 13,000 and 18,000 people apply to the NOP program. woh 13, 14, 16, 18,000 log jo apply karte hain hamare NOP ke liye
  98. He says about 5,000 students study at LUMS and half of them live on campus. Half of our students, half of our 5,000 students live on campus.
  99. He says one out of three students at LUMS is among those who need up to 100 percent of their tuition. What about the ones who need up to 100% of their tuition? So, that is one out of three students at LUMS.
  100. He says about 17,000 LUMS alumni, of whom about 11,000 live in Pakistan. 17,000 hamare alumni hain. Usmein se koi 11,000 Pakistan mein hain.
  101. He says LUMS tuition has gone up and will probably rise again. So, I think our tuition, uh yes, it has gone up and it will probably go up again.
  102. He says LUMS does not pay faculty enough, which is a competitive disadvantage. I think one of our competitive disadvantages is that we don't pay enough salaries.
  103. He says a university's quality depends on its faculty. Quality is a function of faculty.
  104. He says LUMS does not want to be a big university or open another LUMS in another city. We don't want to be a big university. We don't even want to have another LUMS in another city.
  105. He says LUMS prefers collaboration over competition or growth. the answer has to be in collaboration, not competition, not becoming bigger.
  106. He says LUMS has grown about 10 percent each year. we traditionally we've been having a growth of about 10% each year.
  107. He says LUMS has hard limits because its campus is 100 acres. we have some hard constraints with 100 acre campus.
  108. He says zoning laws limit LUMS buildings to seven floors. According to our zoning laws, you can't go more than seven floors now.
  109. He says LUMS is going to put six centers working side by side with industry. we are going to put six centers working side by side with industry
  110. He says a new building has been designed for two and a half years and has just received funding. We've been designing this building now for two and a half years. We just got funding for it
  111. He says the LUMS campus has every tree species found in Punjab. Did you know that we have all the trees of Punjab on this campus?
  112. He says the campus attracts birds from Central Asia. And we found that because of those, we get birds from Central Asia.
  113. He says he wants to keep the campus green and not turn it into a concrete jungle. not make this into a concrete jungle. Green is important.
  114. He says a special zone for computer science and AI programs could be possible. I can see perhaps a special zone where we encourage certain types of programs, perhaps in computer science and in AI
  115. He says LUMS could run niche programs elsewhere but would not build another LUMS. can run niche program, but not another LUMS.
  116. He says LUMS has a national incubation center that is doing well. we have the national incubation center here which is doing mashallah very well.
  117. He says an executive development center as old as LUMS has trained 37,000 managers. we have the Rausing Executive Development Center as old as LUMS. Hmm. Which has trained 37,000 managers
  118. He says LUMS formed a learning and teaching center after COVID. we formed a learning institute here, a learning and teaching center, which really propelled almost half of our faculty took developmental courses
  119. He says LUMS made online courses a strategic priority. So this became a strategic priority for the university. We are building the largest repository of online courses
  120. He says he invited vice chancellors to meet, and nine signed up for a shared course initiative with HEC. So I asked some of the vice chancellors to meet and nine of them signed up and we hosted them here with HEC.
  121. He says the shared course idea was to offer top courses free to all universities in Pakistan. offer them to all universities in Pakistan for free.
  122. He suggested naming the shared course platform Pakistan EdX. Call it Pakistan EdX.
  123. He says LUMS has offered 10 courses to the shared program. aapko humne pesh kar diye hain LUMS ke 10 courses
  124. He says students in higher education will access these courses at almost zero cost. all students in in the higher education system will have access to those courses at almost zero cost.
  125. He says the courses are asynchronous, with no live portion. So there is no live portion in this.
  126. He says that in 2018 he invited a colleague to Pakistan. So the first thing I did actually in 2018, I recall is I invited a colleague
  127. He says the course of the colleague he invited is called Learning How to Learn. Her name is Barbara Oakley and the course is called Learning How to Learn.
  128. He says the offer of a course came on the condition that it be made in Urdu. Tohfa yeh tha ke aap hamara course le lein. Bas shart yeh hai Urdu mein bana dein.
  129. He says his finance specialization has over 100,000 students. I built five courses in a specialization for finance. It's called Finance for Everyone. You know how many people have taken my course? Over 100,000 students.
  130. He says a program offered 300 people the chance to live together for a month in Skardu. we offered 300 people live together for a month in Skardu.
  131. He says the condition was that those courses be 80 percent field based. Shart yeh hogi ke wo courses 80% will be field based.
  132. He says students had no water for drinking, bathing or cooking, and no electricity. Phir na pani tha unka peene ko, nahane ka, pakane ka, na bijli thi.
  133. He says international students find that Pakistan is not a dangerous place. they understand it's not a dangerous place.
  134. He says Pakistan holds what he calls the third pole of frozen ice in the Himalayas. The third pole is in Pakistan.
  135. He says Pakistan has more data on water and infectious disease than anywhere else. Aapko agar pani, infectious disease, aap koi bhi subject le lein, sabse zyada data aapko Pakistan mein milega.
  136. He says universities have a moral obligation to showcase regional collaboration. I think a moral obligation to showcase examples of collaboration
  137. He says LUMS should temper its focus on the West. Our obsession with the West has to be tempered with the countries you were talking about.
  138. He says he wants LUMS to be a household name in South Asia and Central Asia. So we're a household name in say South Asia and Central Asia and not just in Pakistan.
  139. He says he is full of hope for Pakistan. And I'm full of hope for Pakistan.
  140. He says hope is what determines where a country goes in the future. It's something that determines where you will go in the future.
  141. He says Pakistan is a young country, only 75 years old. We're only 75 years old.
  142. He says Pakistan's youth should be treated as partners, not clients. Treat them as equals. Treat them as partners, not as clients
  143. He says that when a course is designed, students have to be at the table. agar hum koi course design karenge, students have to be on the table.
  144. He says the new building will showcase a museum, permanent and otherwise. this new building will showcase a museum, permanent and otherwise
  145. He says no discipline, including religion, should have artificial boundaries drawn around it. I don't see any boundaries we should artificially draw uh around any discipline, including religion.
  146. He says Islam did not say that questioning is forbidden. because I don't think Islam at any point said you should not question.
  147. He says curiosity is the root of learning. curiosity is the is the root of learning.
  148. He says much of what the Greeks borrowed came from Islamic studies. A lot of what the Greeks borrowed came from Islamic studies, right?
  149. He says Iran has some amazing religious scholars. they have some amazing religious scholars who really have gone into a level that we can't even imagine right now
  150. He says Pakistan has more in common with Indonesia and Malaysia than with European countries in that regard. we have so much more in common with Indonesia and Malaysia than we do, let's say, with European countries in that regard.
  151. He says Pakistan's record on gender equity and inclusiveness is embarrassing. where is Pakistan in terms of gender equity, equality, inclusiveness, it's embarrassing.
  152. He says K to 3 and K to 6 are the most formative stages. A lot of it has to happen perhaps K to 3, K to 6. Woh asal formative hote hain.
  153. He cites estimates of 30 to 50 million children dropping out before high school. 30 million, 40 million, 50 million are dropping out even before they get to high school.
  154. He says teachers need to be valued and given dignity and purpose. We need to value these teachers, we need to uh, you know, give them the dignity and the purpose for which they are serving us.
  155. He says LUMS's online courses are more robust than some classroom courses. they are uh more robust than some of our classroom based courses
  156. He says LUMS formed a learning institute, with half of the faculty taking developmental courses. almost half of our faculty took developmental courses