The document summarizes two one-day workshops organized by the Statistics and DWH Department of the State Bank of Pakistan on the application of statistics for academia. The workshops were held in Islamabad and Karachi to raise awareness of official statistics in Pakistan and mitigate the gap between theoretical statistics taught in universities and applied statistics produced by organizations. Participants included officials from the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan and statistics professors from public universities. The workshops provided a forum for interaction between educators, government, and statistical agencies to discuss statistical compilation and dissemination.
The document summarizes two one-day workshops organized by the Statistics and DWH Department of the State Bank of Pakistan on the application of statistics for academia. The workshops were held in Islamabad and Karachi to raise awareness of official statistics in Pakistan and mitigate the gap between theoretical statistics taught in universities and applied statistics produced by organizations. Participants included officials from the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan and statistics professors from public universities. The workshops provided a forum for interaction between educators, government, and statistical agencies to discuss statistical compilation and dissemination.
The document summarizes two one-day workshops organized by the Statistics and DWH Department of the State Bank of Pakistan on the application of statistics for academia. The workshops were held in Islamabad and Karachi to raise awareness of official statistics in Pakistan and mitigate the gap between theoretical statistics taught in universities and applied statistics produced by organizations. Participants included officials from the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan and statistics professors from public universities. The workshops provided a forum for interaction between educators, government, and statistical agencies to discuss statistical compilation and dissemination.
The document summarizes two one-day workshops organized by the Statistics and DWH Department of the State Bank of Pakistan on the application of statistics for academia. The workshops were held in Islamabad and Karachi to raise awareness of official statistics in Pakistan and mitigate the gap between theoretical statistics taught in universities and applied statistics produced by organizations. Participants included officials from the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan and statistics professors from public universities. The workshops provided a forum for interaction between educators, government, and statistical agencies to discuss statistical compilation and dissemination.
Statistics and Data Warehouse Department State Bank of Pakistan
Foreword
The Statistics & DWH Department of State Bank of Pakistan organized two one day workshops on Major Applications of Statistics for academia, in order lo raise awareness about the Statistical System and significance of the official statistics in Pakistan and also to provided a forum for coordination and interaction among Deans/Chairmen/HODs and senior professors of public/private universities/colleges, HEC officials and producers of statistics to mitigate the gap found in theoretical statistics being taught at universities and applied statistics produced by different organizations. The 1st workshop was successfully held on May 11, 2012 at the NIBAF, Islamabad. The second workshop was conducted at the Learning Resource Centre of State ban k of Pakistan (SBP), Karachi on June 28, 2012. Both the workshops were attended by a number of participants from Public/Private Universities/Colleges of all provinces of Pakistan and Azad Jammu Kashmir that are teaching Statistics as main their subject. Speakers from SBP highlighted the scope, coverage, compilation methodologies and dissemination process of compilation of Balance of Payments Statistics and Monetary & Financial Statistics. In addition to above, Director Statistics & DWH department, SBP highlighted the role and achievements of the official statistics in the economic and social development of the country. Both the workshops were inaugurated by Dr. Ishaque Ahmed Ansari, Additional Director Statistics & DWH department, SBP. The proceedings of the workshops provided valuable and updated information on statistics taught by different universities/institutions of the country. The workshops resulted in useful discussions and feedbacks required for establishing the interaction among HEC officials, academia and producers of Statistics. The information shared in this report is based on the presentations made by Presenters/Speakers. The workshops and this document will certainly be of value to pave the way in establishing a sustainable coordination among educational institutions and agencies that produce statistics.
The Project Team
Acknowledgement
The lvo one day vorkshops on Major AppIicalions of Slalislics for Acadenia would have not been possible without the guidance and support of Director Statistics & DWH department, and timely supervision of Dr. Ishaque Ahmed Ansari, Additional Director Statistics & DWH department. We are also indebted to all those involved in organizing these workshops. Our special thanks go to presenters of the seminars. We are also thankful to managing Director-NIBAF for his support in Islamabad and LRC, Karachi.
12. Closing/Concluding Remarks/ .....................25 13. RccnmmcndatInns..........................................25 14. Appendices .........................27 14.1 List of Participants of workshops ...............27 14.11 Lisl of Iarlicipanls of IsIanalad vorkshops.........27 14.12 List of Participants of Karachi vorkshops ..........28 14.2 Workshops progrannes ...................29 14.21 Workshops progranne al IsIanalad............29 14.22 Workshops progranne al Karachi.............3O 14.3 Photographs.......................31 14.4 Workshops evaIualions...................34 14.5 Data Compiling Agencies and Presentations .............36 1
1. Introduction Being part of the Statistical System of Pakistan, Statistics and DWH Department, State Bank of Pakistan endeavors to strengthen the sound statistical system of Pakistan. In order to raise awareness about the statistical systems and significance of the official statistics in Pakistan, the Statistics & DWH Department of State Bank of Pakistan organized two one day workshops on 'Application of Statistics for Academia. Speakers from Statistics & DWH Department, State Bank of Pakistan highlighted the significance, methodology and dissemination practices of statistics produced by SBP and other peer organizations. The participants of the workshop were officials from Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC) and Deans/Chairmen/HODs/senior professors from all public sector universities of four provinces of Pakistan and Azad Kashmir. Only those universities were selected that were offering Statistics as main subject in their Post Graduate/Graduate syllabus. The workshops provided a forum for coordination and interaction among Deans/Chairmen/HODs and senior professors, HEC officials and producers of statistics to mitigate the gap found in theoretical statistics being taught at universities and applied statistics produced by different organizations, which resulted in useful discussions and feedback required for establishing the interaction among HEC officials, academia and producers of Statistics. The rest of the report includes Opening/Inaugural session of first workshop covered in A` and second workshop in B`. Morning, Technical and Afternoon discussion sessions of the workshops are covered in section 3 and 4 respectively. Participants comments are covered in section 5 and closing remarks/vote of thanks are placed in section 6. Presentations on Technical Sessions of first Workshop are placed in section 7. Opening/Inaugural session of second workshop covered in B` Morning, Technical and Afternoon discussion sessions of the workshops are covered in section 8 and 9 respectively. Participants comments are covered in section 10 and closing remarks/vote of thanks are placed in section 11. Presentations on Technical Sessions of first Workshop are placed in section 12. Presentations on Technical Sessions of first Workshop are placed in section 13. List of participants of workshops, workshop program, workshop photos, sample evaluation sheet and evaluation charts of the two workshops are given in section 14 as appendices. 2
