HELSINKI: Shahzaib Waheed, the Pakistani student who achieved a bachelor’s degree in the fastest ever duration, feels that “Pakistan’s education system has expired” and authorities “need to shift the system towards practical learning”.
The Finland-based Shahzaib, in an interview with Leading News, said: “Everything has some expiry date and Pakistan’s education system expired 20 years ago already. They need to change the entire system — not just books but the entire system.
“Pakistan is currently selling education! Education is the biggest business in Pakistan.”
He said old men in offices who don’t even know how to search on google are making policies for the younger generation. “How can we trust them for our future? They need to shift the system towards practical learning,” he said.
On December 16, 2022 Shahzaib became the first student to achieve the fastest bachelor’s degree ever.
Shahzaib completed his bachelor’s degree in International Business from the Kajaani University of Applied Sciences in Kajaani, Finland. His degree duration was from August 24, 2021 to December 16, 2022, which means that he achieved his degree in 16 months — normally, the time is approximately three and a half years.
The bright student has also achieved 47 certifications, which include Microsoft, Google, LUMS, Ufone, etc. besides earning a number of nominations and awards.
Leading News contacted Shahzaib and had the following telephonic interview with this bright student who has made the whole of Pakistan proud.
LN: What motivated you to pursue your degree, and how did you manage to achieve such outstanding academic results?
Shahzaib: Having a degree is essential these days, so I also wanted to have a degree. I was interested in business, so I took admission in BBA International Business. I was working on my start-up before the degree and this degree helped me identify my start-up problems. I had practical knowledge of business and this helped me a lot during the degree.
LN: What was the project or assignment that you worked on that you feel was especially successful?
Shahzaib: I was working on my start-up in Finland for my assignments and projects. I wanted to grow a start-up. My teachers and management helped me to make a proper growth plan and after graduating I now have an established start-up in Finland.
LN: How did you balance academic commitments with extracurricular activities or work, and what did you learn from that experience?
Shahzaib: I made a lot of sacrifices to achieve this result. I spent most of my time on studies, I had no social life at that time. I worked on alternative weekends to meet my monthly expenses. I didn’t sleep for 4 days straight and all this time was spent on studies. I made some compromises on my health by studying four days straight.
LN: In your opinion, what are the key skills and attributes that helped you achieve your academic success, and how do you plan to apply them in your future career?
Shahzaib: Time management, goal management, and trust in ourselves; these are the most crucial skills and they are pretty versatile for everyone to work in any field.
LN: What challenges did you face during your time at the university, and how did you overcome them?
Shahzaib: Sleeplessness had a major impact on my health, stress and anxiety were at their peak at that time because of assignments and research work. No one believed that I could achieve my target; everyone started joking around me including my family and relatives. All I was left with was my hope. I had a firm belief that if you trust yourself then Allah Almighty opens the door for you.
LN: What advice would you give to other students who are striving to excel academically?
Shahzaib: Set your goals straight, set a plan to achieve that goal and never lose hope with Allah Almighty. Never trust anyone around you, including your family and relatives. Only trust in yourself and Allah’s plans.
