On a humid afternoon outside a university admissions office in Lahore, a young student clutched two admission forms — one for sociology, the other for business administration. Before he could make up his mind, the debate had already begun.
“Choose business,” his uncle advised. “At least you’ll find a job.”
His mother nodded in agreement. “What will you do with sociology?”
The young man fell silent.
The brief exchange, repeated in countless homes across Pakistan every admission season, reveals more than a family’s career advice. It reflects a national mindset that has quietly pushed social sciences to the margins of higher education. In a country grappling with poverty, governance failures, climate vulnerability, urbanisation, political instability and educational inequality, the disciplines designed to understand society itself are often dismissed as degrees with little economic value.
For decades, medicine, engineering, information technology and business have been regarded as the safest routes to employment. Social sciences—including sociology, political science, anthropology, psychology, economics, international relations, public policy and development studies—have increasingly become fallback options rather than first choices. Students avoid them, parents discourage them, universities invest less in them and employers seldom seek them out. The consequences extend far beyond university campuses.
Ironically, almost every major national challenge confronting Pakistan today demands exactly the kind of research social scientists are trained to produce. Questions about why millions of children remain out of school, why public policies often fail to deliver, why poverty persists despite repeated interventions, why communities distrust institutions or how climate change is reshaping migration patterns cannot be answered through engineering or medicine alone. They require an understanding of people, institutions and behaviour.
Yet Pakistan continues to lag well behind many countries in social sciences research.
Education experts argue that the problem begins with perception but is reinforced by policy. As fewer students enrol in social science programmes, universities allocate fewer resources to these departments. Limited funding leads to fewer research projects, weaker academic output and declining international visibility. Employers then view these degrees as less relevant, further discouraging students from entering the field. The cycle repeats itself every year.
Former Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmed has described social sciences as “a very important area” but also “the missing link in our education system,” warning that strengthening these disciplines is essential for preserving the fabric of society. His remarks underline a growing concern among academics that Pakistan cannot hope to formulate effective public policy without investing in the research needed to understand its own social realities.
For researchers working in the field, the challenges begin with funding. Unlike laboratory sciences, social science research depends heavily on extensive field surveys, interviews, community engagement and long-term data collection. These activities require sustained financial support, but researchers say available funding remains limited and highly competitive.
The Higher Education Commission has attempted to address the gap through its Thematic Research Grant Programme, which supports studies on governance, education, the economy and other national priorities. While the initiative represents an important step, academics argue that the number of projects receiving grants remains too small to meet the country’s research needs. The HEC itself has acknowledged that Pakistan must further strengthen research infrastructure, institutional capacity and academic development to build a more vibrant social sciences ecosystem.
Money, however, is only part of the story.
Inside many classrooms, students continue to prepare for examinations by memorising textbook definitions rather than questioning assumptions or analysing real-world problems. Original research, critical thinking, policy evaluation and data analysis often receive far less attention than rote learning. By the time students graduate, many possess theoretical knowledge but little practical experience in designing surveys, analysing datasets or evaluating public programmes.
Education specialists say this mismatch leaves graduates struggling in an increasingly competitive job market where governments, international organisations and development agencies seek professionals capable of evidence-based policy analysis rather than simple academic credentials.
Former Federal Education Minister Balighur Rehman repeatedly stressed the importance of adopting modern research methods and strengthening links between universities and industry, arguing that applied research is essential for both economic development and national progress.
Around the world, social sciences have undergone a remarkable transformation. Economists increasingly work alongside climate scientists to study environmental policy. Psychologists collaborate with public health experts to improve vaccination campaigns. Sociologists partner with artificial intelligence researchers to understand how new technologies affect society. Data science, behavioural economics and public policy analysis have opened entirely new career paths that barely existed two decades ago.
These interdisciplinary approaches have become central to policymaking in many developed countries, where governments increasingly rely on evidence gathered by social scientists before designing reforms. Whether the issue is tax compliance, education reform, public health, urban planning or social protection, policymakers now recognise that understanding human behaviour is as important as understanding technology.
Pakistan has yet to fully embrace this shift.
Experts argue that universities should move beyond traditional classroom teaching by equipping students with practical skills in statistical analysis, artificial intelligence applications, geographic information systems, behavioural research and policy evaluation. Equally important, they say, universities must establish stronger partnerships with government departments, think tanks, private companies and development organisations so that research addresses real policy challenges instead of remaining confined to academic journals.
The need for stronger social sciences was recognised years ago by UNESCO’s former Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences, Pierre Sané, who described efforts to strengthen the discipline in Pakistan as a “turning point” after what he called a long period during which the field had remained in a “dismal state of affairs.”
Today, as Pakistan confronts economic uncertainty, demographic pressures, climate change, governance challenges and rapid technological transformation, many education experts believe the country can no longer afford to neglect the disciplines that explain how societies function.
The young student standing outside the admissions office eventually folded his sociology admission letter and quietly slipped it into his backpack.
His decision may have seemed insignificant to those around him. Yet in many ways, it symbolised a much larger question confronting Pakistan.
A country that invests heavily in understanding machines but so little in understanding its own people risks solving technical problems while leaving its deepest social challenges unanswered.
For Pakistan, reviving the social sciences is no longer simply an academic aspiration. It is becoming a national necessity.