Adil Hussain
The most precious resource that we humans possess is the time that can be spent in a number of ways. The value of time can only be perceived when it is invested in such things that can bring some crucial positive changes in human life and society . The best way to make your time more productive is to study books. Reading books always clear confusion about complicated and complex issues and helps in better understanding of different things. Reading Books enhances the maturity level of a person and is crucial for the formulation of a balanced approach towards the newly emerging issues in society. Intellectual people always carry a balanced view which in turn shapes the public opinion of society.
The education system of a country plays an important role in promoting the value of books in society. A better education system always produces skilled and productive citizens which is vital for the development of a welfare and healthy society. As education contributes to every field of life, a balanced education system creates good leaders , doctors , teachers, politicians, judges and so on. These peoples then establish and operate the political, Social and economic system of a country. Thus the more stable and comprehensive education system will inevitably results in the shaping of a well organized and flexible conditions that will govern the country to easily adjust with the rapidly changing local, regional and global economic and political environment. Contrary to this, the ineffective system not only promotes instability but destroys the very foundations of human civilization. Education system in Pakistan has been the subject of debate from the very first day of its existence. Unfortunately our education system is not capable of producing productive citizens . It contributes a very small amount of strength to the changing complexities of the modern ages. The question is that what is the problem and what factors contributes to the failure of our educational set up. It will be difficult to mention all the factors that is responsible for the present scenario. However, following are some of the basic factors responsible for educational crisis in Pakistan.
The root-cause of all the issues is the existing curriculum of our education system . It only focuses on theoretical aspects of different courses. But no emphasis is given to practical education. All this happens when there is no strong intellectual team or they are not allowed to have a say in designing the syllabus for educational institutions. History reveals that the great leaders always have great visions in their minds. They oppose the outdated laws and culture of society because they have an alternative plan in their minds. The Congress ministries of 1937 had greatly been discredited for their aggressive approach towards Muslims and the atrocities they committed against their opponents in India. But one of the positive aspects of the Gandhi education system of 1937 after Congress established ministries in 8 provinces was that 7 year schooling should be centered around practical education. Our education system does not focus on skills and practical knowledge that is why every department of the country is suffering from unprecedented challenges with no clear way out thereby destabilize the country.
Secondly, the installment of incompetent teaching staff to the department of education particularly on higher level further complicated the issue. The over reliance of our teachers and students of social sciences on YouTube and Google and Artificial Intelligence is damaging our intellectual standard a lot . Most of the teachers do not prepare themselves for the lectures. They do not study books and rely on such invalid sources like YouTube and others for survival in the field . This over reliance on websites such as YouTube, Chat Gpt, AI and the like is the prominent cause of the failure of our education system . Utilizing technology for better information is very good but these are not reliable sources for courses like social sciences which requires a comprehensive knowledge on complex issues. These are not valid sources because the content of history and other related things on YouTube are mostly exaggerated in their descriptions and are mostly driven by the desire to reach more followers through propaganda for more money.
The Introduction of BS system in Pakistan was a welcoming step as it greatly undermined the corrupt basis of the old educational system. This system was first introduced by the United States of America to boast their academic excellence but it is not working here with the same spirit as in America. Because in America it is called the Bookish System , in which for every course you have to study books . Whereas the teachers and students in Pakistan do not follow books. The Teachers, instead of promoting the bookish culture give some hand written notes to the students. And students also happily follow these notes as they are striving for getting more GPA . The laziness of both the teachers and the students have further contributed to the failure of Our education system.
The remedy, therefore, lies in redefining the concept and tradition of education. Promoting a Bookish Culture with a high emphasis on practical education is the only way to improve our existing system . The teachers, who are the key actors of the system should focus on their performance. Acting in the capacity of leading the community , they should take the responsibility to promote the skills of their students and motivate them to contribute greatly to the uplift of this country. But the students must also have to make re-adjustment with the system. Their goal should be excellence, not high grades in exams.
The lack of Unity within the teaching community also is one of the factors. It is the responsibility of all the teachers to establish a better understanding within their community and to highlight all the shortcomings of the education system that need to be improved. We always blame the government and the concerned authorities for the failure but we are equally responsible for this dilemma. Because the authorities are mostly confined to the surface issues. It is the role of the teachers to point out the problems and then submit it to the higher authorities for further action. We must take some positive steps to improve the system otherwise this will work for a long life to come and we will be no more different even after hundreds of years. Arranging a grand intellectual dialogue forum for re-defining educational set up, promoting collaboration between the governing authorities, lecturers and teaching organizations for a comprehensive education system is the need of the time for the revival of socio-economic stability and communal harmony in the country.
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