GENERATION Z, also known as Gen-Z, created a furore over leakage of medical school entrance examination papers in India recently. This massive protest campaign in the heart of the country finally resulted in Indian education minister’s resignation. One wonders if our Gen-Z ever would react against injustices in Pakistan.
Apart from local education boards and medical colleges entrance test paper leaks, there have been paper leaks even for O and A level examinations in Pakistan. This has become a routine affair in the country. There are hardly any employment opportunities for youth. There is corruption in education departments, and there is no dearth of incompetent teachers. Yet, our students never protest or speak up as forcefully as they should. The reasons are multifarious.
The O and A level students often belong to the elite class. They are worried neither about grades nor employment. They are interested in latest, expensive brands of cellphones, luxury cars, hanging out with friends, dining out at high-end restaurants, and going on foreign trips for summer holidays.
On the other hand, our middle-class students, despite facing injustices and a rotten system, suffer from inertia and lethargy. Besides, their parents, in their quest for ‘character building’, have made them docile beings. They do not think, struggle or protest. They are submissive and compliant. They want to be ‘decent’. The majority among them has been trained and advised to be ‘patient’ and consider their sufferings matters of ‘fate’. They are coerced by their parents to follow the path determined by them.
The middle-class students are more worried about grades because their parents are paying exorbitant amounts of money out of their nose. They want degrees without realising that they will not get jobs.
This environment of coercion and injustice has to end if our young generation wants justice. This will happen only when they speak up for their rights. Suffering in silence is not an option. The so-called Gen-Z in Pakistan is actually a generation that has been in a deep slumber.
Khayyam Durrani
Karachi
Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2026