Pakistani Primary Schools Should Teach In Mother Tongues - PTI's Education Policy Short Sighted

[Azadkashmir]

please switch to Urdu just get all subjects to be quality and useful. you know Japanese education is great example.

Trust me you get big ego bequf qaum. my cousin married a girl from Pakistan she worked in a bank, the nakra is up the 10 level because she can speak basic english. Then she moved to England and one day while sitting at her mother in laws house she blurted out thank god i am speaking to someone educated she was speaking to one of the girls and then everyone in that room got pist and told her we have qualification too but here in England everyone does their own House work.

please urdu because Pakistanis is bequf quam and ego minded & wanabe western elite.

 

[Verve]

I totally disagree with this policy of PTI. English medium schools is not for us and this policy has hurt Pakistan and will hurt more.

School education needs to be changed dramatically. Urdu, Arabic (Quranic arabic), Local/mother-tongue and English should be the primary focus from age 4 to age 13 along with maths. Sciences, history and other subjects should be in small dosage until the 13.

Imagine if your kids are taught 4 languages 5+ hours a day for 9 years (do the rough maths, 12 weeks holidays per year and 5 hours on languages for 200 days = 1,000 hours per year = 9,000 hours of 4 languages in 9 years)! The amount of varied and extensive reading they will do (just at school, excluding what they do at home) and the knowledge they will gain in those 9 years will surpass what some of us will learn in a lifetime. And this is just until the age of 13.

Human brain is like a sponge until puberty (13). And up to this age is the most crucial part of grooming at school and home. After 13 the learning slows and hard habits start to set in.

Look at the 13 years old at schools these days, especially from the English medium schools.

 

[ranawat]

Urdu + Mother Tongue should be taught in the first few years, then it can switch to Urdu + English. I would support this model.

This will protect our native languages, which are dying out at the moment.

One can learn fast in mother tongue.

 

[ranawat]

Not just primary schools, all levels of education should be in Urdu or their mother tongue.

Studies have shows students learn better when education is in their mother tongue rather than English

That is true .

 

[Zibago]

Not a bad idea it can increase our basic literacy

 

[jamal18]

The problem with Urdu medium school student is that they struggle in higher education in Pakistan and aboard. They find it hard to grasp concepts as most of the material is in English compared to China and Japan.

Either HEC makes all universities into Urdu medium otherwise I agree with KPK streamlining the education system . Private school students are flourishing because of emphasis on English alone, their students get into best university in Pakistan and aboard.

Yes, I agree. Make all universities into your own language medium, like every other country. Teach English only as a foreign language.

 

[Pakistani Aircraft]

Why not only teach Urdu as the official language of Pakistan, and, foreign languages as voluntary available only in specialised schools.

The current system is stupid, designed to systematically subdue local, natural progression and surrender to a foreign designed inferiority complex.

 

[Indus Priest King]

Because Urdu is not the mother tongue of the majority of Pakistanis. I am not here to impose Urdu on people, I am advocating improving our education system. We adopted a colonial British education system and have not changed anything in 70 years. We are creating zombies, not students.

The people who say "make everything Urdu"...yeah that doesn't solve anything. We are a multilingual country, and proper model needs to be implemented...language laws.

In Quebec (Canada) for example, by law every business should be bilingual....French first, then English.

The same should be done in Pakistan...get rid of English, and impose a two language policy. Mother Tongue + Urdu.

Anyone who wants to learn English, can do so as a FOREIGN LANGUAGE in a separate class. No need for us to teach in English.

 

[Indus Priest King]

Again, people have to differentiate being TAUGHT ENGLISH and being TAUGHT IN ENGLISH.

I am not against schools having an English class or credit, that's fine. My argument is the language of teaching...it should be in the mother tongue.

Again, I am not against Pakistani schools teaching English as a separate class. For example in English Canada, all Canadian students are taught French as a separate class, and in French Canada all students are taught English as a separate class.

But in French Canada, the medium of instruction is in FRENCH, not English.

Similarly, the medium of instruction should be the mother tongue and relegate English to a separate class, not the medium of instruction.

 

[FalconStar]

All the people over here saying we should teach everything in URDU basically have no idea about Pakistani education system. In rural areas of Pakistan like my village just 50 KM away from Islamabad everything till matric is taught in Urdu even their science books are in Urdu and I have seen those books they make absolutely no sense. Many schools in rural areas still teach Farsi and Rawalpindi board still offers an exam for Farsi language in matric.

I haven't seen these schools producing geniuses because they teach in Urdu or native language.
Language is not the problem it's the material they are being taught and the teachers teaching them. You can't expect Einsteins when teacher doesn't show up in school and when he does it still doesn't make a difference because he doesn't understand what he is teaching himself.

Stop comparing Pakistan to Japan, China, France, etc. These countries weren't ruled by the British for 200 years of which 90 years directly under the Monarchy. English has been taught at higher level for the most part of the past 150 years so you can't just change that because you want to.

