Dear Fellows,

Today, I am going to discuss one of the very crucial subject that has come on the verge of destruction by our negligence.

Education……… (Essay)

Outline:

1. Introduction
2. Standard
3. Causes of Downfall
4. Remedies
5. Conclusion

Introduction:


“Education is the third eye of a man”

Education is the third of a man, because by getting education man can know himself and his spiritual relation to the Allah Almighty. Many times the importance of education has been ordained in the Holy Quran and the Hadiths of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), regarding getting education. The Holy Quran Ordains, “It is the duty of every Muslim man and woman to get education. The Holy Prophet said, “Get Education even if you have to go to China”, “The best way to get respect, fame and wealth lies in getting education”, he further ordained, “the best gift from parents to their children is the best education” and “Get knowledge of religion.” These were some religious references for expounding the importance of education to man by the Allah Almighty and the Holy Prophet (PBUH). Now one can easily come to know that how much man has been emphasized to get education. By getting education one can read between the lines of right and wrong ways of life upon which life is to be led. The education is the only weapon by which one can fight and conquer the battle of life. The education has been a very essential part of the different civilizations of the world in historical perspectives. In olden times, cave men had no ideas regarding communicating themselves with one another; the first step was taken in this regard was the formation of language, and it had become the very inceptive source of communication in the earliest history of mankind. They came to know that they had already been bestowed upon a tongue as a source of communication by the Allah Almighty, and now, it was their emphatic job to be civilized and moral etiquettes were required to be shaped.
Here the historical development of education in subcontinent before independence will be briefly mentioned

The Muslims of India, of course, were backward in education and less skilled than their Hindu counterparts. The Muslims could not follow the way that was directed by the English and the Hindus to them, as it was against their religion (Islam). The poor type of education made the Muslims unable to get good jobs in English offices; hence, they remained out of offices and were continuously depoliticized for according to the double yoke of the British rule and Hindu domination the Muslims had the scarcity of consciousness and less skilled so they could not participate in public affairs of the country.

Sir Syed Ahmed was the first man to realize this unbalance provision of rights that were given to the Muslims and he served to champion the cause of improving the standard of education in which the Muslims were to away to get the lion’s share in their just rights and let us take a superficial overview of the services imparted by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan in this respect.

In 1875, a Primary School was established at Ghazipur, (India) by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, later a High School was established at Aligarh by the same mighty man. But through out India, Muslims were denigrated and the basic needs of life were denied to them by the English. Keeping this in view, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan aimed at to open a college for the Muslims of India so that they may be able to get the best in higher education. In 1876, Mohammadan Anglo College was established at Aligarh as to meet the demand of education of the Muslims of India.

The college was affiliated to the Culcuta University; degrees were conferred upon the graduates by Culcuta University for about 43 years, and in 1919, the colleges was upgraded up to a university level and renamed as ‘Aligarh University’. The university produced thousands of graduates who spread throughout India and started to champion the cause of their un-educated fellows help them improving their educational standard and thus, spread of education among the suppressed class of the Muslims of India commenced to prevail.


Here, it is necessary to focus on the system of education its standard and downfall in Pakistan; and how long this department has been a victim of negligence by the people from different strata of society and it will be observed, being an individual, who is responsible for the downfall of education in the country.







Standard of Education in Pakistan:

In Pakistan, unfortunately the people have been introduced the double standard of education. The one, which prevails through out the country is related to public sector and the other is an out come of private investors.

Let us examine that how far the public sector has fulfilled the requirement of the people of Pakistan by providing them in education. The country had got independence 58 years ago and the contribution imparted by this sector is a little bit worth to be mentioned. The result produced by the sector is very poor and superficial and the quantity has outdone quality as far as the question of contribution and creation is concerned. The educational system in Pakistan faced enormous problems after independence. A little attention was paid in this respect. The education has remained an orphan child in our society by facing double standard and has created an atmosphere of frustration among the young ones.

Government has established schools, colleges and universities throughout the country that have been imparting education in different respects and studies of life. The students from these departments are wandering unemployed due to lack of opportunities. Everywhere they are denied services because they bear a label of ‘GOVERNEMNT ACADEMIES’. Now one can imagine that why the governmental system of education is being neglected throughout the country and why the establishment has allowed private sector with its tails up to introduce another standard of education.