A. WORKSHOP AT ISLAMABAD 2. Opening/inaugural Session of 1st Workshop
2.1. Welcome Address, Dr. Ishaque Ahmed Ansari, Addl. Director, S&DWH Department, SBP Dr. Ishaque Ahmed Ansari, in his opening address welcomed all participants of the workshop on 'Applications oI Statistics Ior Academia`. He thanked to all participants from Punjab, Khyber Pakhtoon khwa, Azad Jammu-n-Kashmir and Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC) for their keen interest in the workshop. He specially thanked Mr. Noor Mohammad Larik, the ex- Director General of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) and Dean of COMSAT, Islamabad to attend the workshop as his reflected his interest and involvement in the production and the availability of quality statistics. He said that progress of a country can be judged from the type and quality of statistics it produces and for this we should have consistent policy to produce efficient youth at post graduate/graduate level. Highlighting the objectives of organizing the one day workshop, he elucidated that the workshop will create awareness about the gap arisen between statistics taught by the Academia and statistics produced by the agencies. This gap, he proposed, can be reduced by including practical approach in devising graduate/post graduate syllabus. He further explained that, Data Producing Organizations face difficulties in recruiting candidates having no practical knowledge of the subject. Embarrassingly, he inIormed the participants that, even candidates mostly don`t know about the statistical publications in the country and about their publishers. He expected that the workshop will enhance coordination among academia and agencies in revisiting their syllabus with the recommendations of HEC to cope with this emerging problem. He then invited Dr. Azizullah Khattak, Director Statistics & DWH Department to deliver a speech on the functions and contribution of different statistical organizations in Pakistan. 3
2.2 Opening Remarks/Address Dr. Azizullah Khattak, Director, S&DWH Department, in his opening remarks, emphasized the need of a close coordination and interaction between the academia and practitioners of the subject. In his detailed and very informative address he explained that for effective application of the Statistical theories and efficient use of statistics, a close coordination is required among the academia and practitioners. He further elaborated that, due to absence of such association, the academia by and large is not always updated on the practical applications of the subject and needs of the market. As a result, the statistics graduates lack the knowledge about utilization of theoretical knowledge gained at post graduate level. Highlighting the contents of the workshop, he said that the workshop is aimed at create awareness about the current applications of statistics among academicians/researchers involved in teaching statistics at post graduate level. The presentations and discussions in the workshop will highlight the aspects of the post graduate syllabus which needs further concentration at the academic institutions. His address comprises objectives of the Workshop, discussions on the agencies Producing Official Statistics in Pakistan and Economic Indicators Being Produced by Various Organization in Pakistan. Exploring the demeanor of the workshop he covered main objectives that explained the three pillars of statistical system, the need for close interaction and coordination among the stakeholders, aawareness about the official statistics and suggestions/recommendation for a market oriented curriculum at post-graduate level.
Dr. Azizullah Khattak also explained that Prospects for a statistics graduates are in:- Academic Institutions Research organizations Statistical organizations Further, he suggested that: 4
Official Statistics to be part of curriculum as a compulsory subject, contents to be prepared in consultation with Statistical organizations Curriculum to focus on practical applications of statistics Refresher courses on official statistics for teachers Internships for students at a statistical organizations Enhanced coordination through workshops, seminars, study tours, etc
3. Technical Session - Morning Session 3.1 Balance of Payments of Pakistan by SBP (Presented By: Mr. Naseer Ahmad, Additional Director, Statistics & DWH Department)
Mr. Naseer Ahmad gave presentation on Pakistan`s Balance of Payments compiled by Statistics & DWH Department of SBP. He discussed the basic concepts of Balance of Payments (BOP) and elaborated the BOP Double Entry Accounting System. He explained on further the importance of BOP data which is used by government authorities for monitoring economic activity, formulating domestic economic policies and evaluating various economic strategies. He also explained that BOP is also used by academician, researchers, business entities, and observers as well as by policy makers around the world in monitoring developments in the worldwide payments position and in comparative studies of trends in the balance of payments of various countries. Mr. Naseer informed the audience about the processing of BOP data and its dissemination practices (for details, see presentation at annex 14.5)
3.2 Monetary and Financial Statistics by SBP (Presented By: Mr. Azam Ali, Joint Director, Statistics & DWH Department, SBP)
Mr. Azam Ali gave a comprehensive presentation on monetary and financial statistics compiled by Statistics & DWH department of SBP. He clarified the difference between 5
monetary statistics and financial statistics. He further described that the monetary statistics covers financial & non-financial assets and liabilities of financial corporations, whereas financial statistics covers financial assets & liabilities of the entire economy. After defining data acquisition process and main heads of questionnaire, he explained the purpose of the sectoral balance sheet. It is to provide a framework for the collection and presentation of data in a format that facilitates the compilation of monetary statistics. He also explained institutional units & economic sectors and the data collection, compilation & dissemination practices by SBP. The monetary statistics is compiled according to the latest manual of IMF manual, Monetary and Financial Statistics Manual (MFSM) 2000. He also gave a brief review on MFSM 2000. To elaborate further the compilation of MFS, he gave a brief explanation on Development Financial Institutions (DFIs), Non-Bank Finance Companies (NBFCs) and Micro Finance Banks (MFBs). At the end, he identified the practical involvement of SBP in grooming graduates/Post Graduate through internship progrannes. He aIso discussed his paper nainIy lased on 'hov researchers/schoIars can utilize data available at SBP web-site. Mr. Azam also informed the audience about the processing of Monetary and Financial Statistics and its dissemination practices (for details, see presentation at annex 14.5)
4. Technical Session - Evening Session
4.1 Discussion Session
Dr. Azizullah Khattak opened afternoon session by inviting all participants to share their views and recommend ways to improve collaboration between statistical agencies and Academia. He again emphasized the need of sustainable coordination between Academia and statistical agencies to have competent graduates that meet hiring standard of statistical 6
agencies in Pakistan. He invited participants in discussion by asking the participants about mechanism to have a stable coordination among statistical agencies and Academia. Also show concern that how to enhance the communication between Academia and statistical agencies to learn from each other experiences? He suggested that the following four improvements to the participants:
1. Improve interaction & coordination among the stakeholders 2. Enhancement of the Curriculum is important 3. Training & refresher courses for Academic Staff is needed 4. More Focus on Application of the Subject in the master courses is required
He also highlighted the major issues to be addressed during the discussions as: Fill out the gap among Academia and Data Compiling Agencies Faculty of Statistics have not sufficient knowledge about official Statistics Official Statistics is not a major or minor subject in the universities
He finally gave following three broad inquests to the participants to start discussion:
HOW WHO and WHEN
To help participants understand, he explained these three expressions as, HOW come we improve interaction and coordination among all stakeholders of statistics, WHO would be responsible for this coordination and WHEN to start this task?
