Role of University Education in Poverty Alleviation in Pakistan

The role of university education, a central part of most development strategies, has become controversial because expansion of PhD’s by the Higher Education Commissions (HEC) attainment has guaranteed improved economic conditions. HEC promoted the higher education by providing different indigenous and international scholarships, which ultimately improved the standard of living of the students and attainment of well reputed jobs in different institutions of Pakistan, leads to alleviate the poverty relatively. This paper reviews the role of education in promoting economic well-being focusing on the role of educational quality. Much evidence from developing countries suggests that education has strong influence in reducing poverty. The main purpose of this study was to examine the effects of some of the key macroeconomic variables on Pakistan’s economic growth during 1980-2007 taking four different education levels including students enrollment at the university level as a ratio to total employed labour force. It concludes that there is strong evidence that the cognitive skills of the population-rather than mere school attainment-are powerfully related to individual earnings, to the distribution of income, and to economic growth. University education does not play a significant role in poverty alleviation. The magnitude of change needed makes it clear that closing the economic gap with industrial countries will require major structural changes in schooling institutions.