Of clowns and men

Express Tribune

3 days ago

The writer is pursuing his PhD in Criminology from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He can be reached at [e-mail]
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The state and quality of education in our country isn't a secret. From roti, kapra aur makan to myriad laptop schemes to naya Pakistan, we've heard all sorts of promises and witnessed all sorts of failures. From educational infrastructure to quality education, we have nothing to show for. I don't want to go into the numbers of how many kids are currently out of school, how many ghost schools are there in Sindh alone and how many ghost employees do those schools have, but I do know the numbers aren't pretty.
But it is quite unfortunate to see the end product of these institutions. Such institutions have been producing students who can hardly read, write or even speak a different language. Students with no confidence, no analytical skills and virtually nothing to offer except for a marksheet of some school in some town showing they cleared all their exams with an average of 90% and a total percentage of 100%. The math doesn't add up at one point.
Do I blame these students? Not at all. Who do I blame? The provincial government. These students have had parents who've been paying taxes, working hard around the clock to give their kids the best of everything; and the government, despite 75 years and despite getting so much money in taxes, has failed to provide them basic education, a right which the Constitution guarantees them.
Have you ever heard your local minister say 'the schools in our town are good enough' and that 'we have improved the education system in our locality'? If you said yes to either of those questions, then please do me a favour and ask your minister whether his kids are studying in the same government schools too. If they say no, you will know what the truth is and who to get rid of in the next elections.
If you're wondering why I am going on and on about the dilapidated state of education, let me explain.
NED test results recently revealed the disparity between students from rural areas and urban areas. Hyderabad board recorded a failure of nearly 50%, Larkana board stood at a failure rate of 68%, Nawabshah board witnessed a failure rate of 55% whereas Karachi board's failure rate was at 23%. What do these numbers indicate? They indicate that no matter how many ajrak themed number plates you force the citizens to purchase and no matter how many electric buses you put on the road, the problem has to be resolved at the root.
You will have to educate your people. Why haven't you educated them in so long? Maybe because you want to continue to reign supreme over unused and illiterate minds! Maybe this has more to do with maintaining power and filling your own pockets than being honest to your own people!
Academic institutions are places where students learn how to think. Instructors teach students the basics, develop critical thinking and allow for a place where questioning isn't only expected but also encouraged. It is where minds are allowed to transcend the conventional approaches.
Keep your politics out of educational institutions. Every child deserves to read, deserves to speak and every child deserves to build a career for themselves. By engaging in questionable politics, you're destroying only some institutions. But by politicising the field of academia, you are ruining the future of thousands of children.
One day, those on their high horses will realise that all their power and influence meant nothing when they were the ones behind the destruction of the futures of so many kids when their own kids were studying abroad in expensive schools living their best lives.
Here's a piece of advice from a man who isn't the smartest either. If you can't be true to your own people, at least be true to yourself. Tomorrow, when your kids meet someone who says they knew their father, make sure they say 'he was a kind human being' and not that 'he was morally corrupt human being'. Have a heart.