THIS refers to the article ‘Merit & mediocrity’ by Irfan Husain (Oct 10). So long as quality education remains one of the few entry points, nay tickets, to higher economic strata, ways and means will be invented to gain access to quality education.

Who does not want upward mobility? Given the dire economic straits a huge segment of the population lives in conditions in which there is no hope for a better tomorrow.

So, where there is a system, there is a way. Right? Also, a way out would be to democratise quality education, giving greater access to better education to people of limited means. Technology/broadband Internet promises to be a game changer in this regard with the likes of Khan Academy and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), including Coursera and edX.

On the contrary, if everybody is getting the same education, then there is nothing special about that education. Factor in money, and there is always a chance to differentiate the educational offering to the few from the educational offering to the masses. Money, really, can buy you the best.

Babur Khalid

Karachi

Published in Dawn, October 19th , 2015

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