Best boys, girls from 'unfashionable' schools

Every year when the matric results are announced, many of us tend to become nostalgic and contemplative. Memories of one's school days return, of class-mates, teachers, the principal, everything from the past becomes alive at times, including one's family and neighbourhood ties of years gone. Blurred images of the past.

Then there are thoughts about those who have passed the matric examination this year, and those who have failed, which makes you think about what they will do, henceforth. There are thoughts about the educational system of the country, the syllabus, the textbooks, the teachers and classrooms.

The nostalgia tends to glorify the past, and the contemplation seems to magnify and enlarge the failures and frustrations that plague the system now. How fair is the comparison? Should one always long for the past? l will not attempt to answer the question.

This year's matriculation results have been announced, and there is an inevitable reflection that follows about the conversations and considerations in the homes and families of those who had appeared, regardless of whether they passed or failed. One is unable to shun the thought of those who have failed.

They too are in a large number, and it makes one wonder whether they have failed because they were unable to adjust to the academic system or whether they were unable to get good teachers or the appropriate atmosphere at home. Whether there was a lack of parental guidance, or interest, or whether they chose the wrong subjects, in an overall schooling context, where choices are made most often with almost no regard for students' aptitude. That much for the boys and girls who have failed. They too deserve our attention.

Of course, the majority has passed and the overall pass percentage is higher this year. The position-holders have spoken, and newspapers have done their conventional interviews, providing us with an insight into the minds of those who have topped the list. This time, the boys have topped the matric result list, and not only are they from the same school, but the school is also not one of the elite schools of Karachi.

It is a private school, located on Mauripur Road, and not in Defence, Clifton, PECHS or Cantonment areas and so on. The point to note is that all three bright boys, Javed Ali, Mohammad Jawwad and Ali Zain, are very critical of the educational system that they have experienced. It is reported, and does not surprise us to hear them say that they want changes in the textbooks, in the system of examination, that some courses were both too lengthy and purposeless and one of them, who wants to be a chartered accountant in the future, wants the books for English and Economics to be "improved."

The brightest kids speak with a confidence and clarity that needs to be underlined. In a society that is so problem- ridden, and so divided and confused, it is interesting that the bright speak this way. What does it mean when the best boys and girls never speak well of the educational system they are put into? It is an occasion to reflect, quite possibly in sadness.

Perhaps it is relevant to mention here what are the conditions even at the higher seats of learning in this country, and see a connection between the dissatisfaction of the brightest boys and girls and what the minister in-charge of science and technology, Dr Ataur Rehman (who keeps promising us of good days all the time), has said during the week at the Karachi University's HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry. He said: "at present, none of the Pakistani universities is in the list of 500 universities all over the world, and top 100 universities of Asia, and basic reason for this exclusion was a lack of required research qualification among faculty."

More bad news, as he said: "out of the 7,000 faculty members in all, the Pakistani universities have only about 1,600 teachers with PhDs, and that three fourths of these faculty members even lack basic qualifications for serving in the universities." That explains partly the state of our universities, and why our students are not valued when they go abroad. That also makes you wonder about the standard of our schools. That is why the bright boys and girls speak of how they are disappointed with the education and examination system.

And now look at the position-holding girls; two of them, Hifza Mohammad Hanif and Warda Rasool, are from the Mama Baby Care, Amil Colony. The other two are Sumaira Niazi and Sumaira Parveen of the Hameed Mohammad Primary and Secondary School in Mithadar.

It needs to be noted that this too is not one of the upper class or posh schools of the city, and brings home the point that the boys and girls from relatively "unfashionable schools" of the city are among the best performers in the matric examinations. This has happened several times in the past, which proved that some of the so-called best schools were living off their reputation, an educationist said.

It may also be noted that all three girls, whose photographs appeared in the newspapers the day after the matric results were declared, were wearing either head-scarves or their faces were veiled. It may also be stated here that last week when the results of the HSC part 1 and 2 examinations, Home Economics group, were announced, the three position-holding girls were also reflecting similar values, as the girls mentioned above.

Two, of them, Nida Askari and Hina Fatima Rajani, wore head-scarves, and Sidra Arshad, who secured the first position wore the veil, with only her eyes showing. This is something that reflects the changes that are taking place in Pakistani society. At least one TV newswoman on a private channel wears head-scarf, it may be noted.

Warda Rasool, who stood first, said that her success was the result of regular studies and planning from the start of the academic year. There were no private tuitions that she took, for she said, reminding us of the extensive and heavy emphasis that there is on the concept and practice of private tuitions. That these tuitions are expensive and often unaffordable is another dimension of our educational system. Warda Rasool went on to say: "The long answers to examination questions are a mere waste of time," and she advocated the need for "objective based questions."

The girl who stood second, deploring the state of affairs in the country, said there was an absence of unity in the country, which was a major cause of problems that prevailed here. She felt that students should not waste their time in pursuits other than education.

The other bright girl, Sumaira Parveen, said that she had avoided taking admission to a government school, because teachers in those schools were less focused on their studies and this the girl felt was a cause for the decline in academic standards. She too felt that the matric course was too lengthy and needed to be reduced.

Back to the boys who topped and spoke at an interview, where following observations were made: cheating in examinations was a scourge, and that there was a need to change the textbooks; that the medium of instruction should be changed to Urdu alone, as it was the national language; that there was a need to avoid deleting the Islamic contents in the textbooks; that terrorism was the most sensitive and serious problem being faced by Pakistan today, that the current system of examinations needed to be overhauled; and that hard work and proper guidance from their teachers and parents were of immense support in their academic career.

From what the boys and girls have said, it is obvious that they are aware of what is happening around them, and that they are unhappy with it. They appear to be down-to-earth people, living in a city like Karachi, where disorder and terrorism are part of our lives.

Perhaps it does come as a pleasant and welcome surprise that the overall pass percentage is improving, which shows that the students were able to keep themselves focused on their studies and examinations and realize the fact that matric examinations are a major landmark in their lives. It is a turning point, and this is where their careers begin in a way - in a country that ranks 142nd on human development index released by the United Nations on July 15. That is something for another day.

As one reflects on the matric results, thoughts go to the changes that have taken place in the way results are announced. There was a time, one remembers, when students went to the Dawn office on Altaf Hussain Road, in the early sixties, and stood outside the building and heard the results. These were announced over a loudspeaker, to stop the hundreds of students from stampeding into the newspaper office.

Then came the age of the newspaper supplement and that seems to have been overtaken at least partly by the television channels, that now announce the results. Viewers are to phone in (paid calls plus government tax) and get to know the results. I was surprised to see this being done by one private TV channel in Karachi. It makes you wonder how popular is the concept of phoning into radio and TV channels, while the practice of buying a newspaper is not growing in that measure.

The State Bank Governor Dr Ishrat Hussain spoke on image branding for Pakistan at the PATA's Pakistan chapter meeting on Friday evening, and said that the reality of Pakistan today was not as bad as its image. And for this, he blamed the media, the foreign media. The reality of Pakistan? No comments. Ask these kids.