The British initiated formal art education in Pakistan, but at the time of independence, only a few tertiary-level formal art education options were available. Later, art departments were established in universities, but the pursuit had never been a policy preference. Art remained a privilege, for both education and career. This paper reports the findings of a study conducted to gauge Pakistani stakeholders' perception of Art as a higher education option, eliciting data from a premier art school in the country. The study was designed to determine if stakeholders perceive the institute as elitist and how do they evaluate the institute's academic quality. A mixed-method approach was used for data collection: including surveys, focus group discussions, and semi-structured interviews. Research participants were classified into four major groups: the institute's students, parents, alumni, employers, as well as students of competitors. SPSS was used for quantitative data analysis and text analysis to identify major themes of interviews. Data indicate that the institute is perceived as elitist by all the respondent groups. The perception is consolidated by demographic data, including residential areas and the family income. Communication Design programme was identified as the most popular whereas Fine Art as the least popular. The study confirms the hypothesis that art education is considered elitist, so is the institute. However, the thrust is more social than intellectual. Policy and social support, as well as intellectual enhancement, are imperative for the acceptability of Fine Art as a career choice among youngsters. Resource allocation is imperative for improved Communication Design programmes which, in turn, can improve graduates' employability, at the national level as well as at the international level.
The economic face of gender inequality is not new; it existed in extreme forms and manifestations in the past also. Over the years, gender inequality has been translated in several forms, which include invisibility, glass ceiling, pink ceiling, wage gap, hindrances in career growth and access to capacity building. The developed world is also struggling to address issues of gender inequality and sustainable economic growth. Countries that have overcome this, are on high growth trajectories. Pakistan poses a dismal picture, low female labor force and economic participation remains a major contributor to Pakistan's low GDP. The issue of economic gender parity, if addressed, can therefore become a catalyst for Pakistan's future growth target. The acknowledgment of women's contribution to the society is undervalued. In addition, the proportion of women in informal sector is higher than in formal sector of economy. Thus, women are not showcased in inclusive growth and sustainability paradigms. Marriages, societal constraints, mobility issues, security situations, lack of encouragement of entrepreneurial start-ups, insufficient exposure to decision making roles and poor awareness about career growth are some of the factors that impede women's contribution to inclusive growth. The consensus is to increase women's visibility, participation and access, create equal opportunities and nurture a healthy work environment. This research attempts to contribute to the intellectual discourse through an indicative study in an urban setting. An indicative survey and interviews were conducted to ascertain the current mindset and status of women in workforce and their contribution to economic growth and sustainability. The sample size is 100+ females who have completed higher education degree in the last ten years. The hypothesis is backed by the Feminist Economic theory which demands wage and role equality in economic policy making and also questions division of labor at homes and in societies.
The western hype over Abraham Accords is evident from their exploitation of the overused phrase “historical moment” in international relations. A shift in Arab-Israeli relations has been stamped with the signing of Abraham Accords, whereby the Arab veto over the recognition of the Palestinian state, in return for Israeli recognition, is practically over. The unexpected shift of alliances in Middle East have defined new battle lines. Israel has joined forces with UAE, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia – against perhaps Iran and Turkey. Despite the commitment to halt further settlements, Palestine is the ultimate victim. The two-state solution, in spirit, is all but buried. Comprehensive peace processes are multi-level and multi-layered and involve pragmatic efforts to build the widest consensus possible around a shared future. However, Abraham Accords lacks just that; it is both elitist and imposed. The paper is an attempt to explore the changing ground realities by exploring both history and the contemporary scenario. It examines both long-term and short-term impact of the accords on the stakeholders and the regional players.
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