Prof Dr Atta-ur-Rahman is a leading scientist and scholar in the field of organic chemistry from Pakistan, especially renowned for his research in the various areas relating to natural product chemistry. With over 700 publications in the field of his expertise, he is also credited for reviving the higher education and research practices in Pakistan
About the Author
Nature’s Coverage of Higher Education Reform in Pakistan: Comments by Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman
September 17, 2009
Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy has reproduced his email but not my subsequent response to it.
There are four aspects of the comments of Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy that need to be considered:
- Firstly, Dr. Hoodbhoy himself admits that there has been a huge increase in international publications at QAU after HEC came into existence when he mentions the number of international publications in the two time periods. Strangely, he picks a six year period, 1998-2003, and then compares it with the subsequent 4.5 years (?) , 2004 to mid 2008, (the correspondence occurred in August 2008, so he could not possibly have had access to the figures for the entire year) I can only assume that he has mentioned 2003 by mistake in the second “5 year” period as there is no reason to include the publications of the year 2003 in both time periods, which he has done. It is clearly unfair to take two time periods of different durations and compare them.
