CriticalThought
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According to a news report in Dawn
https://www.dawn.com/news/1439846/c...ends-declaring-education-emergency-in-country
a committee constituted by the SC has recommended declaring an education emergency in the country. It is heartening that focus groups in the country are finally highlighting the root cause of Pakistan's troubles.
When the incumbent government started on its reforms agenda, there were huge expectations that education and economy would be foremost on the government's priority list. It thus came as a shock when PM Khan announced his housing scheme as a cornerstone of bringing about meaningful change.
It should be self-evident from Pakistan's problems in FATF, weak cases in NAB, and inability to curtail money laundering, that we have a dearth of competent people in government. In the private sector, barring IT, we see a lack of innovation and growth. The state of our exports reflects the underlying rot that is eating this nation. And it comes back to education - or a lack of it. Across the public and private sectors, our workers have become habituated with nepotism, cronyism, and corruption. This unholy edifice was till now supported by misuse of foreign loans that were taken by selling the pride, prestige, and vested interests of this nation. Now that the establishment has decided to take a principled step, the gravy train is no more, and decades of neglect is showing its true nature.
There should thus be no doubt that we are facing an education emergency. But what is to be done about it?
Dealing with this emergency requires answering a few fundamental questions: what are the aims we hope to achieve through education? Who will transform those aims into a national curriculum? Who will impart this education and how will we provide the infrastructure needed for it? And finally, how will these educated be employed once they have received this education?
From a policy perspective, we need an education system that produces good Muslims who fear Allah and follow the tenets of Islam. In worldly matters, they must be capable of independent thought, critical thinking, and able to apply logic and rationality to comprehend and navigate the challenges that life throws at them. They need to be able to articulate their opinions and ideas through cogent, evidence based argumentation. At the least, they need to be able to communicate effectively in both English and Urdu. Instead of emphasis on memorization and regurgitation, they should be evaluated on comprehension, independent thought, communication, and creativity.
While development of intellectual capacity is important, so is physical development. The education system should ensure that children are provided nutrition and a mandatory regime of sports must be instituted.
The policy framework discussed above is not limited to merely the sciences. It can be applied to all streams of education. But formulating policy is the easy part. How do we implement it?
This is the point where on truly grasps the gravity of the situation, and the enormity of the task facing us. In order to impart quality education, you need quality teachers. And there is a dearth of these. Not only that, there is a dearth of infrastructure. And a dearth of funds.
Merely handing the situation to the private sector is not the solution. As soon as the opportunity presents itself, we know that INGOs, NGOs, and other anti-state and anti-Islam actors will jump into the fray to mild the minds of youth. The resulting 'education' will create a subjugated mentality that finds relief in a blind following of the West and turning Pakistan into the 52nd state.
One solution is remote learning. Learning centres can be created where anyone can go and receive a pre-recorded session, followed by exercises. The solution can be submitted at the student's ease. Once the student has mastered a certain range of topics, they can be evaluated online. Such a system of decentralized, education-on-demand is the only way to scale available resources such that no child in the country is left wanting. This proposal is extremely high level, but if implemented correctly, it has the power to bring about change.
Similarly, sports centres can be created that provide a meal to children after they participate in sports activities. Again, access should be public and available any time.
This author believes that decentralized, education-on-demand can play a fundamental role in solving the education crisis in the country. In a first phase, this allows the government to cater for those who are willing to learn. Once a critical mass of educated work force is available, we can then think about mandatory education for all.
In parallel to this initiative, a system of educating, assessing, and certifying already available teachers is also needed. This two-pronged approach ensures capability growth over time while developing the next generation of human capital in the country.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1439846/c...ends-declaring-education-emergency-in-country
a committee constituted by the SC has recommended declaring an education emergency in the country. It is heartening that focus groups in the country are finally highlighting the root cause of Pakistan's troubles.
When the incumbent government started on its reforms agenda, there were huge expectations that education and economy would be foremost on the government's priority list. It thus came as a shock when PM Khan announced his housing scheme as a cornerstone of bringing about meaningful change.
It should be self-evident from Pakistan's problems in FATF, weak cases in NAB, and inability to curtail money laundering, that we have a dearth of competent people in government. In the private sector, barring IT, we see a lack of innovation and growth. The state of our exports reflects the underlying rot that is eating this nation. And it comes back to education - or a lack of it. Across the public and private sectors, our workers have become habituated with nepotism, cronyism, and corruption. This unholy edifice was till now supported by misuse of foreign loans that were taken by selling the pride, prestige, and vested interests of this nation. Now that the establishment has decided to take a principled step, the gravy train is no more, and decades of neglect is showing its true nature.
There should thus be no doubt that we are facing an education emergency. But what is to be done about it?
Dealing with this emergency requires answering a few fundamental questions: what are the aims we hope to achieve through education? Who will transform those aims into a national curriculum? Who will impart this education and how will we provide the infrastructure needed for it? And finally, how will these educated be employed once they have received this education?
From a policy perspective, we need an education system that produces good Muslims who fear Allah and follow the tenets of Islam. In worldly matters, they must be capable of independent thought, critical thinking, and able to apply logic and rationality to comprehend and navigate the challenges that life throws at them. They need to be able to articulate their opinions and ideas through cogent, evidence based argumentation. At the least, they need to be able to communicate effectively in both English and Urdu. Instead of emphasis on memorization and regurgitation, they should be evaluated on comprehension, independent thought, communication, and creativity.
While development of intellectual capacity is important, so is physical development. The education system should ensure that children are provided nutrition and a mandatory regime of sports must be instituted.
The policy framework discussed above is not limited to merely the sciences. It can be applied to all streams of education. But formulating policy is the easy part. How do we implement it?
This is the point where on truly grasps the gravity of the situation, and the enormity of the task facing us. In order to impart quality education, you need quality teachers. And there is a dearth of these. Not only that, there is a dearth of infrastructure. And a dearth of funds.
Merely handing the situation to the private sector is not the solution. As soon as the opportunity presents itself, we know that INGOs, NGOs, and other anti-state and anti-Islam actors will jump into the fray to mild the minds of youth. The resulting 'education' will create a subjugated mentality that finds relief in a blind following of the West and turning Pakistan into the 52nd state.
One solution is remote learning. Learning centres can be created where anyone can go and receive a pre-recorded session, followed by exercises. The solution can be submitted at the student's ease. Once the student has mastered a certain range of topics, they can be evaluated online. Such a system of decentralized, education-on-demand is the only way to scale available resources such that no child in the country is left wanting. This proposal is extremely high level, but if implemented correctly, it has the power to bring about change.
Similarly, sports centres can be created that provide a meal to children after they participate in sports activities. Again, access should be public and available any time.
This author believes that decentralized, education-on-demand can play a fundamental role in solving the education crisis in the country. In a first phase, this allows the government to cater for those who are willing to learn. Once a critical mass of educated work force is available, we can then think about mandatory education for all.
In parallel to this initiative, a system of educating, assessing, and certifying already available teachers is also needed. This two-pronged approach ensures capability growth over time while developing the next generation of human capital in the country.
