Nuclear physicist and activist Pervez Hoodbhoy has claimed that there would not be any harm if Pakistan shuts down universities, considering the kind of education being taught in public varsities.

“Even if you shut down your universities, Pakistan will have no loss,” he said while appearing on Aaj News programme Dus which was aired on Sunday. “I feel sad to say this. Even in US universities, there is a purpose to ready graduates for the market.”

Hoodbhoy, who is also an activist, was on the show to speak about the education system, city management, and his Karachi visit.

He served as a professor of physics and mathematics at the Forman Christian College-University in Lahore, and previously taught physics at the Lahore University of Management Sciences in Lahore and the Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad.

The UNESCO’s Kalinga Prize winner lamented that our degree was just a “piece of paper” having no value in the world.

When asked about his Karachi trip, Hoodbhoy said that visiting the city frightens him because of the lost greenery, violation of traffic, and garbage. He lamented how his city of birth changed over the years.

The physicist shared that he shifted to Islamabad due to the rising population.

He called for administrative units for better management where people’s resources are properly ensured. “Why can’t we have more provinces here like India? There is a population bomb [in Pakistan] which is exploding.”

Hoodbhoy warned that the country’s population would be 400 million when it will complete 100 years. “Within five generations, Pakistan’s population will be equal to the world’s population. This is more dangerous than a nuclear bomb.”

When asked, he stressed the need for ending the sense of deprivation in the country. “There should not be a ruler province. All provinces are equal,” he said and called for respecting everyone’s language and considering everyone equally irrespective of their background.

“We will live happily when Pakistan is for everyone.”

In response to a question about brain drain by host Imran Sultan, he said that such a term was used in the 1950s and 60s when the country’s sharp brains were picked by foreign job markets.

“Last year 80% of work visas issued by Pakistan was for drivers. We are not part of top-level jobs in abroad.”

He claimed that Pakistan’s education system’s objective was that the brain gets numb and students stop raising questions. He blamed the examination system and power that be for bringing such a culture.

“I have taught at Quaid-e-Azam University for 47 years. Even five out of 100 teachers will not get admission in India’s undergraduate programme if they are given the entrance exam of IIT [Indian Institutes of Technology],” Hoodbhoy said and lamented that teachers do not love their subject.

According to him, the QAU “is now like a jail” and providing a fearful environment would breed fearful students. He claimed that some teachers were busy taking tenders to build walls instead of teaching.

“I see there is hopelessness and everyone wants to leave the country. I urge them not to get into the hands of agents. I urge them to use their brain and learn what is needed in the market.”

In response to a question, he feared that a Taliban-led mind revolution would come in Pakistan. Hoodbhoy stated that the single national curriculum purpose was to bring schools and madressahs at par, however, the government failed to ensure it in religious schools.

He added that science was not a bunch of facts, but a style of thought which can only be by experiment, logic, and observation.

The activist agreed with the host that political parties “are 100% to be blamed” for the backwardness in education and basic infrastructure. He added that political parties’ manifestos lacked steps addressing people’s basic issues.

“We need a democracy where people have a voice,” he said.