Pakistan's Terminally Ill Schools

Outdated materials and obsolete techniques characterize the school system. The prescription is a complete overhaul

In accordance with a traditional understanding that continues to be widely followed in South Asia by many educationists, the process of learning today is still largely by rote. There is little or no understanding on the part of most students of what exactly they are studying, nor why.

It is critical to realize, however, that education in the 21st century is far more demanding and competitive than it was in the past, due to the vast and growing knowledge base, developments in technology and an increasingly globalized perspective. It is imperative, then, to make students into active rather than passive learners to deal with this changing context – but this is a lesson that many in South Asia, and particularly in Pakistan, have yet to appreciate.

Around the world, the idea of 'quality' education has itself been forced to evolve in recent years, in three particular ways.

First, in terms of the education process itself, students must be taught how to relate their learning to their day-to-day lives, with a focus on how to learn rather than depending solely on teachers and textbooks.

Second, the goal of quality education has also changed, with an eye to enabling students to perform well academically and socially, and to become thinking, caring and tolerant global citizens.