Parents are scared about the future of their children and they prefer their children to be admitted in public sector school. This does not mean that public sector schools are not producing the quality and creams of the future, most of our genius and sages who are imparting their valuable services, are out come of public sector schools. The only submitted reason by their parents is lack of management in public sector schools. The well management is offered at private schools.

“The relation between teacher and student is sacred,” as it is said. Children are taught social and moral etiquettes with more comfort at private schools, the behaviour of teachers is quite frank and the student can come in direct contact to their teachers. On some scale, this is true that contact between learner and learned lacks in public sectors school but the thing they are learning must be the same for both sectors, I mean the curricula.

The Curriculum Board has been established but it has allowed private sector to run their own syllabus. Now, the degrees are same but the scope of knowledge got by the two is too different to be compared. Here, students face many complications by studying under different curricula. This has created a big rift between the two sectors.





Causes of Downfall:

There are enormous causes for the downfall of education in Pakistan which are discussed under different sub-headings.

Economical Negligence:

Since its inception, Pakistan has remained a weak economy of the world for it has got nothing in its just assets that were aggressively snatched by India. This let the newly born state deprived of riches and started the era of economical setbacks that have yet been faced by Pakistan. The conflict between the two countries over Kashmir issue has hardly allowed the government to consider and allocate sufficient funds in budget for other sectors, the education is not an exception in this regard. Still, only 2% of GDP is allocated for the welfare of education, which is quite inappropriate to meet the demands of education. And it is worth to note that this minute allocation of budget is too not spent for educational purposes, the whole money is taken away by using unfair means by the concerned officials. All these funds are not given through a proper channel so that a false audit report is submitted that the utilization of funds has been spent on requisite purposes.


Rapid growth in poverty:

According to 2002 Economic Survey of United Nations, “Most of the inhabitants of Pakistan are poor and 40% of them live under poverty line, about 70% of its population dwells in villages. About 3000000, young ones are jobless. They have no access to good education”. The report shows that how much difficulties and troubles have been faced by this poor and suppressed class of the country. Their main occupation is agriculture and its annual yield cannot meet their daily and basic demands needs of life. It is worth to note that only 1% landlords hold almost 95% of lands in Pakistan. This unjust division of land further creates economical problems not only for the poor but also the government does not get the lion’s share in this respect.


Political Negligence:

“If you want to destroy the future of any nation, no need to wage war with them; defunct their educational system, they will remain no more live on the map of the world.”
No politician has paid attention in improving the standard of education so far, as far as the question of history of development of education in Pakistan is concerned. In case of Sindh, in early 1970s, lingual riots took place and a new cancer of copy culture was introduced and boosted up by politicians to prevail among the people. No official steps were taken in curbing this fatal disease. Now, the result is that throughout the country Sindhi students are understood the out come of copy culture and basic rights in every walk of life are denied to them, because however, they may be genius and creators but the fact remains that they lack in management and are unable to move the economy of the country just because they bear a title of COPY CULTURE. It was a political conspiracy based on totally bias. Being a Sindhi, I do not favour Sindhis that they are not given sufficient opportunities in different walks of life, whatever is happening to them is the only out come of wrong and misled policies directed by some regional politicians and that have been blindly followed up by them. Patriotism is the very hinge of all virtues, living in the same country, every one at first is Pakistani, then Sindhi, Punjabee, Balochee and Pathan, respectively. So, now it is our duty to turn a new leaf and pace with our other provincial brothers to improve the management of our beloved country Pakistan, believing in “united we stand, divided we fall”. The education has become a question of survival for us; less skilled and illiterate man cannot bring the changes in improving the skills that are required for the uplift of the education.


Irrelevant Induction of Staff:

It has been a dilemma of our educational system that it has embodied irrelevancy in inducting its staff; broadly speaking, it has been generally observed that if a person has some specialization in some particular subject but he seems to be teaching something else. More openly, if some one has got his/her masters in English Literature, he seems to be teaching Mathematics to his/her students. The fact remains that students cannot learn first hand and ground information regarding their subjects. Nepotism is kept on priority while induction of staff, the induction of staff on quota basis has made impotent the working format of the educational system. Ministers choose their relatives for induction without thinking that either they could serve better or will create complications for others.


