Causes of Educational Degradation

Causes of Educational Degradation

The following outline summarizes the gist of the main reasons pointed out by Akbar Ali - who is an unknown progressive thinker of Pakistan.

 

Refusal to Organic Nature of Knowledge

Knowledge is like an organic whole it can not be divided into various compartments. Departmentalisation of knowledge stops the evolution of knowledge. Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Psychology, Politics, Economics, Trade, Commerce and Industry are so much interdependent that it is difficult to bifurcate one from another. Based on this logical premises knowledge can not be classified into spiritual and material sciences. The basis of all spiritual sciences is matter and vice versa. Knowledge does not have any caste or creed.

 

Absence of Knowledge Industry

The Education policy of Pakistan does not treat Education as an Industry contrary to that of the developed countries. Our education system just use lecture method while western countries are using audio visual aids, models, charts, computer, videos, museum and tourism as the tools for education which gives depth to the students as well as teachers. Consequently only memorization is used to clear exams instead of an insight of the subject.

Black market of Knowledge

Knowledge gives birth to Industry and industry produces commercialism creates competition and brings more investment into the market due to which both knowledge as well as subject specialists get benefited. In Pakistan contrary to this fact there is a black market of knowledge due to which education department is bribed to get marks, fake certificates are fabricated and sold on demand. On top of that lack of merit in jobs and promotion is catalyzing the black-market which results in the corruption of institutions.

Indifference to Creativity

The Education policy of Pakistan lacks the dynamic relationship between the innovations of technology and market. In the current era market can only be captured by the innovations of technology. Cost effective and productive technology is the key to market success now a days. Education policy in Pakistan is not paying serious heed to teach and impart training of new ways and means of technology and is insisting on the subject matter which is out there in abundance hence saturating the market.

Unscientific means of knowledge discovery

The Education system of Pakistan does not encourage utilizing scientific methodology for knowledge discovery known as epistemology. Epistemology has evolved from the discovery of principle of cause and effect by Greek philosopher Pynadeas, the discovery of the science of logic by Aristotle, Law of Action and Reaction by Newton, Dialectical method by German philosopher Hegal, theory of evolution by Darwin etc.Unless our education policy adopts scientific methods for the discovery of knowledge it will not be able to inspire the urge of discovering knowledge to the students.

Obsolete Syllabus and Dictatorial Educational Policies

Due to absence democracy, totalitarian control of military regimes and lack of institutionalization in Pakistan, the syllabi of subjects which are being taught to the students have never been scrutinized critically with professional honesty. On the other hand, education has always been used as a tool by the establishment of Pakistan to indoctrinate the masses to produce a pseudo educated qualified class who are able to continue their policies of suppressing the masses. Additionally our education system has also been producing a nursery of the advocates of the current system to serve the vested interests of the elite exploitative classes. The blame for the fall of education is distributed among student, teacher and educational institute neglecting the syllabus. The analysts are disillusioned about the downfall of educational system. In summary it is the absence of democracy and hence the lack of research discipline which results in fruitless education policies whose product is an educational system based on the remnants of colonial legacy instead of scientific concept of pluralistic approach towards knowledge.

[Inspired from Akbar Ali]