Why do we want to be the first nation of the world to organize and become civilized without obtaining education?

Why do we want to be the first nation of the world to organize and become civilized without obtaining education?
The education system of Pakistan is in a devastated situation where almost 40 to 50 percent of the students of primary school going age, boasted to be future of the country, can neither read nor write a sentence in Urdu or English. Though education is globally considered as the only tool to turn an uncivilized nation into a well-organized one, Pakistan’s goal of achieving a great performance in educational field throughout the world is still a dream to be realized.

The sector depending upon the only source of a high-ranking GDP is not receiving the required resources to bring up a well-educated and civilized nation to the country. Although it is mandated in the Constitution of Pakistan to provide free and compulsory education to all children between the ages of 5-16 years and enhance adult literacy, yet 22.6 million children are out of school, and 46 percent of public sector primary schools (124,284 primary schools) are without electricity. In reality, in Pakistan, only 46 percent are enrolled in formal education and only 7.89 percent are matriculate, with much lower statistics in rural areas.

The sector, sadly, lacks proper planning for the maintenance and is not getting adequate attention from the government to bring unimaginable consequences to the fore.  There are not well equipped and modern machineries in the educational institutions, especially for science subjects that hinder the progress of the students to be involved in the race of scientific inventions and discoveries. As a result, the country lags behind the other countries and rote learning takes root among the students which seems to be their biggest problem that they are unaware of the true nature of the scientific theories and about their significance in the world.




Also see: Education budget of Pakistan






To be in a country like Pakistan where the aim of education is to get employed and the purpose of expanding knowledge is to acquire a better salary package, it is not too difficult to understand what the fate of this nation could be?

The noble profession of teaching here is just limited to the relationship of a student and teacher and is limited within the premises of the institution. Students are neither developed mentally nor morally. The sole purpose of imparting education here means to produce good Muslims and patriotic Pakistanis. The textbooks are full of such war storied with India post-partition which are labeled as jihad. As a result, this leaves no option for critical thinking, questioning and reasoning to speak of in Pakistani government schools.

Being totally deprived of the right to inquire into nature, our education system leads to old and outdated perfectives of observing the things based on blind beliefs, not to the analytical approach of looking at things. Reconsidering education by giving a new and modern concept to knowledge is for the betterment of the nation through which the needs and requirements of the advanced world can be met and the country can be led towards prosperity.

The author regularly writes for web portals on social and political issues.