Why We Are Falling Behind!!
By Wasim Sajad
We cannot disavow the fact that majority of us are involved in doing wrongs to make the country suffer to the backbone. This suffering eventually leads us to be disdained by those with whom we share the same planet. The gap between what we should do and what we are doing is on its ascending side- which is likely to become much inimical for us, if not stopped.
If there is anything with us to emulate the ideal societies, it is to abstain some startling factors such as extremism, violence, intolerance, and so on, which are responsible for the situations we are suffering from. If there is anything to eradicate the extremism, violence and intolerance, it is education. But unfortunately, the society which we are the part of is education, or more specifically quality education-starved, whose roots have, I think, penetrated deep into the earth crust to support the huge branches of extremism, violence and intolerance.
Although there is no blinking the fact that uneducated people should and will involve in extremism, violence and intolerance, but what is more shocking is that a considerable number of degree holders are found to be involving in such activities. This, in turn, reflects our failure to develop positive people, even through education. The illiterate and piteous portion of our society is awaiting the sympathy of their state. The level of interest of government for promoting education is alarming. This is obvious in Northern areas of Pakistan, where the higher literacy rate is largely because of Non- Government Organizations, mainly The Aga Khan Development Network- which keeps the paramount importance in improving the lives of the otherwise thousands of denied rural people.
A quantifiable number of students in schools, colleges and universities are found to be lacking the actual meaning of education. Their level of thinking seldom crosses the concept of the so-called theory-based exams. They are neither loyal to their God, nor obedient to their parents. They profligate both their time and money, and eventually do nothing, but contamination of the society.
If their inverse concept of education is considered the primary disastrous factor, a number of secondary- much frightening factors, also arise. This primary factor paves the path for them to ogle over the girls in educational institutions- which in turn compels the parents to send their daughters to the institutions having Co-education, which make a dominant portion of our institutions. Hence this surprising concept brings an unfortunate end to the keenness of the feminine part of our society, whose members were otherwise much keener than the boys for education.
The most obvious and unfortunate example of how the primary effect or wrong concept of education leads to extremism, violence and intolerance is witnessed by us in the form the gruesome murder of a journalism student, Mashal Khan, of Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan in 2017. The heart of humanity bleeds to hear what has happened to a 7-years old innocent girl in Kasaur in the recent days. It seems that these kinds of brutal actions would continue and we will remain a hopeless Nation and will never tolerate the concept to bring the much needed change through education.
Keeping all these in mind, when it comes to education in our society, there is a much stupefying concept- which is far different from that of the developed nations. In developed nations, the leaders and the policy makers feel the need to educate their people in as much number as possible. But in our society, along with this, the cry of the day is to convey to the degree holders that what the education means, for what purposes they have to use their education, and what they are supposed to do. This requirement plays its role as a selective speed-breaker for us during the race in which we and the developed nations face each other.
How to get rid of these adverse effects should be resolved properly. This can be achieved by the common perspective of both the religious scholars and the liberal part of society. Along with spending a very huge amount on other matters, proper educational facilities should be given to the youth of terrorists belonging and backward regions as, compulsive of the state, they are found to be involved in blasting everywhere in the country. The government is found active only when something gruesome happens. The war against terrorism can also be won through pen, which is much powerful than the modern, but devastating weapons.
The contributor is a student at the Department of Geology, University of Peshawar.
