A lack of commitment to the cause of education and an implementation gap are the major speed breakers resulting in low access to education and poor quality in Pakistan. The implementation gap is believed to be more persuasive and it affects many aspects of governance and use of resources. The pervasive nature indicates a deeper problem where service to students and learners is not at the forefront of thinking and behaviour of those operating the system, says Shahid Habib, an educationist, who is teaching postgraduate students in various private sector universities in Lahore.

Mr Habib advocates that communication learning in this crisis-stricken education sector can go a long way to spread knowledge and serve as motivation for the students. He says social and character development enhance effectiveness in academics and facilitate learning in schools, colleges and universities. “Unless we undertake a radical change in our thinking abilities, we may not be going in knowledge assimilation,” he says.

At times, he says, people are handicapped through their own limitations of a broad based communication system. However, if they take into account their interests irrespective of the age brackets, they may be able to gain access to unconquered horizons. Umpteen times, he says, improper communication plays an instrumental role in the entire learning process. The communication can be so improved in the easiest, economical and most interesting ways to be able to reach the knowledge available in the language by far considered stringent to learning. A lot has been said and discussed but by far it has remained in the folders of knowledge unable to digress on the pragmatic human frontiers.

Referring to the common use of day-to-day English language process, Mr Habib says an initial learner can try to coin vocabulary through listening popular English songs that will facilitate acclimatization and gradually pick up the required concepts to be developed and be absolutely home-grown.

“The methodology of experiencing the communication process, as I believe it to be an experience rather than knowledge assimilation, is through the listening of songs once, twice and thrice and understanding the lyrics. Subsequently having the lyrics in front of him, he may start repeating to build up intonation. The learner will do it with great interest, going a long way toward improvement of knowledge acquisition process that so far he had been unable to,” Habib says.

He says that he had carried out this practice in various private universities and experienced amazing results. This improvement in the communication ability through music (songs) never makes the acquisition of knowledge dull and monotonous and instead a learner enthusiastically follows up the process which had so far derailed his or her knowledge build-up.

Based on the theme of the song thus listened, he says, the listener may develop a theme parallel to the theme of the song he has listened. “I have imbibed in them the concept of creative writing with moral overtones. It helps them in responding to the pragmatic needs and constructing relationships with the near and dear ones on close emotional considerations,” he says.

“We may be able to overcome certain communication gaps which are thus inherent, bringing us closer to the development of the required knowledge and skills so far suffering because of a communication gap. This interactive process generally must be adopted almost everywhere because I firmly believe that it will give astounding results,” he suggests.

THE 97th edition of the oldest academic literary magazine of the sub-continent “The Ravi” came out last weekend with literary and research articles by noted writers, professors, old Ravians and university students.

The Ravi, a contemporary of London Times Literary Supplement, has been a part of the sub-continent's literary heritage for the last one hundred and ten years.

This publication, which began in 1900, has now seen the end of the first decade of the 21st century, serving to enlighten people by gathering together voices from all over the globe.

This year the English section of The Ravi boasts of prominent names as Noam Chomsky, Steven Pinker, Khalid Ahmad, Kamal Azfar and Yawar Abbas among its contributors. Writers on a spectrum ranging from prominent Old Ravians such as Zia Mohyeuddin, political thinkers such as Lal Khan, to philosophers such as Turkish expounder Ali Yurtserver were featured in the compilation. Despite the gravity of their subject matter, articles by Soufia A. Siddique and M. Umer Khan offered a light hearted yet thought provoking view of pertinent issues.

The Urdu section of The Ravi consists of seven sub-divisions devoted to acknowledging the works and lives of various personalities associated with the Urdu literary tradition, such as Mir Taqi Mir, N.M Rashid, Dr Waheed Qureshi, Dr Muhammad Hassan, Dr Wazir Agha, Ishfaq Ahmad and Farkhanda Lodhi. The contributors include Prof Fateh Muhammad Malik, Dr Aslam Ansari, Dr Anwar Sadeed, Najam Hussein Syed, Sabir Lodhi, Dr Anwar Sajjad, Mansha Yaad, Iftikhar Arif, Amjad Islam Amjad, Sarmad Sehbai, Anwar Masood and Shuja-ur-Rehman Dogar.

Rana Hamza Ijaz, the editor of this year's The Ravi Urdu Section, in his editorial explored the complexities of the human mind and yearning for intellectual independence in the socio-political contexts.

Ummar Ziauddin (Editor English, The Ravi) in his editorial reviewed the nostalgic chasm between the past and the present. He traced the utilitarian exegesis of change as the permanent feature of human history.

He states that this edition of The Ravi gives readers a rare chance to go through the writings of some of the respected public intellectuals on either sides of the Suez Canal. “Every individual is entitled to his opinion. We may not subscribe to it. Yet we need to appreciate the diversity of thought and opinion. Thus, we bring to you 'Parallel Voices',” Mr Ziauddin stated.

Government College University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Khalid Aftab says the main objective of The Ravi is to explore the literary talent among the university students. He says it provides them a medium of self-expression. “It is a necessary aid to the fostering of literary environment in the university,” he says.

He says the literary magazine has been named after the River Ravi, adding that the flowing river is referred as the symbolic continuity of ideas, thoughts, feelings and rich sentiments of the GCU students, alumni and faculty members that are expressed through the magazine. He said people like Nobel Laureate Prof Dr Abdus Salam, A.S Bukhari and N.M Rashid were among its former editors.