During one of his tenures as PM, Nawaz Sharif introduced the slogan: paanch jamaatain parh jaian gay to ban jaian gay insan achchay [meaning if they, children, go through five years of schooling, they will become good humans]. I liked the slogan but wondered what we teach our children in the first five years of school. Being curious, I went through the class books of some schools to get an idea of the variety of content. Hardly anything related to the “good humans”! Perhaps a little bit of ethics and religious education was in the right direction but hardly enough and most of it was taught and learnt as:
“This is the right answer to give; but not a good principle to live by”.
The “Development lobby” and “Civil Society” tout “education, sanitation, health, rule of law, justice and civic sense” as the pre-requisites for “catching up with the world”. Many a leading activist can, however, be found littering the street, perpetrating injustice in private life, ignoring the law and people’s rights so long as the spotlight is not on them. But we must acknowledge that our track record has improved in the fields of health and sanitation. We will come to, and dwell on, education in the discourse that follows
What is more pertinent in the context of my submissions, is that these are “objectives” that we have “acquired” from the “modern” worldview. Our standards for justice, civic sense, rule of law, even health and sanitation have been set by our colonial masters. The irony is that many of our “opinion leaders” believe that these are absolute values which are not to be challenged! However, on the subject of education, even they are stumped, as in the case of economics, due to the fact that England and France and Germany and America, do not have a consensus. Thus the modernist elite is divided so sharply within itself that it has decided to pursue independent paths, leading to a variety of high class schools and universities in Pakistan.
Certainly each of them is teaching a set of syllabi to suit their aspirations. More importantly, they promote the civic culture of their choice which includes a sense of justice, ethics, social responsibility and habits for polite company. These are ideal for the niche that they have catered for, but that is always a minority of the Pakistani population. Believe it or not, this is even true for the government sponsored variety of schools which cater to the largest segment of school going population in Pakistan. One reason is the large variety and volume of other schools in the market and the other is that even the government schools are not evenly staffed or equally well equipped in facilities across the country. Rural and urban differences aside, even in the provincial capitals, there is a palpable difference of standard between localities.
But to return to course content and the reality that children see on the way to and from school. The lack of observance of traffic rules is, to my mind, the most glaring aspect. If you are on the side of the rules, I would like to point out that, though I try my utmost to abide by them, I cannot say that they should be followed; because I believe that they are insensitive to our social norms and life patterns. The use of animal transport may have been minimized by the motorized cart, but the handcart is still a reality in a metropolis in Pakistan – how do we expect him to cross the expressway if his home is on one side and the market on the other side of this metaled expanse of concrete or bitumen with fast moving vehicles?
I have tried to debate the matter with many of my friends but when they cannot find a reason or logic to support their views, they retreat behind “but that is how civilized nations do it”. Who cares if the so called civilized nations are reviewing their ways?
Let us leave the “civilized world” of the civil society for a moment and enter the house of an ordinary villager. One who has no desire to live in a city, nor does he want his son to take up any profession other than that of a farmer. What are the “civic senses” that he may be a good person in the village community. He is not teaching him to drive anything but a tractor in the field or on a village road unless the village is near enough to a market town. He is not teaching him to trash biodegradables in a bin when they are going to fertilize the crops naturally. He is not teaching him to turn off the tap because there is none, the water comes in a pitcher from the well or from a stream or pond. Now bring this boy to an urban school and declare him to be uncultured, let the children make fun of him and his language – what do you get?
You think that is too farfetched? Alright, let’s take the daughter of an office clerk who wants to become a doctor, or perhaps a civil servant in the office carder, Income Tax, shall we say?
See if you can fill out a roster of values and civic sense that such a child will receive from home if we consider the parents to be honest and decent, good citizens whom you know in this class. Or if the parents belong to the category that you are critical of and have personal dealings with. Perhaps we can compare notes when I present my answer, in my next blog.
