close
Tuesday March 19, 2024

Parents worried about future of their children

What the father of the nation said in his message to All Pakistan Educational Conference on November 27, 1947, holds true today. Do policymakers need to be reminded that the future of our country greatly depends upon the type of education we give to our children and the way in

By Zafar Alam Sarwar
May 31, 2015
What the father of the nation said in his message to All Pakistan Educational Conference on November 27, 1947, holds true today. Do policymakers need to be reminded that the future of our country greatly depends upon the type of education we give to our children and the way in which we bring them up as future citizens? Let us admit education doesn’t merely mean academic education.
There has to be a system which is not dual but uniform and vibrant to cater to a progressive society. But parents who live in federal capital territory and want to educate their children in Islamabad assert they are facing problem of admission to schools. “We’re worried about the future of our children,” many of them say angrily.
Interaction with a number of parents and teachers who spoke to this scribe on condition of anonymity revealed that it’s a school administration that monopolises admission of boys and girls and turns a deaf ear to a child’s right to education. It’s a dilemma for parents to choose a right school and right curriculum for their children. They say: “We love our children to speak and write English well, but we can’t afford current costly level of education”.
Parents have to choose between a government and a private school, system-wise quality of education differs from school to school. Some of the schools are well known for education standard, but there are schools which alarmingly have more students than a class-room can accommodate.
Every citizen tries to get his/her children admitted to popular schools which eventually means that such schools have large number of students per class and more lectures per teacher. Does it not result in substandard education and little per student attention of a teacher?
Some people make use of high influences as references to get their children enter such schools which deprives the deserving children of admission opportunity. Who cares for the message of the founder of Pakistan? Where should children of merit go to?
zasarwar@hotmail.com