Business education in Pakistan: A pedagogical shift for the future

Abstract

The development of countries is often linked with their education system. The world is rapidly changing with advancements in innovation and technology, which has compelled countries to improve their educational pedagogy. Those countries that do not timely improve their education approaches to make their people skillful may lag behind the modern world. Business schools in developing countries are facing various challenges, as business survival has become more complex than traditional management practices. Although business schools have grown significantly in number in recent years, many institutions face serious issues, including a lack of qualified educators, weak industry-academia linkages, limited innovation in study schemes, insufficient teacher training, the absence of performance evaluation systems, and higher unemployment of business graduates. These challenges are more severe in business schools; disasters such as COVID-19 have further highlighted the importance of distance learning, while the rise of online businesses has created both new opportunities and challenges for traditional business schools. The solution to these issues lies in a pedagogical shift toward technologically mediated learning, experiential education, incubation and laboratory learning, development of psychomotor skills, integration of Information Technology (IT) based competencies, and the inclusion of entrepreneurship as a core business strategy. In this context, the recently revised HEC curriculum for Business and Management Studies (October 2025) reflects recognition that traditional teaching approaches are no longer sufficient. The revised framework emphasizes outcome-based and student-centered learning, practical exposure, and technology integration. However, several important aspects remain partially addressed, particularly at the implementation level, including industry co-teaching, interdisciplinary collaboration, flexible internship models, digital skills, business resilience, artificial intelligence accountability, and faculty readiness. Therefore, this study found that revision of curriculum is not sufficient; faculty development, improved digital infrastructure, and strong industry collaboration are essential to prepare future-ready business graduates for Industry.