Disclaimer: The Eqbal Ahmad Centre for Public Education (EACPE) encourages critical and independent thinking and believes in a free expression of one’s opinion. However, the views expressed in contributed articles are solely those of their respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the EACPE.
The word multi-polar is often used to reflect the desire of developing countries regarding emerging International relations. Different people have different interpretations of this word. Totalitarian states consider US led liberal world order as unfair to them, and are actively seeking to change the polarity in international arena. What will happen in the coming decade is uncertain, whatever happens is not our topic of discussion here. Here we are talking about multi-polar education system for Pakistan. Some Pakistanis are very fervent to have multi-polar world order so that their totalitarian agenda should be protected from an aggressive US with missionary like zeal to spread so called freedom in our backyards. So why not have an internal multi-polar education system instead of uni-polar system which is being considered to be imposed from 2021 onward on the name of equal (Yaksaa’n) education system or Single National Curriculum.
Books written for matric and intermediate students are so bad that they can hardly be considered appropriate for any correct education system.
Modi in India also had such kind of intentions under the auspice of one nation one system. So at least there is a common ground between the current Indian and Pakistani’s government. Proponents of this ‘yaksan talimi nizam’ argue that it will treat everybody equally and will proved to be a revolt against elite (Although it is itself backed by the new elite.) Education curriculum in Pakistan is fragmented in to three distinct but overlapping categories. Madrasa System, Boards of intermediate and secondary education system and Cambridge Education System. Different kinds of schools and colleges teach these curriculum in different ways. There are some elite schools while other serves the middle class, other yet serve or fail to serve the poor class. Madrasa discourse is chosen by ulema of Wafaq-ul-Madaris or Tanzeem-ul-Madaris. Education materials for school is selected by provincial government at provincial level or federal board in Islamabad. O/A level curriculum came from universities from foreign countries like Cambridge international. Most of students opt a Metric/Intermediate tract for their academic carrier. Books written for matric and intermediate students are so bad that they can hardly be considered appropriate for any probably approximately correct education system. Just look at the mathematics, science, physics, chemistry, biology and computer science books written for matric and intermediate students. They lack true knowledge representation, articulation, clarity and attractiveness for students and readers. Paper quality, graphics, diagrams and illustration are also bad in these books. The examination method is based on cramming, just look at physics, there are dozens of numerical at the end of every chapter in a physics book. Instead of understanding the scientific reason behind them, students memorize the solution including answers. Examination method of these Board (say BISE Lahore) encourage this by giving exactly only those numerical which as a question which are already in the book. And if there is something out of books, there will be huge protest against it. And when entry test of universities will come, families of students will spend huge money in academies to prepare their children for entry test whose question will be out of books.
The examination method encourages cramming and rote learning.
So here we will suggest an alternative, a multi-polar education system governed by government, public and private universities and boards. When it comes to curriculum we should give free hand to boards, schools and colleges. Government should only give a broad structure of a course which will be taught on schools and colleges. Books written by foreign or domestic authors should be decided by schools and colleges themselves instead of being imposed by government to all schools in homogeneous way (which may be difficult given the power of publishing lobby). Just compare a mathematics or physics book of matriculation with O level book and one will find a huge difference. So it should be left to schools and even students and their parents to choose books which are fit for general guide line provided by government. For example for 9th class mathematics, government can provide the course outline as basic algebra , factorization , algebraic manipulations , matrices and Euclid geometry with some detail which is beyond the scope of this article. Then it will be at the discretion of schools to choose books written by Pakistani or foreign authors to fulfill the given framework for mathematics of 9th class. Same can be applied to other subjects. Cramming will have no place in this system. To some extent cramming in primary classes is acceptable, as students need to memorize some axioms, which can be called a good cramming. But when a student joins the 9th class he should left ratta-bazi behind. Such kind of education system will spur and ignite a zeal for critical thinking which enable students to face the challenges of twenty first century. It will also increase the chance of students of wining the International mathematics Olympiad (IMO), IPO, ICO and IBO, where Pakistan’s performance is not very adequate yet.
A multi-polar education system is needed to fix these issues.
Lack of diversity and choice in educational curriculum is another issue. For example, mathematics books of matriculation only focuses on algebra and geometry while statistics, number theory and word problems are not given a due weightage. Word problems and application of mathematical ideas plays an important part in a student understanding of mathematics. While no such things are there in the curriculum. They should be included to attain quality education. Other choice is that along with boards like BISE. Government should allow private and public universities to launch their own board for higher secondary education. So a student in Lahore will have multiple choices for her/his matric and intermediate education so that he/she can chose BISE or LUMS or PU or GCU or NUST or GIKI etc for examination and degree of matriculation and F.Sc. This will start competition which can unleash a real potential of talent acquisition in Pakistan for the socio-economic and cultural developments of this country with dysfunctional education system.
