According to UNDP, only 14 out of 195 countries spend less on education than Pakistan Pakistan currently has the largest generation of young people in its history. According to a recent United Nations Development Program report, 64 percent of the total Pakistan population is below the age of 30. That makes it the second youngest country in South Asia after Afghanistan and one of the youngest in the world. This “youth bulge” provides unique challenges as well as opportunities for the … [Read more...]
Articles
Frank blogs regularly for the Huffington Post and writes occasional columns and articles for publications such as the International Business Times and The Economic Times of India.
Frank writes on a wide variety of topics that are critical to shaping the future of America and the American dream and to making the United States and the world a better place. These include: Business; education; poverty and inequality; politics and public policy; immigration; manufacturing; innovation; leadership; citizenship; and social commentary.
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Need to develop a world class higher education system in Pakistan
Pakistan has a large higher education system with over 190 recognized private and public sector universities. Unfortunately, no Pakistani university is among the top 600 universities in The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2019. This is an indication that there is a definite need to improve Pakistan’s higher education system. The need is exacerbated by the fact that the majority of the over 200 million people in the country are young. According to official figures, 64 … [Read more...]
“I am extremely positive about the future of America”
Frank F. Islam is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, civic leader and thought leader. Frank has a special commitment to civic, educational and artistic causes. In all of his endeavors, he strives to create opportunities that are sustainable and uplifting for humanity — guided by the virtues of hard work, focus, quality, innovation and kindness. Frank currently heads the FI Investment Group, a private investment holding company that he established in 2007 after he sold … [Read more...]
Empowering women to empower a ‘new’ Pakistan
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has come to promising to focus on the country’s human resources to develop a ‘new’ Pakistan. Because women constitute almost half of the Pakistani population, their development is pivotal to Pakistan being able to achieve its true potential as a nation-state. The importance of this empowerment is demonstrated by the fact that a 2016 International Monetary Fund paper estimates that closing the gender gapin economic participation … [Read more...]
Ensuring An Effective Civic Education-Time To Strike Up The Band
What are the ingredients for an effective civic education? In March of this year, the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) issued a position statement that declared, At its core, civic education should provide students with the ability to take informed action to address problems relevant to life in a democratic republic. It should target the knowledge, skills and dispositions necessary to ensure that young people are truly capable of becoming active and … [Read more...]
Education the game changer
Why are Parkland Students So Articulate? Because They Were Taught Civics in Middle School
Students in Florida have benefitted from the country’s most successful effort to teach civic knowledge and engagement. The slaughter of 17 students and adults at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on February 14 was, as we all know, only the latest in a seemingly endless string of recent mass shootings in America. But as many have noted, there is something different about this one. After past shootings, it was primarily adults—parents of slain … [Read more...]
The Problem: American Democracy Is In Decline
The Solution: A Comprehensive Civic Learning and Engagement Intervention Beginning in Middle School. Our American democracy is in decline. The evidence to support this sad conclusion abounds. Freedom House is the authoritative source for examining and evaluating democracies world-wide. In its annual report titled Freedom in the World 2018released in January of this year, it noted that the United States aggregate Freedom score rating on a scale of 0–100 went from 95 in 2010 to 86 in … [Read more...]
Indian journalist selected fellow for AFPP programme
Hindustan Times journalist Gulam Jeelani has been selected 2018 fellow for the prestigious Alfred Friendly Press Partners (AFPP) programme, a media announcement said on Tuesday. Jeelani is among the seven journalists from around the world selected for the six-month-long Alfred Friendly fellowship programme in the US. The fellowship includes training at the prestigious Missouri School of Journalism and working for a major US news organisation. Six other journalists are from … [Read more...]
Education Key to Propelling India’s Prosperity
Frank Islam – entrepreneur, philanthropist and an alumnus of the Aligarh Muslim University – is a Non-Resident Indian based in the US. He and his wife Debbie, have used their fortune to provide targeted financial assistance to educational causes in India. In a conversation with DNA’s Smitha Rajan, Islam, talks about why education is the game changer. On his education initiatives A high-quality education is the only investment that can level the playing field for all. It … [Read more...]