Almost all segments of our social and national life are undergoing a constant deterioration, but on the top of the list is education. Today’s discussion will concentrate only on the situation in the public colleges, leaving aside the schools and private colleges. In the province of Punjab, the public colleges are being run under the administrative control of the Higher Education Department. While putting aside the bureaucratically flawed administration and concentrating only on what there is inside our colleges, one realizes that a dire catastrophe is around the corner.
Any visitor of these institutions comes across a great divide between various groups of teachers made based on apparently political, religious, or social grounds but based on individual’s vested interests. A very common benefit of these is to get maximum relief in the discharge of everyday duties which includes taking classes regularly.
Heads of the majority of these colleges are usually on the verge of their retirement and their core concern is only to enjoy the few remaining years of their service without involving in any activity breaking the routine. These heads lack the inspiration, leadership, and sense of responsibility. Most of their energies are consumed in the engagements with DDC’s, DEC’s, and other concerned and unconcerned authorities.
Inside such institutions, the most neglected thing is the future of the nation, “the student”.
Most of the teachers of such institutions do not have any difference of opinion on one thing i.e.,” syllabi can’t be completed during the tenure of the educational year” hence the completion of the syllabus is left entirely at the mercy of the circumstances which gives rise to private coaching centers which further creates a room for a parallel educational system.
Academic activities are stopped usually during the month of December which is resumed in September after the so-called “Slack Season”.
No one cares for the education and character building of the students, although a variety of co and extracurricular activities are planned every academic year.
Recipients of higher degrees, the majority of the teaching staff of our educational institutions, are least concerned with the updating of their pedagogical skills in line with the ever-changing scenario of the world around.
Their friendships and enmities are based on their interests, based on which they don’t mind even offering their institutions as political battlefields for the political people in the hope to get some personal gains.
In the colleges where there is co-education, evil nexuses have been observed between some teaching, non-teaching staff, and the influential students along with the influential people of the vicinity.
Such element crept into the noble profession of teaching, being good bargainers are often found on the political “DERAS” of the politicians, giving them pieces of advice which are often acted upon but they are not of any good for the educational purposes.
In such colleges, almost every department is an institution and every such college is a state within a state where rogue armies of stray students are being trained under the command of rogue teachers.
While writing these lines, I do invite the attention of some of the scholars who are doing their researches to please opt for such topics as are beneficial for the noble cause of education by eradicating such negative element which has stepped in the system or at least creating such circumstances where these elements do not prosper and necessary correction is continuously and continually made.
Society and state should not ignore this deplorable situation which seems to be something like the situation in the universities of Dhaka and other cities of East Pakistan a few years before it fell.
The remedy should be provided to the patient before he dies.
- Dying Declaration - 02/03/2021