Dr. Noor Muhammad Larik (Ex DG, PBS) from COMSAT, Islamabad pointed out the improper interaction and coordination among the stakeholders. He also emphasized on the need of establishment 7
of an institution that coordinate professionals and students of statistics. He gave examples of such institutions in India and suggests developing a platform for the establishment of a similar to Indian institution under the headship of fresh post graduate.
Dr. Ishaque Ahmad Ansari referred previous seminar in which they discussed official statistics and guided universities about the fields of research. He maintained that State Bank of Pakistan is doing beyond its duties by organizing such type of seminars and workshops. He suggested Higher education Commission (HEC) to come up and help Academia to fulfil the gap identified by Dr. Larik and others. He specifically focused on HEC syllabus and embarrassingly said that it is good enough for official statistics but but practical approach is missing when the subject is taught. He stressed the need of close coordination among teachers and professionals and proposed HODs to conduct at least two week classes/refresher courses for teachers to understand the practical methods of statistics produced by statistical agencies.
Dr. Saleha Naghmi, Kinnaird College, Lahore and others requested to broaden the area of such gatherings in future by including Economics departments which use statistics. In replying to Dr. Ansari, she appreciated his suggestion oI conducting reIresher courses Ior teachers and admired SBP`s initiatives to motivate universities/colleges despite they didn`t demand. She explained projects in her college and pointed out that, it is compulsory for students to do research for eligibility of Degree at graduate level. She also discussed the problems faced by students during research when they try to acquire data from statistical agencies. She requested SBP to help them know, how to utilize data available at SBP by launching a competition among universities with hands on training. On counter query from SBP official, she further cleared that this should be launched by HEC with collaboration of SBP. She pointed out that there is HEC premises in Lahore that can be utilized for this task and we Academia will support them. When Dr. Khattak referred to his offer in previous Seminar about the opportunity that universities should request SBP to guide if they face any problem. We try to solve it 8
through internet or if needed, we may come to universities to provide them hand on guidance. No one till now sent even a single mail in compliance of this offer. Dr. Khattak professional offered it again. Dr. Saleha appreciated SBP keen interest and promised to send e-mail for any problem. She also requested Iaculty members` internship at NIBAF, Islamabad Ior 1-3 months or at SBP, Karachi. There we may send many oI our Iaculty members Ior ultimate impact on student`s quality. Dr. Khattak taken her request and referred it to HEC as HEC has fund for this type of internships. He said PBS can also play its part in this regard.
Mr. Muhammad Kashif, Agriculture University, Faisalabad was interested to know how communication and communicate to improve coordination can be improved. He suggested that communication can be improved if we share with students the outcome of meetings and workshops. Mr. Naseer Ahmad of SBP taken opportunity to answer Mr. Kashif and suggested the development of e-mail group and organization of video conferences to overcome communication problem and consequently for the improvement of data quality. For this action, he recommended HEC and SBP responsible. Dr. Khattak also added that PBS has user council, and if it is reactivated, most of the issues would be resolved.
Dr. Muhammad Iqbal of Sargodha University pointed out that the distribution of marks to Statistics practical be given importance as given to other subjects like Physics, Chemistry and Genetics. He said that though SBP and PBS are well organised statistical agencies but they have lack of coordination in disseminating statistical information. To focus on future prospects of students of Statistics, he proposed to oIIer them Accountancy` at graduate level with provision oI statistical tools like SPSS, Stata, Minitab and Eviews etc. And make internship compulsory for them. He also suggested trainings for the orientation of Teachers and removal of gap between Academia and Statistical agencies. Dr. Larik replied with suggestion of internet usage. He maintained that Academia should know first, what is the field of Statistics- it is also in other areas like Agriculture, Finance, and Industries etc. Teachers should have analytical approach to involve students in these fields also. He also negated the need of training for 9
Teachers as it is not easy for educational institutions to send them Karachi from Islamabad or Lahore etc. for training due to budget constraints. He proposed HEC to release some extra budget in this regard.
Dr. Zubaira Hassan, Kinnaird College, Lahore endorsed Dr. Larik`s observations about the immensity of Statistics as subject. She also demanded that, Statistics should be included as a core and compulsory subject for students of all disciplines, and supported her demand with a reason that statistical analysis is needed by students of all fields. She said that students from faculties other than Statistics face problem in quantifying and analysing data. She also proposed HEC and SBP to provide a platform to get published their research papers. HEC officials noted her demand and promised to answer later.
Mr. Bashir Khan of HEC, Islamabad mentioned that this type of fund is also available for private universities. In addition, he disclosed that HEC has to sign a MoU with United Kingdom regarding fund raising for higher education. HEC is also trying to follow UK-model to establish Public-Private partnership to boost research environment in the country. He suggested Academia to develop coordination with SBP and HEC to motivate scholars.
Mr. Azam Ali oI SBP replied Dr. Larik`s request to answer brieIly the three inquisitions, 'Pow, Who and When'. He wisely consolidated all these three inquests in one sentence and said, Academia should (who) request SBP or PBS to provide hand on training help update not only students but also faculty members, with the help of workshops/seminars (how) at university/college own premises or at SBP or PBS premises with the help of HEC during summer/winter vacations or semester breaks (when). Dr. Larik appreciated his instant and to the point suggestion and asked HEC officials to reply.
