Pakistan’s impotent educational system

There is a dire need to reform education by increasing budgetary allocation, curbing corruption in educational funds

Quality education is an indispensable element of the progress and prosperity of any nation. The countries that realised this vitality have attained a prominent place in the comity of the nations. They have done so by evolving intellectually stimulating educational frameworks in line with the emerging dynamics. Such educational systems have enabled students to evaluate, interpret and synthesis informed opinion and creative approaches to life.

However, in Pakistan, education has never received the attention it deserves. Democratic tag notwithstanding, the ultimate axis of national power lies far behind public domain — which is the part reason for this educational apathy. Since an enlightened public and a democratically cloaked totalitarian power elite hardly coexist, the latter has done the needful in disregarding education.

The elites of this country are conscious of the fact that an enlightened subject would defy their perks and privileges built upon falsified and loaded narratives. Henceforth, they are averse to promulgating a cognitively stimulating educational framework that might endanger their long held primacy. Resultantly, our educational system encourages rote-learning, conservatism, dogmatism and sentimental tendencies. The disciplines that spur analytical, creative and critical thinking like philosophy, epistemology, logic, and psychology hardly find space in the country’s academic discourse. Rather, only the hard sciences or the carefully cropped social sciences, to the extent of their acceptance, make up the national curriculum. The many historical events and records have been selectively included in the curriculum so that nothing to be left open to question.

Though the world might display feats in modern research, art, quantum mechanics, metaphysics and extra-terrestrial intelligence, we have been entangled into the classical pseudoscience and obsolete academic discourse. The world might look for life in the farthest moons of distant planets, we failed to evolve a consensus on the sighting of Luna. Our educational system even failed to educate the masses about their fundamental rights as enshrined in the Constitution, let alone the complex and modern knowledge base. Articles 8 to 28 of the Constitution that underline the fundamental rights of citizens failed to find space in the curriculum.

This way, the country’s myopic educational framework continues to produce cognitively dwarfed, intellectually corrupt and pseudo literates selfishly lured to the financial favour and tantalising promises of the elite. And the illiterate faction of the country’s population serves as soft target and fodder for elite pathos.

Who does actually share the blame for this systematic deterioration of the country’s educational system? Military, Mullah, dynastic political enterprises, judiciary and bureaucracy are the very forces beyond the impotent educational system of the country. Since these institutions draw exorbitant benefits, critical thinking goes against their stakes. Therefore, questioning these public institutions amounts to treason, heresy, threat to democracy, contempt and intervention in public duty.

This intentional educational oblivion caused the country to suffer on socio-economic, political, intellectual and developmental fronts. This also barred democracy to deepen its roots in the country, as real democracy and illiteracy cannot move together.

There is a dire need to reform education by: increasing budgetary allocation to 4%; curbing corruption in educational funds; reforming curriculum in line with the demands of time; promoting state-of-the-art research culture; encouraging creative and critical thinking; improving pedagogical practices; replacing rote learning with real-life experiences and skills; and developing an intellectually stimulating academic environment. But for these reforms to succeed, elitist mindset needs to be reformed first. Unless the elites shed away their selfish motives in favour of the larger national good, the country’s educational system would remain largely impotent.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 26^th, 2022.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.