@Indus Priest King
You I'm sure went to a school which taught English which you learnt quite well. But for some reason you want to change the whole system and you're telling people to just learn Urdu while you're giving this lecture in English.

Finally about the people who go to those schools where they are taught in their mother tongue. They can't get into any college or University to become an engineer or doctor because we don't have enough material and research available in Urdu and would take decades to get even if we start today. This would lead to another century of us chasing the rest of the world.

Enough of this, we need to focus on the things being taught to kids not in what language. I hope we implement a single syllabus system across the country in whatever language the people in charge see fit.

 

[Cookie Monster]

Because you're an idiot. I've read your post in my Iran-Pakistan vs TAPI Pipeline topic, where you're defending India and claiming the US didn't force India's hand in withdrawing from the IP Pipeline.

You've been put on notice...Dasyu.

Just bcuz someone disagrees with u, u resort to calling them an idiot?

I also don't agree with the above article. I'm not going to argue that Urdu is superior to someone's native tongue(e.g. Pashto) or that English is superior to other languages. A language is just a tool for communication. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses. The reason why Urdu and English should be the languages taught in school to students is simple.

- Urdu should be taught so that ALL Pakistanis can learn a common language that they can speak/communicate in with each other. It is also needed if Pak is to ever have a centralized curriculum instead of each province having its own board of education(and curriculum).

- English should be taught(preferably to ALL Pakistanis) bcuz it is the most widely spoken language currently. Most of the research papers published are in English. The most recent scientific breakthroughs(in the last couple of centuries) are in large part from Europe/America and therefore most of the terminology comes from European origin languages. The words like "internet" or "computer" have no analogous terms in Urdu/Punjabi/etc. Similarly, in the medical field, most of the terms have their origins in Latin. I don't see how Pakistan can produce qualified scientists/engineers/doctors without having to teach them upper division courses in English(as in the contents of the book being written in English not the teacher speaking English)

I understand how it can be difficult to grasp new languages whereas ur mother tongue comes to u easy and naturally but this is not the source of the problem. The whole "ratta bazi" and students not properly grasping/understanding the concept has more to do with the way teachers teach their students. Students should be exposed to new languages at an early age and there's no reason why they shouldn't be able to easily learn those languages.

The practice of books being translated to Urdu should also stop. Especially the science books I've read(translated in Urdu)...it's just complicated to understand. I would assume it would be similar if they were to be translated in Punjabi, Sindhi, etc. As for teachers teaching in Urdu or English...I personally never came across a teacher who taught in English. I had teachers who taught in Urdu.

Teachers teaching in English, that makes no sense if the students don't understand it. As for teachers teaching in Urdu, I don't see a way around it. It would create unnecessary complications to find teachers specific to each classroom's needs. If u have students somewhere in South Punjab where some speak Saraiki, some Punjabi, some Urdu, while others are multilingual and speak two of these or all three...should the school separate out students according to the languages they speak? And then go hunting for teachers who can teach in those languages? Imagine doing this all across Pakistan for tons of different languages spoken in Pak. It makes no practical sense.

This is why Urdu should be taught to students in school at a young age. So that there would be no problems like that. Then teachers can teach in Urdu and curriculum can be centralized. Similarly English should also be taught at a young age so that the students can comprehend what's written in their books and be able to consume the knowledge at later stages in their life(which they will find mostly in English).

 

[Indus Priest King]

Hopeless quam....still fucking British slaves.

 

[Cookie Monster]

HEC forcing Universities in to Urdu medium simply means that you will have Masters degree only in Urdu, Islamiyat or maybe History, We don't have knowledge base in Urdu for Science, Medicine and Mathematics etc. - We have already wasted 7 decades on Half Titar-Half Batair, It's time to switch 100% to English if we don't want to waste another century.

People are too hung up on the fact that English is a "foreign" language. What they need to realize that it's so widespread and bcuz of the European/American dominance in science/math/medicine in the last couple of centuries, one has to learn it. Just like how we learn history of other parts of the world in addition to Pakistan's history...just like how we learn Physics, Chemistry, etc. that doesn't come to us naturally. Instead of making it about the national identity and ego, they should think of English as a tool that must be learned in today's world in order to consume knowledge(at advanced levels)...in order to be competitive in the world in whatever field the person chooses...in order to be able to communicate with the greatest amount of ppl possible in this connected world. No one is saying that u must abandon Urdu/Punabi/Sindhi/Pashto/etc...speak/learn those as well.

As far as the education system is concerned...it requires many fixes like centralized curriculum that should be made to be competitive/comparable with the standards of the rest of the world(especially when compared to those countries where students excel). The whole ratta bazi approach mentioned in the article has less to do with the language in which a student is taught and more to do with the way a teacher teaches. I remember when I was taught English in school(while in Pak)...when we were assigned vocabulary words, we(my classmates and I) were expected to have the exact definition written in the book, memorized. If on the test u wrote anything else for the definition of that vocabulary word...even if accurate...it wasn't good enough...hence students(myself included) resorted to ratta bazi bcuz there was no other choice. Also I should mention that this teacher taught in Urdu(which we all spoke fluently).