The observer-official from HEC listened to all questions rose during the whole session and answered specifically. In replying to questions, he advised universities establish two units in statistics department as Statistics Unit and Finance unit. He further proposed that students should be given assignments under 10
these units to help them groom according to market demand. He also stressed the need of revision of syllabus every three years to update students according to global changes. He advised participants to write letters to SBP, PBS and HEC for their demands. HEC would provide fund and other organizations may help with their expertise. Lastly, he accepted that HEC domain is Higher Education`, and they try their best to achieve this goal. . Mr. Javed Memon of HEC discussed the problems faced in compliance by universities when HEC sent them Performa to rank these universities. Universities hesitate to fill out these Performa to hide their weaknesses. If universities let us know the actual position, HEC would help them overcome problems they faced.
4.2 Open Forum for Participants for recommendations
Feedback received from participants of the workshop in this session is summarised as under:
SBP, PBS and Academia should develop the mechanism of organization of Video Conferences with the consent of HEC. Official Statistics should be offered as compulsory subject in universities. Statistics should be included as a core and compulsory subject for students of all disciplines. Revision of syllabus is required every three years to update students according to global changes Professionals from Data Compiling Agencies should be invited by the Academia to deliver the lectures to faculty and students of universities/colleges. Refresher Courses/trainings for faculty should be conducted on regular basis. Data Compiling Agencies should announce the internship program for teachers and students with funding from HEC. Academia can organized the seminar/workshop or training sessions for their faculty and students at their premises with the consent of HEC. Establishment of an institution that coordinate professionals and students of statistics is needed. 11
Revisiting the distribution of marks to Statistics practical as given to other subjects. Academia should request SBP or PBS to provide hand on training to students and faculty members, with the help of workshops/seminars at university/college own premises or at SBP or PBS premises with the help of HEC during summer/winter vacations or semester breaks.
5. Participants Comments/Suggestions
Participants actively get involved in the sessions and gave comments on both sessions with good recommendations helpful in continuing the process to achieve goal. Following are their comments and suggestions:-
Comments It is really an informative and valuable workshop. Such workshops shall be organized in future as well. Some technical terms are not easy to understand especially in BOP and MFS. So it is requested to use elaborated words in spite of technical words. It was a good activity arranged by the statistics and DWH department of State Bank of Pakistan. Such workshops/Seminars should be continuing. Specifically, such workshops/seminars/conferences should be more focused on the applied statistics. More workshops needed. (Asma Zeb, Lecturer, Statistics Deptt. LCWU, Lahore) commented on limitations on access lo lheir inleresling sludenls lo SI dala & olher lanks dala. 12
(Sharqa Hashmi, Statistics Deptt. LCWU, Lahore) appreciated that SBP has done a good job in this respect. (Muhammad Kashif, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad) concerned with duration of workshop and requested to lengthen it next time. He further said that the objective of workshop is really appreciated. (Dr. Saleha Naghmi Habibullah, Kinnaird College, Lahore) requested to continue this type of workshops on a regular basis. She acknowledged that, the workshop provided ample opportunity for exchange of ideas and fruitful discussions.
Suggestions Lectures for students regarding data correction, cleaning and dissemination must be arranged in collaboration with SBP. Refresher courses on official statistics for teachers shall be organized. More trainings and meetings are needed on this topic. Make the group of all statisticians. Continue arrangements for such workshops for statisticians in future. HEC, SBP, Universities and PBS should take responsibility of conducting trainings and meeting to meet the targets. (Asma Zeb, Lecturer, Statistics Deptt. LCWU, Lahore) suggested frequent seminars in academic institutions. She also suggested academia to play an active role. 13
(Sharqa Hashmi, Statistics Deptt. LCWU, Lahore) replied the three key words given by Dr. Azizullah Khattak in a way that: How -? Introduce: (1) Nev paper officiaI Slalislics and olher reIevanl papers in syllabus, (2) Case studies based on real life data collected by themselves Who -? HOD or Chairman of Department of University can arrange seminars/workshops or courses to increase the knovIedge of 'appIicalion of slalislics anong sludenls and faculty as well. HOD should present new curriculum to board of study for approval and implementation. When -? After approval from board of studies, as early as possible (most probably in the next session) (Sadia Qamar, Sargodha University) appreciated workshop and suggested that such workshops should be arranged, so that application of official statistics for academia should be discussed and plans & suggestions should be presented to make it better. (Muhammad Kashif, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad) suggested that the SBP should arrange these type of workshops on regular basis. (Zubaira Hassan, HOD (Economics), Kinnaird College, Lahore) suggested that such workshops should be done more frequently reaching out to a larger number of participants. Faculty from other departments should also be invited to spread the awareness regarding the contribution of all statistical organizations. 14
6. Closing/Concluding Remarks
Dr. Azizullah Khattak closed the session and thanked all intellectuals to come to workshop and showed their interest, gave valuable comments and feedback. At the end of discussion session, Dr. Khattak thanked Dr. Larik and HEC official to come to the workshop and for their valued suggestions. He concluded the proceedings of the workshop with remarks that, the goal of the workshop can only be achieved with the consistent coordination and cooperation among Academia, statistical agencies and HEC. He invited special attention of HEC officials and hoped their active role in achieving this goal. He invited again all participants to send their problems related to data to SBP and promised them that we will do our best to help Academia`.
