KARACHI:
Pakistan once produced renowned intellectuals, philosophers and scholars. Unfortunately, today, even notable universities are struggling to produce intellectual figures and critical thinkers. This represents the grim reality of how poor and devastated pedagogically our education system is. Teachers primarily rely on Google to source educational content. This prevents creativity and does not promote critical thinking. Students seldom engage in debate over different subject matters.
In addition, most students lack writing skills and are unable to express their thoughts rationally. Driven by the desire for a high CGPA, students often resort to cramming everything. Instead of having a clear understanding of the concepts, they prioritise memorisation, opting for cramming over a comprehensive grasp of the questions posed in the papers. Moreover, favouritism undermines the efforts of diligent students as those less dedicated can surpass hardworking peers in CGPA due to preferential treatment.
This not only hampers students’ futures but also emphasises job preparation over fostering critical skills, experience and knowledge. Favouritism is contributing to the excessive brain drain issues in Pakistan. Teachers must promote questioning, debate and problem-solving techniques along with prioritising research. Favouritism and preferential treatment must be avoided and all students should be treated equally. To address these challenges, educational reforms are crucial to restore the intellectual vibrancy that was once a hallmark of Pakistan’s education system.
Usama Mughal
Kandhkot
Published in The Express Tribune, January 18th, 2024.
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