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The PTI and education
Are we meant to deduce that people with beards do not have anything intelligent to say?
KARACHI: This is with reference to Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy’s article of February 9 titled “Education: The PTI’s false promises won’t help” who has quoted from recently-launched Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) and the plight of education in Pakistan. However it doesn’t take him long (three paragraphs to be precise) into the article, before the learned doctor retreated to his favourite pastime — criticising Imran Khan. This time he had to dig into the PTI’s chief personal life and decisions to make a rather bizarre analogy.
At this point, it may be pertinent to point out that the meeting he mentions where he met Imran Khan was a private one. This, by definition, is one which entails a frank exchange of ideas and a meaningful meeting can only be one which includes an exchange of a range of diverse opinion. For starters, one could easily accuse the writer of being prejudiced because he seems to basing his opinion of them on their appearance, saying that three of the six participants were “bearded maulanas”.
Are we meant to deduce that people with beards do not have anything intelligent to say? Or does it signify in the stereotypical world of our elite that anyone from middle class or lower middle class with a religious disposition is not even worth engaging with?
The article then moves from talking about education to a critique of Imran Khan as a person. In all this, Dr Hoodhboy seems to miss the point that Mr Khan is not condemning education per se, but the mindset that it creates and perpetuates. The writer also makes an unsubstantiated charge against the PTI chief when he implies that the latter is against scientific advancement. No concrete evidence is given to back this claim. As for the suggestion that the PTI chief sends his children to the school that he despises, the latter has never ever suggested or said anything against his former school or university which would suggest that he ‘despises’ these institutions.
The writer also doubts the PTI desire to introduce a single syllabus across the country to bring uniformity and equality in the mainstream system of education. The writer clearly misses the point that part of the PTI tsunami is to bring about comprehensive change to the country’s system of schooling and education.
Kashif Jan
Published in The Express Tribune, February 11th, 2012.
Reader Comments (20)
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Excellent letter, thank you.
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Imran khan will do a much better job for education then the other corrupt political parties. Im a concerned student, and im ready to let my future be decided by PTI…I know they won’t let me down..INSHALLAH. Good letter.
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Atl east PTI talks about education… it’s not even on the agenda for the regular parties….
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As a Pakistani I just want our leaders to try their best to improve the system which has faults. If Imran Khan can even improve 1% that is good enough. Currently, our leaders are destroying even the current system, so 1% improvement for me is far better than making it worse.
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c’mon anti-pti trolls… let the attacks begin haha
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Good response … The people like Mr. Hoodbhoy, have no concrete solution and they want to earn reputation just by criticizing Imran Khan, I have only two question for Mr. Hoodbhoy …
Q1. Is there any world class cancer hospital in the world, which offer 90% free treatment ?
Answer = SKMCH
Q2. Is there any world class university in the world, that offers absolutely free education ?
Answer = Namal University
So, please, if you have any positive concern with Pakistan, raise your hand to support IK, otherwise, raise you standard to think for Pakistan !!!
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Thanks for the intelligent rebuttal.
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I’m a PTI supporter but I totally agree with Dr. Hoodbhoy. I am skeptical of Imran Khan’s education policy too, as his claims sound naive and we need a more comprehensive plan. Introducing a uniform curriculum would not improve things but actually destroy what little is left of the education system. His plan should be to let the private institutions who are providing good education work and try to improve the government school system. As Dr. Hoodbhoy pointed out ” stop using wretchedly bad locally-written science and math textbooks; stop rewarding parrot-like memorisation in examinations; and stop tolerating widespread teacher absenteeism.”
His aim should be to strengthen the government and lower level institutions and bring them to the standards of beaconhouse etc, once they are upto the standards then he could talk about making a uniform curriculum. Otherwise it would be a disaster like Bhutto’s nationalisation policy, the few institutions that have good standards would also perish, we don’t have enough trained teachers or administration to change the education system at once in the name of a uniform curriculum. So Imran Khan’s education policy should be to concentarte on improving the overall education standards and the existing curriculum but not to nationalise the few good educational systems which are providing better education. A uniform Curriculum is an ideal and should be implemented but now is not the time, it would only worsen the situation. Plus a more detailed plan should be given on how he plans to tackle this problem.
