EDUCATION MUST NEVER BE COMPROMISED
Syed Mustafa Ahmad
It is an undeniable fact that in a civilized society, education is the most strongest tool. Since A long time, a civilized nation has been investing in education in whatever way they can. They are never lenient in spending over this resource. Education for them is the only motive of their life. A Chinese proverb says that for the secure future, a country or nation has to invest in education. So, it becomes clear that how important education is. If we look at different countries, we come across the happiest and the most developed countries of the world. When we delve deep into the causes responsible for their achievements, we see that they spend very less on defense , parties, shows, etc. They invest in human brains. Their motive is human development. Japan is a live-example of this. It is the third largest economy of the world. In 1945, they were devastated by the two atomic bombs. They made their destruction construction. Instead of falling into the depths of despair, they prepared themselves for something beneficial. They constructed from the grassroot level. What they do, is that they create human minds that they can enable them to reach the pinnacles of development and glory. However, in case of India and Pakistan, the situation is quite dismal. Both the countries are the product of bloody past. They live in past. Past grudges are still found in every domain of the countries. They look at each other through the lens of enemy. For this, they try everything that can help them to feel secure. In this way, they spend a lot of money over defense. This results in the deterioration of the major pillars of the country, particularly education. No university in both the countries is among the leading universities of the world. We don’t have world class research. This situation is not the product of a single factor. It is the handiwork of many things. First is religiosity. Religion has attained the most horrible shape in our society. Orthodoxy doesn’t not allow both the countries to look at the other side of the coin. Reasoning and enlightenment are alien to them. They believe that religion means to apply what is written in the so-called holy books. It doesn’t come to them that whether it is feasible or not. They want that whatever they believe in, should be found in nook and corner of their countries. In this way, the hard-earned money is spent on religious activities that have no sanction in religions. Second is that past is dearer to both the countries. They think that present is unsuitable for living. It is best for them to go back to that period, where myths ruled the roost. They are made to believe that once they were ahead of everyone. In this way, the past animosities, if present, persist in the present as well that make education a soft tool. They want the students to believe that in order to live, one has to go back into the past and follow that in letter and spirit. Third is syllabus. The Indus Valley Civilization syllabus has nothing to do with the present. Yes, it is our heritage. We should preserve it. However, it doesn’t make any sense when in the age of robotics, we are forced to learn those things that have no compatibility with the present. When people have begun to colonize the Mars, the students of both the countries are told to live the lives of glorious past that was half-glorious. In this way, education is compromised. The real meaning of education is to produce those people who can be problem solvers; nor problem creators. In the present, students have become frustrated and hence problem creators. Fourth and last is leniency. Both the countries are lenient in every manner. They abhor the word” hard-work”. What they want is that the heavens drop things for them, without any movement of our bodies. China has the principle of “ 9-9-6”. It means that they work everyday from 9a.m. to 9 p.m. for six days. It enables them to take lead in every sphere of life and has earned the tag of being the second largest economy of the world. Our condition is that some hours of learning or training make us tired. In this way, our educational system is out of context. Chinese students have a goal in their minds to make China “ great” in every respect. Hence, they prosper. In short, education must never be compromised. It should take lead. With it, health and hygiene should be given priority. When education is given its proper due, it means that other sectors will also prosper. The sooner this is achieved, the better it is for all of us. So, let us try our best to make creative education our priority.
By: Syed Mustafa Ahmad
