A Failed Education

I disagree with the author`s assertion that education in Pakistan is a failure.

Private sector schools and colleges are thriving in Pakistan and churning out graduates who can compete with graduates of any college in the world. A few months back, an undergrad LUMS team thrashed teams from Indian IITs, Israeli tech institutes and even a dozen U.S. college to end up as finalists of the Carnegie Mellon Senior Project contest.

GIK, IBA, Agha Khan, King Edward Medical College and a host of other institutions are equally good. Go to Punjab University campus, and you will find plenty of brilliant students and teachers.

What differentiates a successful educational system from an unsuccessful one is funding (or lack of it). Throw enough money at teachers, facilities and program development... and you will certainly attract the best Pakistani and foreign faculty. Hearts and minds go where they are appreciated. Pakistani professors flock to U.S/British universities simply because they are accorded more respect and paid better there, than in Pakistani universities. When the same professors are offered a high salary by Pakistani standards, they return to teach in Pakistan. For example, teaching at LUMS is now considered a status symbol among Pakistani business and academic elites.

It`s all about money, not lack of talent or teachers.

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As Long as our policiy makers will consider Spending on Education as an Expense...and as long as they won`t consider the end product productive the delima will continue..


Japan consider spending on education as an investment... with the end product as a propductive tool....look where they are now..

.....

You may teach any nonsense to your kids. But do not think that he is not intelligent enough to separate the chaff from the grain. However,your curricullam must teach:
a) How to look at critically the so called leaders and their thoughts rathar than to exhibit intellectual servitude. The s chools must encourage such questioning rathar than stopping the inquisitiveness of the child to some stupid omnipotent concept.
b) Cultivate respect for every human life -whether muslim or non-muslim.
c) Be sensitive towards all the relations of power in the socities.
d) Cultivate an attitude of fallibilism- a belief that one could be wrong despite all the certainities provided by the great guys(and all omnipotents).
c) Cultivate a respect for Scientific Materialism(Karl Popper).

Every thing would be taken care of. The jihadis would stop believing in the Talibs and the madarssas would start courses in pure sciences.

Amen

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Interesting article.

I think you have hit upon some of the major issues. Primarily the one that people should give suggestions for improvement, and not merely rely on hurling accusations.

For starters, I think everyone on Chowk who wants to see an improvement in the Pakistani education system, should actually go and do something about it, before earning the right to complain about it. Pakistan has too many people jumping up and down asking for improvement in the system, without practically doing something. Too many people criticizing politics, with many who have never voted, and hardly any who take part in a political party. Too many asking for schools, with hardly anyone willing to build one, or fund one. This is specially true for the expatriate population.

The first priority should be putting the right people in the right places. I think Pakistan needs to heavily concentrate in two areas: a) female literacy for young girls (specially in feudal and tribal areas b) graduate level technical education for high-school graduates. I think the current govt.`s choice of Zubeida Jalal and Atta-ur-Rahman are two very good individuals to be put in charge of these areas. Both have actively worked in these areas. Uptil now, the education ministry and S&T were given out as prizes to feudal MNAs who couldn`t care one way or the other about these two areas.

HisExcellency #1: Interesting points. I would agree to some extent.

Money is definitely important. But I think there is something more than money involved also. I think graduating a high number of people to become professors is important also. Some of them will stay around, even without too much money. GIK has had problems with faculty leaving. I checked their salaries in an Asian economics magazines, and they were actually higher than those of IIT professors.

Sarwar #4: I hope you are not going to turn this into a secular/religious or India/Pakistan debate.

I think the best thing to do would be for India to concentrate on the problems in its education system, and the picture it paints of Pakistan. And for Pakistanis to concentrate on its biases. Your reply contains far too many biased statements against Pakistan, thereby mimicking the Indian govts.` line. You would have to validate those statements through international sources. By refusing to do so, you would have to accept that they are based on Indian propoganda. For example, there is a huge difference between the Taliban society and the Pakistan society. Anyone can see it. Yet you generalize the two. And the terrorism in Kashmir, though being committed by both sides, is overwhelmingly being committed by Indain forces (you would have to ask the people of that area to get the real answers, as well as read the reports of human right organizations).

This, of course, does not mean that there aren`t problems in Pakistan`s biased approach to India. It just means that Indians cannot automatically assume their approach is unbiased and correct. They need to challenge their govts.` line, much like this article challenges Pakistan govts.` line. However, most Indians seem more interested in challenging the Pakistan govt. line (nothing wrong with doing that, as long as it is done in an unbiased manner), while hardly any of them challenge their own govts.` and media line vis-a-vis Pakistan. They need to do both, to get real picture.

In regard to issues of conflict, I think both India and Pakistan should disregard their own views about each other, and rely on the international press and international agencies and human rights organizations for views. It is very dangerous for India and Pakistan, to rely on what each country says about the other. I have noticed a great desire and effort by Pakistanis to carry out such introspection.

One good way to see who is more biased in this regard, is a) to see who is willing to be the most introspective about their biases b) who has the most knowledge about the other country, its culture, society etc. c) who is willing to accept thrid-party international views of above mentioned agencies on areas of conflict.

I think, on the whole, Pakistanis do get a lot of exposure to Indians through various sources, and are able to thus balance out to a great degree, the govt. line with the real situation. Which is why one sees articles like this. Which is also why the cable owners of Pakistan have gone on a strike, to be allowed to show Indian channels. Are Indians that interested in things Pakistani?

Educational systems in all countries will be biased towards their own patriotic line. In the USA, kids (and adults) are convinced that everyone loves America and America has the God-given right to attack countries. Even though the rest of the world does not see it that way. The picture painted of the Soviets and (now) the Arabs in America, is far different from the real story. This is mainly due to a biased media and education system. So, this problem is not uinque.