7. Recommendations
Based on the feedback received from healthy discussion during the sessions and keeping in view the ever increasing demand of quality Statistics in the market, we recommend the following:- 1. Academia may request SBP or PBS to provide hand on training to help update students and faculty members through workshops/seminars at university/college own premises or at SBP or PBS premises with the help of HEC during summer/winter vacations or semester breaks. 2. An institution may be established that coordinate professionals and students of statistics. 3. Higher education Commission (HEC) should come up and help Academia by focusing on HEC syllabus and develop close coordination among teachers and professionals and proposed HODs to conduct at least two week classes/refresher courses for teachers to understand the practical methods of statistics produced by statistical agencies. 4. There is a need for the development of e-mail group and organization of video conferences to overcome communication problem and consequently for the improvement of data quality. 15
5. Statistics should be included as a core and compulsory subject for students of all disciplines, as statistical analysis is needed by students of all fields. 6. HEC and SBP have to provide a platform to get published academia research papers. HEC officials should play their role to accomplish their duty. 7. The experts from Statistical Agencies should be member of board of studies at university level. 8. Experts from Statistical agencies should also be taken as member of curriculum at HEC. B. WORKSHOP AT LRC, SBP, KARACHI 8. Opening/inaugural Sessions of 2nd Workshop
8.1 Welcome Address, Dr. Ishaque Ahmed Ansari, Addl. Director, S&DWH Department, SBP Dr. Ishaque Ahmed Ansari opened the sessions, requested Mr. Azam Ali to recite Quarnic Ayat and afterwards welcomed all participants of the workshop on 'Applications oI Statistics Ior Academia`. He thanked all Deans/Chairmen/HODs /Senior Professors from public sector universities: from two provinces Sindh and Baluchistan for their keen interest in the workshop. He specially thanked participants from Baluchistan and interior Sindh to attend the workshop as their presence in the workshop was considered as the reflections of their keen interest and involvement in the statistical activities which will go a long way in the overall production and the availability of quality statistics. Highlighting the objectives of organizing the one day workshop, he explained that the workshop will create awareness about the gap arisen between statistics taught by the Academia and statistics produced by the agencies. This gap, he proposed, can be reduced by including practical approach in devising graduate/post graduate syllabus. He further explained that, Data Producing Organizations face difficulties in recruiting candidates having no practical knowledge of the subject. Embarrassingly, he informed the participants that, even candidates mostly don`t know about the statistical publications in the country and about their publishers. 16
He expected that the workshop will enhance coordination among academia and agencies in revisiting their syllabus with the recommendations of HEC to cope with this emerging problem. He then invited Dr. Azizullah Khattak, Director Statistics & DWH Department to deliver a speech on the functions and contribution of different statistical organizations in Pakistan.
8.2 Opening Remarks/Address Dr. Azizullah Khattak, Director, S&DWH Department, address comprises detailed discussion on the objectives of the Workshop and role of different agencies that produce Official Statistics in Pakistan and Economic Indicators. Exploring the character of the workshop he covered main objectives that explained the three pillars of statistical system, the need for close interaction and coordination among the stakeholders, aawareness about the official statistics and suggestions/recommendation for a market oriented curriculum at post-graduate level. His valuable comments are as follows: There are three main pillars Academia, Data Compiling Agencies and users which are inter-related and they need to improve their interaction. There is a big gap between the Academia and Data Compiling Agencies Practical application oI statistics Irom the student`s side is very low and they need to be improve their practical skills. Faculty of Statistics have not sufficient knowledge about official Statistics Theoretical knowledge of students are very high but the application side is weak and we want to improve the application side because it will helpful for the statistical system of Pakistan. The main reason of lack of application is the lack of awareness of these data compiling agencies. It is suggested that a subject official statistics will introduce as compulsory subject. HEC already offer the subject but a few universities follow the course official statistics. Data quality will further improve when the application side of the student is powerful. There are a lot of faculty member and students who don`t have any idea about the oIIicial statistics and even they don`t know which agencies compiles which type of data. e.g. GDP, CPI and QI complied by SBP or PBS. 17
He also gave brief details on statistical agencies producing important statistics on Pakistan. In his very informative address he explained that for effective application of the Statistical theories and efficient use of statistics, a close coordination is required among the academia and practitioners. He further elaborated that, due to absence of such association, the academia by and large is not always updated on the practical applications of the subject and needs of the market. As a result, the statistics graduates lack the knowledge about utilization of theoretical knowledge gained at post graduate level. Highlighting the contents of the workshop, he said that the workshop is aimed at create awareness about the current applications of statistics. The presentations and discussions in the workshop will highlight the aspects of the post graduate syllabus which needs further concentration at the academic institutions. He invited Mr. Naseer Ahmad to for his presentation on BOP. 9. Technical Session - First Session
9.1 Balance of Payments of Pakistan by SBP (Presented By: Mr. Naseer Ahmad, Additional Director, Statistics & DWH Department)
Mr. Naseer Ahmad gave presentation on Pakistan`s Balance oI Payments compiled by Statistics & DWH Department of SBP and discussed the basic concepts of Balance of Payments (BOP) by explaining that BOP is a statistical statement that systematically summarizes for a specific time period, economic transactions of an economy with the rest of the world. He specifically identified that the basic convention of a BOP statement is the Double Entry Accounting System in which every transaction is represented by two entries of equal values. It helps to monitor all international monetary transactions for a specific time period. He explained further the importance of BOP data which is used by government authorities for monitoring economic activity, formulating domestic economic policies and evaluating various economic strategies. He also explained residency criteria, and centre oI economic interest, principles Ior valuation, coverage oI Pakistan`s balance oI payments. BOP is also used by academician, researchers, business entities, and observers as well as by policy makers around the world in monitoring developments in the worldwide payments position 18
and in comparative studies of trends in the balance of payments of various countries. BOP data is also used by international bodies such as IMF, World Bank and other external stakeholders etc. He said that BOP statistics is compiled both in Pak. Rupees & US Dollar on monthly, quarterly and annual basis. He also discussed standard components of BOP and system of its compilation. Mr. Naseer informed the audience about the processing of BOP data and its dissemination practices (for details, see presentation at annex 14.5)
9.2 Monetary and Financial Statistics by SBP (Presented By: Mr. Azam Ali, Joint Director, Statistics & DWH Department, SBP)
Mr. Azam Ali welcomed participants from University of Karachi by pointing out Dr. Mudassir uddin, chairman University of Karachi as his classmate in M.Sc. and Dr. Ehtesham as his teacher at University of Karachi. Afterwards, he gave a comprehensive presentation on monetary and financial statistics compiled by Statistics & DWH department of SBP. He explained the difference between monetary statistics and financial statistics. He explained data acquisition and explained that the monetary and financial statistics is compiled according to the latest IMF manual, Monetary and Financial Statistics Manual (MFSM) 2000. He also gave a brief review on MFSM 2000. After defining data acquisition process and main heads of questionnaire, he explained the purpose of the sectoral balance sheet. He also explained institutional units & economic sectors and the data collection, compilation & dissemination practices by SBP. The data for a sectoral balance sheet is obtained from individual units within financial corporations in accordance with the sectorization and instrument classification. He discussed the scope, coverage and compilation methodology of the monetary and financial statistics. At the end, he identified the practical involvement of SBP in grooming graduates/Post Graduate through internship programmes. He also discussed his paper mainly based on how researchers/scholars can utilize data available at SBP web-site. Mr. Azam also informed the audience about the processing of Monetary and Financial Statistics and its dissemination practices (for details, see presentation at annex 14.5) 19
10. Discussion and Feedback Session 10.1 Discussion
Dr. Azizullah Khattak opened discussion session by inviting all participants to share their views and recommend ways how to improve coordination between statistical agencies and Academia. He emphasized the need of sustainable coordination between Academia and statistical agencies to have competent graduates that meet hiring standards of statistical agencies in Pakistan. He asked the participants, what mechanism we should adopt to have a stable coordination among statistical agencies and Academia. How we can enhance the communication between Academia and statistical agencies to learn from each other experiences?
