The writer is author of The Gun Tree: One Woman’s War (Oxford University Press, 2001) and lives in Bhurban
It is further estimated that, despite the government mandate of providing free, quality education to all children by law, only about 66 per cent of children ever see the inside of a school, way below the global average of 90 per cent, let alone actually learn anything. If a local primary school in Bhurban is anything to judge by, one can fully understand why children, aside from parental non-interest, fail to attend school even if they are free to do so.
Of the estimated 163,000 primary schools in Pakistan, this one actually has two female teachers who, at this time of the year and as long as bright sunshine rules the day, ‘teach’ their charges out in the open air on the raised platform of what is left of the foundation of a planned Benazir Bhutto-era school. The school may, or may not, have included a provision for heating. The existing primary school, a tiny, unheated, very dark affair which someone has attempted to brighten up with whitewash and a few exterior drawings, claims to have 153 pupils on its roll but the real figure is more likely to be one-third of this: at the most.
Unlike primary schools in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, which few girls are permitted to attend, this little school has predominantly girl students. As I walked past, the children called out greetings and practiced the peace signs I taught them some time ago, the teachers called me to wait and came to ask where I was going and what was in the baskets hung on my arms. “Pine cones in one and rose hips in the other,” I replied. “I am just walking a bit further to where there are more rose hips ready to harvest.”
‘’We’ll come too,’’ they said in unison without giving a moment’s consideration for their pupils. “Explain what is rosehips and what is they for,” they said, in poor English.
“Which one of you teaches English?” I asked, curious to know.
“I does,” responded one who has been a teacher for 15 years. “But English is a problem. It is too difficult.”
Her incorrect usage of language was a clear pointer as to why the few children who go on to secondary school fail to matriculate — their English is almost non-existent: it demonstrates the complete lack of interest shown by the ministry of education when allotting jobs to teachers and must either be changed, or, English dropped from the rural school primary curriculum to be learnt, only when and if a qualified teacher is available at a later stage.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 11th, 2013.
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COMMENTS (6)
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The eagerness to learn seems to be there as the writer noted the majority of students are girls. I feel sorry for the kids though for having such incompetent teachers, who can't even string together a few sentences in English. At least the writer is supplementing the education the kids receive by teaching them some English and songs. Good for her, and I hope she continues to help those poor kids.
what a irony is that country made by person who didnot speak a language which is national and he was lawyer of english laws then how we want from him sheriah laws. rulers of this country trys so hard to speak in english but dont wanna speak in there own lang which is easy and we fight urdu muqadama in english allways....
Thanks for your article on this subject.If you could plan some field trips to such schools in rural Pakistan and sub urban areas with more teams of dedicated volunteers. It'd be an honour for me to be a part of that endeavour. Without quality education nothing can be changed and all that facade of semblance could crumble anytime soon!
I wonder how the education system is successful in japan, china, korea and europe where language of instruction is mother tongue. According to the colonial mentality of the elites here, its better to deny education than teach it in other than english.
It only makes sense to drop english and use national language (spoken by 90%+) of the population. Govt should focus on translating quality books from foreign language into urdu and teach it to the masses, this will be very effective in providing quality education. Its very important that language of instruction is language of fluency.
The problem is the forceful use of a secondary language. Why doesnt the government teach in native language and if required english can be learnt at later stage when student matures, its not impossible. Education has nothing to do with language. Colonialist mentality of the govt.