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| Can educated middle class bring change?
Babar Nadeem |
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| Today, Pakistan is facing a myriad challenges from governance and counter insurgency to the economy and education. To meet these challenges Pakistan possesses many assets, from a strong human resource base to vibrant civil society. Pakistan civil society is primarily based on middle class and a small number of feudal and bureaucratic elite. Major part of middle class is either uneducated or merely educated.
After the war of independence in 1857, Muslims of subcontinent, were left behind in the field of education than their counterpart Hindu. In spite of pioneering effort of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, very low percentage of Muslims were westerly educated. So-called religious scholars of that time gave "Fatwa" that whoever will get the English education, will be regarded as non Muslim. Sir Syed Ahmed Khan also become the target of such religious fundamentalists.
After independence all powers were concentrated in the hands of feudal and bureaucratic elites, although they were in small number. Military elites also step in afterward. In urban area there were industrial workers, paid government employees and artisans in small numbers. Whereas most of the population was poor peasantry. These peasants mainly living in small villages were mostly uneducated.
Since the creation of Pakistan the western educated middle class was in small numbers. Due to the lack of adequate educational infrastructure and efficient political system, educated middle class remain relatively low in numbers till today. Most of the government revenue is spent on defense every year. Expenditures on education have historically been very low. The succeeding government gave very low priority to education. The universities though exist but most of them have academic standard so low that hardly come up to internationally accepted standard. Financial support from foreign donors for education both at the school and university level often went in to the pocket of corrupt government officials. The donors fund due to the corruption hardly spend on education and thereby fail to create any impact. The teachers suffer due to less pay and inadequate incentive system. Sometime teachers also become victim of political pressure , harassment and are forced to leave the institutions.
Particularly in public sector due to the lack of equipment and well qualified teachers education standard is very low. Most of the adequately trained teachers do not want to be posted in remote areas.
There is a dire need of institutional change to be done at large scale to meet the international standard. Poor students should also be given admission in burgeoning
Private Sector Schools with the support of government, so, that they can also study at high quality private schools. Industry specific vocational institutes needs to be establishing in every province.
A large educated middle class which would have a stake in achieving a merit-based open access social order. Such middle class would provide the social base for a change in society by establishing a political system free of cast, creed and prejudices. It will provide equal opportunities to all and will create culture of reasoned debate, tolerance and human society. A large educated middle class can only turn our dream in to reality. |
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