He suggested that the following four improvements to the participants:
1. Improve interaction & coordination among the stakeholders 2. Enhancement of the Curriculum is important 3. Training & refresher courses for Academic Staff is needed 4. More Focus on Application of the Subject in the master courses is required
He also highlighted the major issues to be addressed during the discussions as: Fill out the gap among Academia and Data Compiling Agencies Faculty of Statistics have not sufficient knowledge about official Statistics Official Statistics is not a major or minor subject in the universities
10.2 Open Forum for participants for recommendations
Feedback received from participants of the workshop is summarised as under: Though time was short, it was indeed the need of the time to organize this type of activity and SBP did it well. 20
SBP arranged a good program and it would be of great benefit to teaching faculty members particularly to university teachers out of Karachi. We found workshop excellent and hoped its further improvement. He foresees that, the coordination among statistics community will work for better Pakistan. Copy of presentations should be given/readily available to the participants. One participant was expecting to receive a certificate of participation from this organization for attending the workshop. Conduct youth development programs for new graduates of statistics. HEC official and people from industry should be invited in the next workshop at Karachi. SBP should develop research management division (RMD) that should provide the financial help to researchers and teachers for publishing their research work in reputable impact factor research journals. SBP should organize the seminars, workshops and conferences in the universities of remote areas of the country. SBP and Academia should establish an statistical society that should be responsible to make linkages among academia users and producers of the countries. Dissemination of Data prepared by SBP should be placed at other data warehouses and efforts should be made by the organization in producing vital statistics for Pakistan to adopt uniform procedure i.e. PGDDS to bring reliability to data. Invite at least one top student as internee from each institute where Statistics is being taught. Students should guided, how to present real data and what is the applicability of data with the theory. SBP should provide natural data on official statistics with practical examples to use in practical experiments at college. SBP should consult the various departments of universities as these universities are producing students for employment in the statistical agencies. 21
Organizing such type of workshops in future is good and, if possible this type of workshops should be held in different universities. Official statistics and financial statistics should be taught as practical course and not as a subject. Collaboration between academia and statistical agencies is very important and it should be promoted on sustainable basis. Financial statistics and official statistics as subjects must be introduced in the major institutions or in the universities as a specialization fields in their final year. Internship in the final year should be started at regular basis with statistical organizations. Application of the SBP data for teaching of macroeconomics in BBA/MBA classes should be facilitated through a linkage between academia and SBP. Name of the workshop should be more specified, that is objective of workshop and prior reading should have been specified. Target Academia should be specified and reading material should be provided in advance. One of the participants was expecting some useful innovations and modeling related to statistics but presentations were only Iocused on terms oI monetary economics. Further, nothing was related to statistics`.
11. Participants Comments/Suggestions
Intellectuals from Sindh and Baluchistan actively participated in the workshop and gave comments with numerous recommendations found helpful in planning to achieve set goal. Their comments and suggestions are as under:-
Comments It is indeed the need of time to organize this type of activity on regular basis. 22
(Prof. Shabih ul Hassan Zaidi, Jamia Milia College, Karachi) found workshop excellent and hoped its further improvement. He foresees that, the coordination among statistics community will work for better Pakistan. Time was short. Copy of presentations should be given/readily available to the participants. (Furqan-ul-Haq, Lecturer, IoMS, University of Baluchistan, Quetta) found workshop irrelevant to statistics. Though he appreciated SBP initiative to interact Academia with statistical organizations, he also criticized that the goals of workshop were not clear. He said that, we were expecting some useful innovations and modeling related to statistics but presentations were only focused on terms of monetary economics. Further, he concluded that nothing was related to statistics`. (Riaz Ali Buriro, Asst. Prof. Dept. of Statistics, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam) viewed that, SBP arranged a good program and it would be of great benefit to teaching faculty members particularly to university teachers out of Karachi. He further appreciated the sessions of the workshop as they learnt a lot in a whole day workshop. (Conard Walter D` Silva, Dept. oI applied Sciences and graduate studies, Baharia University) commented on workshop proceeding as, I would like to receive a certificate of participation from this organization for attending the workshop.
