Technicians or humans?

Education, once thought to be the key for unlocking human potential and a major driver of personality development, seems to have lost ground to economic rationality.

Employability is the over-riding consideration in choosing a particular field of study. This is all too evident from the programmes that academic institutes offer and the curriculum being taught. Even the pedagogy reflects a shift away from training the mind to chaining the mind.

The marketability of ideas and skills is what essentially drives modern education. Other vital aspects of education, such as developing citizenship behaviour, nurturing ethical conduct and infusing spirituality, have either been altogether overlooked or have got cursory attention in the scheme of studies.

Economic rationality lies at the heart of questions regarding which degree programmes to offer and which courses to include in the curricula. Private universities, in particular, respond to market demands. Students, too, take general courses lightly and most often resent them as an unnecessary appendix to their profession without realizing that, as professionals, they will be dealing with other people who will affect and be affected by their conduct.

In every forum I sit in, I hear participants emphasizing skill-driven education even at the tertiary level. They are almost unanimous and consistent in suggesting a curriculum which is predominantly “applied” in nature and which caters to the needs of employers in terms of technical skills. The boards of studies (BoS) of many universities have heavy representation from Chambers of Commerce and Industry with the purported purpose of getting their views about the contents of various courses and programmes. This luxury is, however, not afforded to individuals from the civil society, media, and legislature to balance economic rationality with civic virtues.

The academia-industry collaboration for equipping students with the relevant skill set is certainly desirable but it should not be done at the cost of forgoing the intrinsic value of education. The primary purpose of education is to stimulate thinking and create the urge to venture into new worlds. This makes life a fascinating and meaningful journey. The life of scholars, scientists, and philosophers attests to this hidden worth of education. For them, education has a sublime purpose which can hardly be expressed in monetary terms.

Ignoring or denigrating the socio-psychological aspect of education has created tremendous problems for both students as well as the society we live in. Though not yet officially documented (which is not uncommon in Pakistan), media reports suggest that there is a rising trend of students turning to drugs as an escape from the harsh realities of life. ome take pleasure in random violence and others seek solace in momentary hedonism. Committing suicide has also become a worrying aspect of academic life.

All this speaks of an education which has no metaphysical foundations. Virtues such as gratitude, tolerance, justice, humility, empathy, compassion, and responsibility are not being inculcated in the prevailing scheme of studies. As a result, we see many accountants, doctors, engineers, and business professionals with good technical skills but poor human relations.

If we want an education system which encourages critical thinking and reflection, promotes tolerance and disagreement, and which gives relatively more importance to civic virtues and ethical values than skills, the HEC and other relevant bodies need to revisit the ‘why’ of education. Questions of how IT should be used for education, which assessment standards to use, what should be the role of government in education, and which skills are needed by the employers, although interesting, do not address the fundamental crisis of education in Pakistan.

Learning a skill is not a substitute for becoming a different person. Becoming a different and better person requires an insight into how the world works and should work. Learning in the twenty-first century has to be multi-disciplinary. Realizing this, the world has started moving away from fragmentation to the unity of knowledge. This paradigm shift will address the problems associated with the regimented model of the twentieth century.

In a nutshell, modern education should balance the physiological needs of humans with their psycho-social needs to be counted as agents of real change and progress.

The writer teaches at SZABIST, Islamabad.

Email: dr.zeb@szabist-isb.edu.pk