Education Can Save Pakistan

Only Education Can Save Pakistan

According to the UNESCO research, it is said that the social and physical edifices of modern society stand upon the foundations of education. Uneven and weak foundations make a bad base and this is what we have in Pakistan; a society that is uneven and fragile, which can be attributed to the ignorance and indoctrination that we spread in the name of education. Education in its classic sense is a means to character building and furthering the cause of civilization. Everyone seems to agree on this, so what is the problem? The issue that needs to be addressed concerns the fundamental meaning of the term education. Is just teaching our children skills sufficient to read, write and become cogs in the ever expanding industrial behemoth of this capitalistic world enough? Or is their more to it than that?

To find an answer to this rather confounding question we will have to developer and go back to the basics and redefine terms like education, civilization and character. The meaning of these terms has broadened with the passage of time. In today’s world, education is not only a conduit to pass on society’s collective will knowledge and values to posterity but is also a means to equip young people with the necessary tools and skills to live in a society founded on the principles of democracy, tolerance and equality for all. In a more practical and physical sense, education should not only train the younger generation to face and tackle the situations and challenges of a technological and ever changing world but also prepare them to live in a civilized world that is at peace with itself. In other words the youth of a society should not only have a firm grasp on the values that their society as an entity believes in but should also be taught  to respect and tolerate the values and beliefs of other societies and communities.

Education leads to yet another question; what can education do to create a just tolerant and democratic society? To achieve the goal of education in its most modern and academic sense societies have to devise and crate curricula and syllabi that encourage critical thinking, and inspire a scientific approach based on objectivity towards issues and problems in everyday life. Members of an educated and enlightened society should have the mental capacity and intellectual courage to question every thing. Syllabi that make students think critically and objectively are harbingers of success  and happiness in a society. Education, which supports and emphasizes scientific thinking, ultimately creates a populace that is not a blind followers of whatever they are told, and cannot be sacrificed on the altar of fake national ego and the political interests of certain groups and individuals.

An educated and academically robust citizenry is a great asset for any state. This kind of population is a must for a thriving economy, vibrant democracy and stable society. Education no indoctrination based on falsification of history, distortion of culture and demonization of others is the only way to achieve prosperity and respect in the comity of nations for Pakistan. If the leaders and the rulers are interested which they do not seem to be in the nurturing of a democratic and educated society then they really need to address the root cause of the problem which is ignorance and the uneducated illiterates that we produce through our present educational system. The first step in the right direction will be changing the curricula and syllabi and making them more thought provoking and objective. This will require a lot of courage, planning and guts on the part of the leadership but is the only way left for us to move forward.  Yes this will not solve all our problems overnight but it will be the first step in the light direction, this small step will be a giant leap for our educational system.