Pakistan’s education crisis

Directionless education producing degree holders only

What ails our education system? Is it a lack of adequate budget, lack of policy implementation, defective examination system, poor physical facilities, lack of teacher quality, lack of implementation of education policies, directionless education or low enrollment? To find out the crux of the problem Bol news talked to some renowned social activists and educationists.

Qasim Ali Shah, an educationist said, “Pakistani Education system is in fact, no system and this statement applies not only to universities and colleges but to schools as well. The imbalanced and outdated curriculum along with incompetent modulation of teaching methodologies is nothing more than polluting the young minds of the country. It, primarily, is killing the young creative minds and is compelling them to run a rat race without understanding the treasures they hold within themselves.

It is producing confused souls who; although, are taught by a Pakistani teacher, are consciously victimized to consider themselves inferior to modern education societies of the first world. It always surprises me when the youth of the country go for acquiring the so-called degrees, which promote lethal competition inculcating psycho-social complexes in immature minds.

Tell me, which course of the university curriculum trains them on self-discovery, public speaking and understanding one’s own capacities along with realizing one’s limitations and developing guts in students to overcome their weaknesses in the long run? The students are discouraged to read out-of-syllabus books whereas teachers at the same time emphasize to keep following the same age-old trends for teaching. They try their best to complete the syllabus outlines in a fraction of time and leave students on their own until exams are taken.

Meanwhile, students are compelled to rattle and cram extensive notes, which do not include the knowledge applicable to the latest advancements in practical fields. In addition to this, students are not given time to think and understand what they are being taught, its applicability is also not taught. This mode of education with a decayed base and meaning can merely produce notes-recorders; and again, for a short period, it cannot add anything to the value and meaning of their lives. It is producing concentrated products which are completely numb to recognize treasuries offered by the universe.”

Famous singer and social activist Shehzad Roy, expressing his views with Bol media on the Pakistani education system said, “Our education system lacks the transmission of skill-set and modern knowledge compatible with the needs of a growing world. To conquer the world of academics, Pakistani students and scholars need to be taught skills and knowledge based on modern requirements. Expertise should not remain limited to regional or national perimeters, causing complexes. ”

While sharing her views, an educationist and founder of a Lahore-based NGO working for the educational welfare of underprivileged children Mrs Seema Aziz highlighted, “In most of the cases, children belong to distorted families which acts as an obstacle in the overall expression of their self and abilities. We are a third-world country, with meagre resources and opportunities. An education system must be sensitive to human inabilities especially for countries like Pakistan, for no human born on this planet is useless and perfect at the same time. We see a spectrum of flexible choices in learning when it comes to modern cultures – let’s say Western culture but, one of the major causes of the incompetence of the Pakistani education system is its rigidity which is followed at every stage, traumatizing the young minds who fall prey to psycho-social issues like identity crises, lack of self-knowledge and recognition after passing out from this apologetic system. ”

In a nutshell, though the Pakistani education system is giving away high scholarly degrees to many people in the country annually, its influence on character building and scholarship is not there.