 

[Sugarcane]

People are too hung up on the fact that English is a "foreign" language. What they need to realize that it's so widespread and bcuz of the European/American dominance in science/math/medicine in the last couple of centuries, one has to learn it. Just like how we learn history of other parts of the world in addition to Pakistan's history...just like how we learn Physics, Chemistry, etc. that doesn't come to us naturally. Instead of making it about the national identity and ego, they should think of English as a tool that must be learned in today's world in order to consume knowledge(at advanced levels)...in order to be competitive in the world in whatever field the person chooses...in order to be able to communicate with the greatest amount of ppl possible in this connected world. No one is saying that u must abandon Urdu/Punabi/Sindhi/Pashto/etc...speak/learn those as well.

Well, I never understood the mindset of people who start with education should be in "Mother Tongue" give examples of leading countries but in same breath they talk about education in Urdu and negate the assertion of education mother tongue. Their misplaced ego doesn't let them realize that we are laid back by at-least 3 centuries and don't have time to reinvent wheel. English now is global language and there's ocean of knowledge available in English while almost nothing in Urdu except some poetry, novels, history and tons of sectarian and religious stuff.

As far as the education system is concerned...it requires many fixes like centralized curriculum that should be made to be competitive/comparable with the standards of the rest of the world(especially when compared to those countries where students excel). The whole ratta bazi approach mentioned in the article has less to do with the language in which a student is taught and more to do with the way a teacher teaches. I remember when I was taught English in school(while in Pak)...when we were assigned vocabulary words, we(my classmates and I) were expected to have the exact definition written in the book, memorized. If on the test u wrote anything else for the definition of that vocabulary word...even if accurate...it wasn't good enough...hence students(myself included) resorted to ratta bazi bcuz there was no other choice. Also I should mention that this teacher taught in Urdu(which we all spoke fluently).

Agree with it, As I said earlier that problem with Pakistan's education is method of instruction not medium or instruction. It's proven that a Kid can learn new language dozens time faster than person giving verdict that a Kid can't do. I have practical experience of it as my daughter went to Farsi Kindergarten but she comfortably beats my son who attended school in Pakistan in critical thinking, creative writing, hand writing and drawings. So, the language (which even her parents couldn't speak at that time) didn't mattered but the method of teaching is what made difference.

Hopeless quam....still fucking British slaves.

Dude, You are propagating to convert everything into a language which was imposed on people of Punjab & KP by British which shacked the very foundation of education. How teaching a language in which knowledge about almost everything is available is being slave but in a language forced upon is being free?

 

[Cookie Monster]

Well, I never understood the mindset of people who start with education should be in "Mother Tongue" give examples of leading countries but in same breath they talk about education in Urdu and negate the assertion of education mother tongue. Their misplaced ego doesn't let them realize that we are laid back by at-least 3 centuries and don't have time to reinvent wheel. English now is global language and there's ocean of knowledge available in English while almost nothing in Urdu except some poetry, novels, history and tons of sectarian and religious stuff.



Agree with it, As I said earlier that problem with Pakistan's education is method of instruction not medium or instruction. It's proven that a Kid can learn new language dozens time faster than person giving verdict that a Kid can't do. I have practical experience of it as my daughter went to Farsi Kindergarten but she comfortably beats my son who attended school in Pakistan in critical thinking, creative writing, hand writing and drawings. So, the language (which even her parents couldn't speak at that time) didn't mattered but the method of teaching is what made difference.



Dude, You are propagating to convert everything into a language which was imposed on people of Punjab & KP by British which shacked the very foundation of education. How teaching a language in which knowledge about almost everything is available is being slave but in a language forced upon is being free?

I'm in full agreement with u there. It is indeed the method of teaching that is at fault. I have been educated both in Pakistan and in US...and there's a noticeable difference. I wasn't exactly proficient at English when I first came to the US bcuz being in Pak I never had to speak it so I never took it seriously. This naturally caused difficulties in terms of understanding/speaking fluent English(though I came here at a rather young age so I was able to pick it up quick) but still I did way better here in the US academically than I did in Pakistan. The method of teaching here isn't rigid where u have to rely on ratta bazi. They try to get the concept across and that's that. If u can comprehend a subject and grasp the concept, be able to think critically then u will do fine anywhere in any language. This is what's often lacking in the method of teaching in Pak.

As for ppl taking issue with English and calling it slave mentality of the colonial era and what not...that completely needs to stop. People need to get with the times and incorporate learning English in addition to their native languages as a skill or additional knowledge/language instead of thinking it as "losing their identity".