KARACHI:
As Pakistan celebrates another Independence Day, we rightly remember the freedom achieved in 1947. Yet independence has another, less celebrated dimension: the freedom to think. Our education system still too often rewards students for remembering information rather than understanding it. From classrooms to board examinations, success can depend on reproducing definitions, memorising notes and anticipating questions. Students may learn what to answer without necessarily learning how to question, analyse or reason.
This is more than a pedagogical weakness; it is a nation-building concern. An independent society requires citizens capable of independent thought. Democracy depends on people who can examine evidence, challenge assumptions and make informed judgments. Scientific progress and innovation similarly flourish where curiosity is encouraged rather than constrained.
The shift towards Student Learning Outcomes and higher-order assessment is therefore welcome. But changing examination patterns alone cannot produce critical thinkers. Teachers need sustained professional development to facilitate inquiry-based learning, while classrooms must become spaces where questions are welcomed rather than discouraged. Assessment, too, should reward reasoning and application rather than memorisation.
As an educator, I believe the most meaningful tribute to independence would be to give our children an education that liberates their minds. Pakistan won political freedom in 1947; the next generation must be equipped with the intellectual freedom to question, create and contribute. Independence should not merely be remembered as freedom from foreign rule. It should also inspire freedom from intellectual dependence.
Manzar Hassan
Peshawar
