THIS is apropos Faisal Bari’s article ‘Learning and experience’ (Feb 13). I felt the same perplexity among students while teaching Economics at the university in Lahore. A number of them were incapable of relating basic concepts to real life. I tried to relate even a miniscule concept with the examples around us instead of quoting examples of the alien products and forced them to consult textbooks. But the race of higher GPA often hinders them to follow the real essence of learning.

Lack of conceptual learning overshadows the thinking process and then the prospective research in the relevant field.

Students don’t cultivate a habit of close observation which thwarts their ability to carry out research on the topics needed to be researched in our economy. Consequently, amateur researchers simmering in the cauldron of decrepit system start popping to catch up with their contemporaries in the race of publications.

Madiha Imran

Lahore

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2015

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