Opinions

Why education?

There is a Chinese saying that if you are planning for one year, harvest rice and if you are planning for 10 years cultivate your land, but if you are planning for 100 years, educate your people.

What does educate means in this saying? Does it mean to pass examination and get good grades?

I think it means to educate people in a good sense, to help them become wise, problem solvers and decision makers, and to develop them into humans who have a positive approach towards self and the society.

The education system of our nation, Pakistan, except maybe for some schools and teachers, is training our students to get good marks and pass their examination. Wisdom, values, creativity and problem solving are not important for our schools, teachers, parents and policy makers.

Our approach should be to educate the future generations to broaden their minds, to make them wise, build their leadership skills, polish their creative potentials and nurture their skills, so that they are able to live their life up to their potential and get ready to lead the nation and the human kind.

This, however, seems to be a far-cry.

I am afraid that if we will go in the same manner without changing our schooling system and teaching methods our students will be able to read and write only. They will fail on all other counts.

Shehnaz Akhter 
 Hunza

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9 Comments

  1. it is the dilemma of our nation that from state level to our home grounds every one is just focusing on grades, so that children could earn a good living and make some money, no one tries to bring out a good human being out of children with creative thinking, dynamic capacities, polished skills, problem solving and facing, reasoning capabilities

  2. What you said should be the agenda of schools and colleges in Hunza: interactive and research based teaching.

  3. lady i think u r missing some thing that is, education also talk about the tolerance for any type of situation n respect for others on family,society and on international level as well, to create peace world wide.

  4. Shehnaz you have well ellaborated the purpose of education. As far as grades are concern that is also important to cope in the market. If your grades are not at acceptable you are not allowed to get admission in well known institutions.For example you need first division for Ph.D.
    At world level there are two types of theories regarding quality education.
    1. The fundamentalist rely on out put
    2. Progressivist rely on in put

    Both the theories have their own pros and cons.
    suppose if you are spending more on students and teachers that is quality education.while the other group spend less but achieve more that is quality.
    In pakistani context and GB context we rely on out put. ie results of students.
    Generally it is noticed that people are highly educated but not use ful for society. These have no more importance than bookish worm.
    It is admitted fact the purpose of education is producing a useful and civilized citizen to groom the society.

  5. Its we in Pakistan running after marks and grads that is why we are good and shining on a piece of paper by scoring highest marks and grads by hook or by crooks but when it comes to practicality then we are ashamed of that grades…… Then we came to realize that do we deserve such marks or grads!!!.Shehnaz i not only agree with you i agree to you as well that yes we have got a piece of paper but we have lost its face value. we have become morally weak…….

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