Suggestions We should conduct youth development programs for new graduates of statistics. HEC official and people from industry should be invited in next workshop. 23
(Dr. Velo Suthar, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam) suggested that SBP should develop research management division (RMD) that should provide the financial help to researchers and teachers for publishing their research work in reputable impact factor research journals. He further suggested that, SBP should organize the seminars, workshops and conferences in the universities of remote areas of the country. He finally requested SBP and Academia to establish an statistical society Pakistan Statistical Society` alike international societies viz: American Statistical association and Royal Statistical Society, that should be responsible to make linkages among academia users and producers (developers) of the countries. (Syed Maqbool Ur Rehman, IoBM, Karachi) suggested that the dissemination of Data prepared by SBP should be placed at other data warehouses like brain bonds on line` etc. He Iurther said that, concrete effort should be made by the organization in producing vital statistics for Pakistan to adopt uniform procedure i.e. PGDDS to bring reliability to data. (M. Shahbaz Khan, KIET, Karachi) suggested to invite at least one top student as internee from each institute where Statistics is being taught. (M. Mubashir Mukhtar, IBA, Karachi) highlighted some suggestions as: - Current Speaker Sessions alike to continue -Economics Text books should provide data -Need to make a focal point in each institution for practical exposure -Joint courses should be divided between a faculty and official -At post graduate level, a chance should be given to student for publishing his/her research work in a reasonable journal -Students should guide how to present real data and what is the applicability of data with the theory 24
(Prof. Dr. Mudassir uddin, chairman, dept. of Statistics, University) recommended that these type of lectures will be organized in the department of statistics, university of Karachi, during August- October 2012, by the director of Statistics Department, State Bank of Pakistan. (Prof. Khawaja Mohammad Rashid, Associate Prof. Govt. National College, Karachi) showed his interest and suggested to provide them natural data on official statistics with practical examples to use in practical experiments at college. (Riaz Ali Buriro, Asst. Prof. Dept. of Statistics, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam) suggested that SBP should consult the various departments of universities as these universities are producing students for employment in the statistical agencies. (Dr. Muhammad Hanif Lakho, Asst. Prof. Dept. of Statistics, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam) suggested organizing such type of workshops in future. He questioned, if possible this type of workshops should be held in different universities. He further suggested that, opportunities should be given to university students for internship in SBP. Official statistics and financial statistics should be taught as practical course and not as a subject. Collaboration between academia and statistical agencies is very important and it should be promoted on sustainable basis. Financial statistics and official statistics as far as it concerned, these subjects must be introduced in the major institutions or in the universities as a specialization fields in their final year or in M.Sc. Level. Internship in the final year should be started at regular basis with statistical organizations. (Masood Ahmed, SZABIST, Karachi) suggested that the application of the SBP data for teaching of macroeconomics in BBA/MBA classes should be facilitated through a linkage between academia and SBP. 25
Name of the workshop should be more specified, that is objective of workshop and prior reading should have been specified. Target Academia should be specified and reading material should be provided in advance. 12. Closing/Concluding Remarks
Dr. Azizullah Khattak closed the session and thanked all intellectuals to come to workshop and gave valuable comments and feedback to help us achieve our goal. At the end of discussion session, Dr. Khattak again expressed thanks to Dr. Mudassir, chairman University of Karachi and other intellectuals to spare some of their precious time for the workshop and for their esteemed suggestions. He concluded the proceedings of the workshop with remarks that, the goal of the workshop can only be achieved with the consistent coordination and cooperation among Academia, statistical agencies and HEC. He requested special attention of HEC officials (not present in the workshop) for their active role help us in achieving this goal.
13. Recommendations
Based on the feedback received from healthy discussion during the sessions and keeping in view the ever increasing demand of quality Statistics in the market, we recommend the following:- SBP may develop research management division (RMD) in Statistics & DWH Department, that should provide help to researchers and teachers for publishing their research work in reputed research journals. SBP may organize the seminars, workshops and conferences in the universities of remote areas of the country. SBP and Academia may establish statistical society hat should be responsible to make linkages among academia, users and producers (developers) of valued Statistics of country. SBP may invite at least one top student as internee from each institute where Statistics is being taught during its bi-annual internship programme. 26
Financial statistics and official statistics may be introduced by HEC in the major institutions or in the universities as a specialization fields in their final year or in M.Sc. Level. The application of the SBP data for teaching of macroeconomics in BBA/MBA classes may be facilitated through a linkage between academia and SBP. At post graduate level, a chance should be given by the Academia to the students for publishing their/her research work in a reasonable journal Academia may conduct youth development programs for new graduates of statistics. Higher education Commission (HEC) may help Academia by focusing on HEC syllabus and develop close coordination among teachers and professionals and proposed HODs to conduct at least two week classes/refresher courses for teachers to understand the practical methods of statistics produced by statistical agencies. Statistics should be included as a core and compulsory subject for students of all disciplines, as statistical analysis is needed by students of all fields. The experts from Statistical Agencies should be member of board of studies at university level. Experts from Statistical agencies should also be taken as member of curriculum at HEC. Alike workshops/Seminars should be conducted on regular basis not only by SBP but also by HEC and Academia to help achieve this goal.