Misconception of Purpose:

It is also a dreadful fact that today’s young ones have changed their motives pertaining to acquiring education. Actually, “the education should be for the purpose of getting education” as it has been wisely said; but, we have changed the slogan, “education should be for the purpose of getting jobs”. If, we keep on remaining this theory in mind then we will be digressed from our way and education will be out of our reach. By getting education man can come to know the ways that how he could be able to lead his life in the best and a possible way.


Unemployment:

Unemployment is on full swing throughout the country. Country has been facing huge economical setbacks since its independence. The poor economy of the country cannot meet at once the demand of employment of the countrymen at once. On the one hand the disappointed youth, keeping their degrees in hand, wander the whole day in search of job but ‘No-Vacancy’ sign boards inflate their disappointment on the other. This situation creates negative creation of thoughts in their minds; concluding, they come out as dacoits to waylay and let their names to be enlisted in criminal lists; and society faces much more troubles through this kind of restlessness.
Remedies:

Every one of us takes things differently, so there is a room for different suggestions. All of us should aim at to abreast and pace ahead to take the task of improving the educational system in a systematic way by implementing different programmes commencing from grass root levels. Awareness should be created amongst un-aware fellows, the importance of education must be expounded in real terms but in an easy way, different literacy programmes should be commenced throughout the country in order to provide assistance pertaining to the removal of the impediments faced by the uneducated ones. Government should take an active eye and spend much more money for the improvement of primary, secondary and higher education. More schools, colleges and universities, medical and engineering colleges are needed to be opened. Special attention must be paid on the development of scientific and technical education so that the settled trend of people in getting academic education may be diverted to getting technical education. Subject relevancy must be kept in mind while induction of staff for the concerned posts. Politics must be eliminated from education department. Students should pay attention much more on their studies rather than chalking walls in propagation of different political leaders who have been playing filthy games with the poor to obtain their nefarious purposes. By carrying out their orders the poor people are just wasting their time; it is also a fact that nothing can be got by nefarious means. Therefore, honesty of purpose and quality in work should be our motives. Every one of us (parents, students, teachers and the supreme government) should root out the copy culture from top to bottom from educational system that has been eating away the fresh brains of our youth for the times unknown. The education must be got for the purpose of getting education not for getting jobs. Text books must be updated with current topics and rapidly changing of the scenario of the world must be included in the textual books. These suggestions are not enough; there is a room for suggestions as already has been mentioned. In the last but not the least, let us work together for bringing revolutionary changes for the effective function of educational system in the country.



Conclusion:

As, it has been observed that how our educational system has reached it lowest ebb of destruction by our negligence; so far, the steps worth to mention have not yet been taken to curb and remove all kinds of defects from the educational system. The educational system has been in collapses since the independence of Pakistan; Once, the then President and General Zia-ul-Haq had said the “there is something wrong in our educational system.” So, it is not our moral but political, social and individual duty to find out the above quoted defects and repair the irreparable things from top to the bottom in educational system. If we want to get on and move with the developed nations of the world then our first and foremost priority should be diverted to the development of the education, as it is the sole mark of all kinds of social, moral, political and economical development of any nation of the world. Hard work is required to depoliticize the educational system. Copy culture is needed to be eliminated from the positive, fruitful and purposeful results. If, we keep on showing more procrastination in this regard then we will be no more on the map of the world to pace with the fast moving scenario and nations of the world. Allocation of budget on education should be much more increased. The much would be the financial increase the more will the effective and activate function of the educational system. Gulf of misconceptions to get education for getting jobs must be replaced with the idea that education should be got for the purpose of education. Adult literacy programmes should be implemented on urgent basis. Exquisite information regarding modern ways of farming, irrigating, sowing, ploughing, reaping and fertilizing the land for the best production of agricultural sector, as it is the largest contributing sector in the GDP about 48% of the total GDP of the country. In the last but not the least let us work together for bringing revolutionary changes for the effective function of educational system in the country. Let us pray to Allah Almighty may He enable us to bring and get our desired results by putting our entire efforts in this respect.

“God helps those who help themselves”

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["Satisfaction is death of Struggle"]
[Naseer Ahmed Chandio]