Education reforms

IN my childhood, I recall often being compared to my cousin which was really something I used to find irritating because he had received his education from abroad, while I, like millions of others, had been part of a setup whose major characteristic happens to be rote memorisation, or ‘rattafication’, as it is commonly called. There is hardly any focus on helping the students understand the core concepts. I often wondered if the teachers understood the concept, for, after all, most of them had had exposure to the same age-old system.

In developing countries, education remains one of the most neglected sectors. In Pakistan’s case, it has remained neg-lected for as long as the human memory recalls. The hasty journey between un-planned nationalisation of schools to an equally unplanned privatisation proved disastrous for the country.

What Pakistan needs is a dedicated team with full authority that may brain-storm its way to a set of mass-level reforms, and then execute the plan professionally and independently.

Like cities develop with better facilities, the education sector needs the same — proper infrastructure, modern tools, and a learning-friendly environment — so that the students, without any discrimi-nation, may get what they deserve. Change is possible when the intent is sincere.