27
14. Appendices 14.11 List of Participant (Punjab, KPK, AJ&K, ISB) Agricultural University, Peshawar Dr. Zahid Hussain Agriculture University, FSD Mr. Muhammad Kashif AJ&K University, Muzaffarabad COMSAT, Attock Mr. Shahid Hussain COMSAT, Islamabad Dr. Masood Anwar COMSAT, Islamabad Dr. Noor Muhammad Larik GCU Lahore Mr. Yasir Mahmood GPG College Mansehra Mr. Jamal Shah GPG College Mansehra Mr. Majid Khan HEC, Islamabad Mr. Javed Memon HEC, Islamabad Mr. Bashir Khan IIU, Islamabad Dr. Irshad Ahmed IIU, Islamabad Dr. Ishfaq Ahmed IIU, Islamabad Dr. Zahid Kinnaird College, Lahore Dr. Saleha Naghmi Habibullah Kinnaird College, Lahore Mrs. Zubaira Hassan LCWU, Lahore Ms. Sharqa Hashmi LCWU, Lahore Ms. Asma Zeb NIBAF, Islamabad Dr. Zahid Asghar NU, FAST, Islamabad Mr. Khalil Ullah NU, FAST, Islamabad Mr. Usman Ashraf PIDE, Islamabad Ms. Amena Urooj PIDE, Islamabad Mr. Zamir Hussain Sargodha University Mr. Muhammad Iqbal Sargodha University Ms. Sadia Qamar SZABIST, Islamabad S. Asad Hussain
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14.12List of Participant (Sind & Baluchistan) Applied Economics Research Centre (AERC) Mr.Suhail Javed Applied Economics Research Centre (AERC) Dr. Anjam Aqeel Bahria University Karachi Campus Mr. Ishtiaq Ahmed Bahria University Karachi Campus Mirza Uzair Baig Bahria University Karachi Campus Mrs. Tehniat Mirza Bahria University Karachi Campus Mr. Engr. Conard D'Silva Institute of Business & Technology BIZTEK Syed Arslan Wasti Institute of Business Administration Mr. Nauman J. Amin Institute of Business Administration Mr. Mubashir Institute of Business Management Mr. Rizwan Ahmed Institute of Business Management Ms. Hina samreen Institute of Business Management Mr. Wajahat Ali Institute of Business Management Mr. Laiq Muhammad Institute of Business Management S. Maqbool Rehman Institute of Business Management Amnah Abbas ISRA University, Hyderabad Mr. Javaid Dars ISRA University, Hyderabad Mr. Raza Mustafa Karachi Institute of Economics & Technology Mr. Muhammad Shahbaz Khan SZABIST, Karachi Mr. Sumair Siraj Memon SZABIST, Karachi Mr. Masood Ahmed Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam Dr. Velo Suthar Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam Dr. Muhammad Hanif Lakho Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam Mr. Riaz Ali Buriro University of Balochistan, Quetta Mr. Furqan-ul-haq Siddiqui University of Karachi Dr Ehtesham Hussain University of Karachi Dr. Mudassir Uddin University of Sindh Dr. Ghulam Hyder Talpur University of Sindh Mr. Javed Iqbal Chandio Adamjee Science College Mr. Nadeemuddin GECE (W/M), Hussainabad, Karachi Ms. Shabana Hyder Govt. College for Men Mr. Waqar Govt. College of Education FB Area Kjarachi Mr. Irfan Ullah Qureshi Govt. National College Mr. Kh. Rashid Govt. National College Mr. Nasiruddin Govt.College for men Nazimabad No.2 Mr. Muhamad Waqar Govt.College for men Nazimabad No.2 Mr. Atif Nawaz Jamia Milia College S. Sabihulah Zaidi CAMS College Abu-Tarique
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14.2 Workshop Programs 14.21 Islamabad Workshop Program
PROGRAMME
One Day Workshop on "MAICk ALICA1ICNS CI S1A1IS1ICS ICk ACADLMIA`` May 11, 2012 at NIBAF Islamabad
OPENING SESSION
0830-0930 Arrival of Participants
0930-0945 Inauguration of workshop by Dr. Ishaque Ahmad Ansari, Additional Director, Statistics & DWH Department, State Bank of Pakistan, Karachi
0945-0950 Recitation from verses of Holy Quran
0950-1030 Welcome address by Dr. Azizullah Khattak, Director, Statistics & DWH Department, State Bank of Pakistan, Karachi
1030-1045 Tea Break
TECHNICAL SESSIONS
1. (Naseer Ahmed, Additional Director)
1045-1145 Presentation on Compilation procedure of Pakistan Balance of Payments
2. (Azam Ali, Joint Director)
1145-1245 Presentation on Compilation procedure of Monetary and Financial Statistics
1245-1430 Lunch/Friday Prayers Break
1430-1630 Group Discussion on the aspects of syllabus taught at post graduate level.
Note: Mr. Abdul Basit, Assistant Director - facilitator. 30
14.22 Karachi Workshop Program
PROGRAMME
One Day Workshop on "MAICk ALICA1ICNS CI S1A1IS1ICS ICk ACADLMIA`` June 28, 2012 at LRC Karachi
OPENING SESSION
0830-0930 Arrival of Participants
0935-0940 Recitation from verses of Holy Quran
0940-1015 Welcome address by Dr. Azizullah Khattak, Director, Statistics & DWH Department, State Bank of Pakistan, Karachi
1015-1045 Tea Break
TECHNICAL SESSIONS
1. (Naseer Ahmed, Additional Director)
1045-1200 Presentation on Compilation procedure of Pakistan Balance of Payments
2. (Azam Ali, Joint Director)
1200-1300 Presentation on Compilation procedure of Monetary and Financial Statistics
1300-1430 Lunch Break
1430-1630 Group Discussion on the aspects of syllabus taught at post graduate level.
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PHOTOGRAPHS
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EVALUATIONS 14.4 Workshop Evaluation
1st Workshop
EVALUATION RESULTS ONE DAY WORKSHOP ON Major Applications of Statistics for Academia At NIBAF, State Bank of Pakistan, Islamabad Pakistan (May 11, 2012)
Coverage given to the topic Relevance to the job Sharing of experience Contribution to the knowledge base Excellent 25% 30% 45% 55% Good 65% 50% 45% 30% Satisfactory 10% 20% 10% 10% Unsatisfactory 0% 0% 0% 5% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 120% 37
14.4 Workshop Evaluation
2nd Workshop EVALUATION RESULTS ONE DAY WORKSHOP ON Major Applications of Statistics for Academia At LRC, State Bank of Pakistan, Karachi (June 28, 2012)
Coverage given to the topic Relevance to the job Sharing of experience Contribution to the knowledge base Excellent 38% 23% 31% 28% Good 45% 47% 59% 56% Satisfactory 17% 30% 11% 16% Unsatisfactory 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 120% 38
14.5 Data compiling Agencies and Presentations
Data Compiling Agencies State Bank of Pakistan [http://www.sbp.org.pk] Pakistan Bureau of Statistics [http://www.pbs.gov.pk] Provincial Bureaus of Statistics Statistical cells in Government department
State Bank of Pakistan
External Sector Balance of Payments International reserves Foreign Trade International investment position External debt Exchange rates Financial Sector Analytical accounts of Central bank Analytical accounts of Banking sector Interest rates Financial soundness indicators Banking statistics Flow of funds accounts 39
Pakistan Bureau of Statistics
Real Sector National accounts Production index Forward-looking indicators Labor market: Employment, unemployment, wages, etc Price index: Consumer prices Price index: Producer prices Population Income expenditure and social statistics surveys Government Ministries Fiscal Sector General government operations (Revenue and expenditure) Central government operations (Tax revenue and non-tax revenue) External debt Central government debt (external & domestic)
(Second Language Learning and Teaching) Miroslaw Pawlak - Ewa Waniek-Klimczak-Issues in Teaching - Learning and Testing Speaking in A Second Language-Springer (2015) PDF