THE current education system, inherited from the past, has been for long struggling to achieve and maintain the desired goals of cultivating a sound mind and body. It should empower students with knowledge, experience, skills and a positive attitude towards life, preparing them to navigate future challenges. However, it is not doing any such thing.

Despite having a large pool of over 10 million unemployed youth, we have badly failed to equip them with the essential skills necessary for self-employment, or to meet the demands of the market, both nationally and internationally. However, this is a clear indication that our education system needs a radical overhaul.

To address the issue effectively, we strongly need to adopt a target-oriented as well as need-based model to transform our education system, starting from primary school and going right up to the university level.

Additionally, this will not only require a comprehensive market survey to determine the requirements in various disciplines, but also induction of students with the right aptitude, quality teachers, updated syllabi, and modern facilities, such as electronic laboratories and research infrastructure. Simply producing PhDs, mind you, without a clear purpose or direction will not enable us to make significant progress in this age of rapid technological advancements.

It is time for a paradigm shift in our eroding education system, focussing on the needs of the 21st century and beyond. We owe it to ourselves, our children and our future generations to rethink and revitalise the education system.

It is only by taking such measures can we uplift the falling education system.

Syed Shujaat Hussain
Chaklala

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2024