Directionless class-toppers

Students, supposedly the best brains, ignore subjects like history and literature because they are not easy to score.

The day exam results are announced is an important one for everyone: teachers, students and parents. This day is of equal importance for reporters who have to cover all aspects of the day and talk to the toppers in different exams about their future plans. After the results announced at a ceremony on August 21, I was a bit disappointed when I talked to the toppers of the Punjab University BA and BSc exams. All the top three positions in BSc were secured by those who had opted to study mathematics and physics, and in BA, the toppers had studied Islamic Studies and Arabic. They showed the determination to continue with their studies but they were not very clear on what exactly they wanted to achieve in the future.

I was disappointed as these students are supposedly the best brains and must have had clear-cut career goals ahead of them. I then decided to look at the results of the last 10 years. As far as the BA results were concerned, to my surprise, almost all the toppers had opted for subjects like Islamic Studies, Arabic and Kashmiriyat (Kashmir Affairs). I spoke to some experts who said the students opt for these subjects not because they want to become experts in them, but because these subjects are easy to score in. Important subjects such as history, political science, sociology, geography and literature are ignored by the students just because they are not easy to score in. Experts believe that we need to put more focus on these subjects but our examination system has done nothing to bring in a change for the better.

If students choose a subject just because they could get better marks in it and then try their luck in some other field, they are certainly not going to find themselves in an advantageous position.

They first choose a subject without realising the potential in the job market and then complain about unemployment when they fail to find any jobs. The universities and colleges need to connect students with the experts in the relevant fields to have a career-oriented education system. If this is not done, the students will remain confused about what to do after attaining their degrees. This will just lead to frustration and unemployment. We better do something about this fast, to stop students falling prey to frustration.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 1^st, 2013.