IN the quiet moments between lessons, standing before my students, I am struck by the profound disconnect between what education could be and what it has become in Pakistan. The world is constantly evolving. Today, our survival as a species depends on education systems that prepare minds to tackle the modern world’s complex and interconnected challenges.
However, in these times of global competitiveness, we have lagged far behind. The present global crisis has further heightened the need for applied knowledge that requires courage and willingness to engage and question traditional ideas, to find solutions, and to have the power to ensure results. So, the act of learning itself demands intellectual bravery — an openness to challenge one’s own assumptions and explore perspectives beyond what is comfortable. Without courage, knowledge is static; without power, it is irrelevant.
One does not simply gain knowledge; one must have the courage to seek it and the power to use it effectively. And once acquired, knowledge empowers its bearer, who then gains the capacity to change, influence, and build upon existing realities.
However, this dynamic of empowerment through knowledge is absent in Pakistan’s educational system. During a decade in the classroom, I have witnessed firsthand how the system fails to equip students with the tools they need for intellectual empowerment. Instead, the curriculum remains outdated, rooted in content that is not only irrelevant to contemporary realities but also does not align with the development stages of young minds.
As a teacher, I have often seen students lose curiosity. How can we expect them to thrive when the very system that is supposed to ignite their minds weighs them down with irrelevant material? We teach them about historical figures and outdated concepts but ignore the rapidly evolving technological, social, and economic landscapes they are a part of. We fail to connect their current experiences with the present and future, creating a chasm between education and life.
This disconnect is more than an academic problem; it is a social one. The cycle of stagnation feeds into a herd mentality, perpetuating social chaos. When education fails to empower individuals with the tools to think critically, innovate, and adapt, it leaves society vulnerable to ignorance, inequality and dysfunction. The absence of intellectual empowerment in classrooms translates to a society too ill-equipped to address the challenges before it; it fosters a culture of compliance over creativity and perpetuates poverty, injustice and disenfranchisement. Instead of producing individuals who can harness knowledge’s transformative power, we are producing generations stuck in a loop.
I have also observed a significant gap between students’ intellectual maturity and their curriculum. The educational content provided to students in the country, especially in Balochistan, is far below the standards of their age group. This is a fundamental flaw that continues to widen the gap between education and real-world preparedness.
Many units I teach have been literally copied and pasted from the internet, printed without any critical consideration or adaptation. This approach not only reflects a lack of originality but also underscores the absence of the deep understanding that students need at each stage of intellectual and psychological growth. For example, exercises that require critical thinking or challenge the capacity for problem-solving are absent, replaced by superficial tasks that fail to inspire curiosity. In other words, the curriculum is not aligned with students’ intellectual development.
Psychologically and mentally, students have outgrown the elementary exercises they are presented with. They come to class ready for challenges that stretch their reasoning, creativity, and critical faculties. Instead, they are met with content and exercises that are beneath their capabilities, causing them to lose interest.
When students are not given material that corresponds with their evolving intellect, the impact is devastating. Their natural curiosity is stunted, their motivation diminishes and their overall engagement with education suffers.
The road to a better education system in Pakistan is one that demands courage from both the educators and policymakers. We need the courage to challenge entrenched norms, the power to implement curricula that foster intellectual empowerment and the vision to break free from the bandwagon cycle that has long kept our educational institutions static. Until we recognise that knowledge is power and that it also requires power, the cycle will continue, to the detriment of our students and society at large.
(Opinion) Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2025
