Age of darkness

The world is discovering AI, robotics, cancer breakthrough research, possible cures for Alzheimer’s, post-colonial literature, personal freedoms that exceed traditional binaries. The challenges are myriad but grounded scientific and technological research is helping humans overcome their limits. We may be lagging behind in many ways, but there was always hope that Pakistan would emerge out of its political and social backwardness and be able to embrace the future in some ways. That may be a dream so far away though in today’s time. A glaring example of just how far the country has slipped in its regression is a recent incident in Bannu where local clerics made a zoology teacher in Bannu denounce Darwin’s theory of evolution inside the DC office; ironically the official textbook the teacher was supposed to be teaching had a chapter on the topic. If that was not enough, the visibly shaken professor was made to sign an affidavit that said that women were “inferior” to men. All of this happened only weeks after a bunch of teenaged girls were asked to stop playing cricket in a public ground. A country where even mention of critical theories – whether in science or humanities – can lead to mobs gathering outside your home will never produce students who can think for themselves because those teaching students face threats to their lives just for doing their jobs. In a land where even scientific theories are met with threats to life, no one would want to invest their time, skills and talent here. Experts and analysts keep figuring out why the country’s young population is so dejected. The fact is that the passion needed to move forward in life is killed at such a young age here that what we are left with are sheep droning on rote-learnt lessons.

Education institutions are supposed to be a safe space for both students and teachers to debate ideas and theories presented by people across the globe. Some may be starkly different from their preconceived notions, but for the development of a healthy and free-thinking mind, debates are essential. Terrorizing teachers and forcing them to kneel down before regressive groups is a tragedy for any country. For too long have we ignored such instances under the thin veneer of ‘cultural values and norms’. And for long, institutions have adjusted their curriculum so as not to offend anyone. But this limited education has closed the doors of opportunities for our hardworking students and young workers – something that our policymakers keep ignoring. It does not matter which party comes to power in Pakistan. If the country is interested in moving forward, it has to rethink how to handle education and society in every area of the country. This descent into darkness cannot be taken with silence. We cannot afford to betray millions of children who rely on our education system for their lives and living.