However, it is upto the individuals in the society to make an effort to learn about the, ``enemy,`` by meeting him, visiting him, watching his movies, listening to his music, studying his history, etc. It is also upto the individuals to introspect on their own policies, and to attempt to believe the views of unbiased sources, regarding areas of conflict. Rather than stating their govts.` views to be true. Which, I am afraid, is what your reply does.

Romair 6,7
``In 1984, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, the great Urdu poet, used to teach his grandson, reading then in 10th class. After going through the text-books, Faiz asked his grandson to learn the text-book for examination and something different as truth. The grandson turned to Faiz`s wife and said, ``Mama, I shall have to become a hypocrite. Well Nana says if you want to pass your examination reproduce this book. You have no choice. But I have given you an alternative-the truth, keep that in mind``. Then heaving a sigh asked grandmom again, ``But what of those who will never have a choice.`` ``

This is sad. The above I mena. ANd yet you quote firgures that salaries in India are less than in Pakistan.

Thepoint you need to tak eon board is why is it that India can invite professionals from abroad and pakistan cannot. Institutions abroad DONOT ALLOW their FACULTY TO VISIT PAKISTAN (caps mine).

ALso you need to resolve the fundemental dichotomy in paki education -
Where elite (thos who can afford the a-level type schools) and the masses who read make beleive.

There is a glaring difference in standards and there is a huge proportion of people who ARE SERIOUSLY KNOWLEDGE DEFICIENT. You need to sort this out.

It is not teachers FM Romair, but the curricullum and syllabus which is the main problem. Sort it out and viola you will start PRODUCING WELL BALANCED HUMAN BEINGS and the atm in the country will change automatically.

HOwever I fear this will not happen in the near future. The army believes (like you do) in dictacts and change in direction (like the troops do while marching) at a command. Maybe they have taken what Ayub said - pakistans are the Prussians of the Indian Subcontinent (that is another story though) - to heart.

I agree with romair: we need to physically do something about our country`s education system.
our literacy rate is a major hurdle for development...we need NGOs (because the government seems to be doing nothing about this issue ) that are willing to impart education to those who cant afford to pay for it..i know there are few such facilities in low-income areas.. money is definitely an issue because if the govt. would finally put some aside for education, it would help a great deal in re establishing ghost schools and making new operational ones. but that, we know is not about to happen.
i agree with the author that we need an education system that incourages critical thinking and doesnt just thrust the positive non-controversial issues into our face, but even before we get there, dont you think there is a dire need to increase literacy? i guess that sounds kind of tongue in cheek but think of all those kids who are begging and working for meagre wages, just because they werent born rich enough to get an education..

[quote]
Pakistani professors flock to U.S/British universities simply because they are accorded more respect and paid better there, than in Pakistani universities.
[end-quote]

Really? Actually, I doubt whether there are more than a dozen pakistani professors at the 50 leading British and US universities. Maybe you are mixing up Miami University at Oxford, Ohio with Oxford in Britain? Or Ithaca College with Cornell? It would be a natural error given your state of backwardness.

Other than Ayesha Jalal I have never heard of a single Pakistani academic in a leading department in the US or UK. WHere are these wonderful people?

Bharatvasi,

There is no point in talking to the airmarshal who is oblivious to reality. Here is the real curse of the nation... the real counterfeit coins.


Sarwar,

Your post has perhaps enumerated the real problems with our reading of History. Unfortunately the Air Marshal doesn`t seem to understand why misrepresentation of the secularist founding father of our nation as an `orthodox muslim` can have negative effects on the nation`s psyche.



The problem that our air marshal will never understand ... is that when you have an ideology based education as we have had increasingly due to Zia`s influence.. you tend to produce midgets ...


Does the Air Marshal really think that the nation will produce any good scientists if the aim and objective is the `glory of Islam` and the proof of `God`s existence?

Does the Air Marshal really think that if our kids don`t study evolution WHICH IS A FACT they will have a clue about Biology?

What kind of art will such an `Islamic society` produce? Calligraphy?

What kind of lawyers, Jurists, and law givers will a society like this provide? Have you wonder why we don`t have the lawyers of Jinnah`s standard anymore in the great Islamic Republic of Pakistan?

What kind of Economists ? Those who denigrate the `Interest Banking?

Whatever good art or science that has come out of Pakistan has come because of the residual secularism of Pakistan. That residual secularism lives on in the form of O and A level and IB systems of Education in Pakistan, and through those who have foreign degrees and have returned to Pakistan.


A theocratic educational system is inherently incapable of such an endeavor. When Muslims were at their peak it was because they were willing to adopt secular knowledge on its merits without religious coloring or overtones... Avicenna, Omar Khayyam and others like them were all confirmed atheists...

-YLH

The last paragraph should read `theological educational system`

A theocratic system refers to governance... `theological` thus is more appropriate.

Oops... `Have you ever wondered....`

P-mishra2

Can you please spare us your myopic anti-Pakistan propaganda... yes we are horrible.. ok?
Please leave us alone.

-YLH

Mantolives,

Why are you making this a secular vs. religion issue? The issue is dogmatic indoctrination and propoganda. Secularists are just as capable of it.

Pakistan Studies is only one part of the curriculm. Most students don`t consider it to be central to their studies. Sure it needs to be reformed. But that won`t change a poor institution into a quality one.
The rot started with nationalization. Corrupt and inefficient governemnts have driven every nationalized industry into the ground. Education is no exception. Government will not solve this problem. Education needs to be privatized as much as possible. Government investment should be in the form of scholarships and not control of educational institutions.