Aitchison and merit

Aitchison College in Lahore is a pillar of the Establishment. It is where the ‘elite’ send their children and it is the embodiment of the Raj-era writ large in the 21^st century. Admission has traditionally been based upon preferment rather than merit, and generations of families in an unbroken line going back a century or more in some instances have graced its halls and lawns. But the winds of change are now blowing through Aitchison College. A recent announcement by its board of governors that places would no longer be allocated in favour of the sons of alumni, but will in future be based upon merit alone has provoked howls of indignation. A range of high-powered and influential old boys have lamented that by selecting on merit, the very character of their cherished — and elitist — institution will be damaged.

The school board members who met recently were unanimous in their scrapping of the ‘kinship’ rules. It appears that the move was powered by the governor of Punjab who is also a board member. Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar (apparently also with the support of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif) has said that the kinship rules had been used to favour a tiny minority of so-called ‘VVIP’ families. Governor Sarwar is correct. The decision strikes at the very heart of the Establishment, which has long seen Aitchison College as a sort of private club wherein they can fast-track their scions along a privileged road. Pakistan in 2014 is no place for colonial attitudes and thinking, and the domination of a small group of ruling dynastic families is long overdue to be challenged. The opening of Aitchison College to a more egalitarian set of values has to be good news for the country in the long run. For far too long — and not only in terms of education — preferment and cronyism have been a canker in the body of the state. Merit in all spheres of life has to be the key to advancement, both as individuals and for the Pakistani state. Full marks, Aitchison College.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 2^nd, 2014.

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