Also Dr. Hoodbhoy can be harsh and biased in his criticism sometimes, you may disagree with his tone but please try to take the criticism positively. We all have put our faith in Imran Khan for a change, but that doesn’t mean we can’t criticise him and help him in making the right choices.
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Imran Khan has repeatedly communicated in interviews that in his opinion off all the challenges that Pakistan faces and any future government will have to overcome, the problem of education is the most difficult and will require the most effort in which the whole nation will need to come together to help resolve. In addition he has also repeatedly pointed out that this is the one issue he feels which will take time to resolve i.e is a long term issue
PTI recognises the enormity of the education challenge and is under no illusions when it points it out as the single biggest danger which if not tackled on an emergency basis, will only lead to more friction, division and social unrest in our society.
Fortunately or unfortunately where we stand, the bearded maulanas (no thanks to hypocritical and self serving policies of past rulers) in significant numbers have become a part of our society and will also have to be engaged and brought into the mainstream lest we wish to treat them as pariahs (as Mr Hoodbhoy seems to prefer – i apologise to him if i have inferred incorrectly) and do not engage them in a wide ranging solution for all rather than the select elite few.
And finally, the PTI atleast recognises there is a growing problem and has a broad policy to address the issue. It requires motivated Pakistanis to help it achieve its objectives, not cynical old men pouring scorn over their honest intentions!
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good but not excellent what about the KHURSHID KASURI’s education system chain in PAKISTAN Only for ELITE class you didn’t mention this in your letter :)
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Excellent, one more thing would be to add the Namal project by IK. That project, when started was met with the same opposition as by Hoodbhoy’s, as “How is it possible” .. but pity, what PhD doctors failed to fathom, IK being less educated than them, achieved it with sheer faith and honesty.
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we trust imran,at least his intentions are sincere….lets hope n give him a chance
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Here’s a research paper by a Cambridge University scholar on how Britishers destroyed autonomous public schools in India and replaced it with a system that produced people with such minds and “abilities” suiting their interests – pen-pushers (clerks) and trigger pushers (soldiers), blind followers of Imperial power: https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxhem5ld3MwfGd4OjEzOWMwYzMwNmFjMzczMjA&pli=1Recommend
The writer seems to get personal with Dr Pervez. Instead of providing rationale to justify his argument, he seems to incline himself on showing disgust for those who disagree with his view. Fella grow up its democracy. Learn to live with opposing views if you wanna be a democratic leader as frankly i see theocratic mentality everywhere. I havent seen anything concerte and definitive from PTI when it comes to how he would take things forward esp in sector of education or even economic policy. Namal doesnt define running a country of 180 mil. people
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I’m an unapologetic PTI supporter, but I’ll side with Dr. Hoodbhoy on this matter. We need to seek wisdom from intellectuals and not ‘bearded mullahs’ who discount and reject science.
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Let’s show people that Imran Khan stands for a Pakistan which is devoid of these mullahs. I have said it before and I’ll say it again: Mullahs are an existential threat to Pakistan!
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Nice response, especially the point raised against the illogical perception of “bearded persons being non-intelligent”
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nicely raised point on the illogical perception of “every bearded persons being non intelligent”
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This year was the PPP’s year of education.
If this is the best that the PPP can manage, even after making promises in their manifesto about investing in education then I think the PPP has no right to even mention this subject.
The PML-N fares no better. They have been running Punjab for the last few years but primary schools are crumbling. I watched documentaries about schools in Yousaf Raza Gilani’s constituency where the roofs were crumbling and children risked their lives to sit under them.
If we had any decency and guts we would do away with the feudalocracy and finally break this cycle of serfdom and slavery.Recommend
Pakistanis tend to put their egos before anything else. I guess it comes from watching too much wrestling, our favorite past time.
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