Sir

Your Editorial 'The paradox of Pakistan' (Nature 450, 585; doi:10.1038/450585a 2007) rightly credited General Pervez Musharraf's regime for increased spending on science and research, which may be threatened by the political decline of Musharraf. I would like to add that the fall of such an ambitious scientific enterprise is built into the educational system of the country at primary and secondary levels. Universities simply cannot produce quality research and education if fiscal resources are not accompanied by quality human resources.

The students at Pakistan's universities come from a vastly neglected school and college system. Unless the lower-tier educational institutes are able to produce quality pupils, the money spent on universities is going to be wasted. The school education system must be thoroughly overhauled so that universities can make the best use of available resources.