Quaid-i-Azam’s concept of education

Like the great leaders of the world, Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah was an ardent supporter of education. He envisioned a nation equipped with the best education available, both within the country and abroad. His concept of education was pragmatic, progressive, and utilitarian, aiming to build Pakistan on solid economic foundations.

As a hardworking student himself, the Quaid focused on his studies during his early years in Karachi and later in England, where he earned the degree of Bar-at-Law. Avoiding wasteful activities, he dedicated his energies to acquiring knowledge. His stay in England broadened his imagination, instilling in him the spirit to shape the destinies of his people.

As early as 1911, while supporting Gokhale’s Elementary Education Bill on March 16, 1911, in the Council of the Governor General, he stated, “Now, so far as the principle of the bill is concerned, ... it wants gradually to introduce compulsion into the elementary educational system of our country... so far as that object is concerned, the Hon’ble Mr. Gokhale has entire support from me.... It is high time now to make a beginning in the direction of elementary education being made compulsory and free.”

Referring to the lack of resources at the disposal of the Government of India to provide free education, as agreed by the members of the Education Department, he emphasised, “I say find the money; if necessary, tax the people. But I shall be told that the people are already taxed. I shall be told that we shall be facing unpopularity, and I shall be asked why should we do all this? ... My answer is that ‘it is the duty of every civilized government to educate the masses, and if you have to face unpopularity, face it boldly in the name of duty.’ I say without hesitation that you will have the whole educated public with you in the struggles.”

The attitude towards the advancement of education in the masses characterised his early life, strengthening and intensifying with the passage of time. Addressing the Leagues Session in 1924, the Quaid observed, ‘We must not lose any opportunity to promote and advance mass education, making elementary education universal to dispel ignorance and darkness, bringing light to millions of our countrymen who cannot claim even three R’s. We must take steps, if necessary, to see that elementary education is made compulsory.’

The Quaid realised the importance of technical and scientific education for students to enable them to shoulder the heavy responsibilities of the modern age. Addressing the Annual Convocation of Islamia College, Lahore on March 24, 1946, he said, ‘Thousands of young men return from colleges and universities, counting on nothing but government service, clerkship, and other routine jobs. I ask you to seek fresh avenues... “Commerce and industry,” said Mr Jinnah, “are the very foundations of a nation.... Besides, scientific and technical knowledge are very essential in this age.... You should now train yourselves in this direction.”

The Quaid was confident of the capacity of the youth to achieve wonders if provided with proper opportunities. He regarded Aligarh Muslim University as ‘the arsenal of Muslim India,’ supplying an army of students to advance the cause of Pakistan. During his regular visits to the Aligarh Muslim University, he addressed important meetings organised by students and staff members. In these speeches, he articulated his thoughts on various crucial issues.

As an advocate of female education, he chose the platform of the Muslim University to express his views in support of women’s participation in national development. Speaking at the meeting of the Muslim University Muslim League on March 10, 1944, he noted, “It is a crime against humanity that our women are shut up within the four walls of houses as prisoners. I do not mean that we should imitate the evils of Western life. But let us try to raise the status of our women according to our own Islamic ideas and standards.... You should take your women along with you as comrades in every sphere of life, avoiding the corrupt practices of Western society. You cannot expect a woman who is herself ignorant to bring up your children properly. The woman has the power to bring up children on the right lines. Let us not throw away this asset.”

He further elaborated his ideas about the prevailing education system, specifying that the British government aimed to produce clerks to rule India with the help of the Indian-educated class. Lord Macaulay designed this system to produce ‘your most obedient servants.’ The cardinal principle of this system, quoting Lord Macaulay, was ‘we want Indians in color but Englishmen in taste and aptitude.’ This objective was particularly emphasised after the replacement of Persian by English as the Court Language in 1835.

The consensus of opinion has been that, since the existing system was designed by alien rulers to serve their imperialistic ends, it could hardly be expected to cater to the requirements of the newly established country-Pakistan. The Quaid was conscious of the onerous task of remodeling the colonial system of education so that a new structure responsive to the religious, socio-cultural, and economic needs of Pakistan could emerge. Responding to a suggestion that the education of Muslims in all states required complete overhauling, the Quaid replied, “Education will be one of the problems that the Pakistan government will be called upon to deal with when it is established, to be followed by economic and social reforms.”

“Education is the foundation of every nation,” said Mr Jinnah on January 12, 1947, adding that “It was a matter of regret that Sindh was the most backward province in the whole country in education. He was glad that there was some awakening now and urged for an earnest drive towards literacy throughout the province, extending to all communities.”

“The Muslim of today is very lazy,” said the Quaid. He further remarked, “It is through hard work, industry, and perseverance alone that anything could be achieved.”

At the time of partition, the entire education domain was unsatisfactory. Curricula and textbooks were outdated, and higher education was in a deplorable condition. There were only three universities, including the University of Sindh, which was established a few months before the creation of Pakistan in April 1947, and a few colleges in the areas that constituted Pakistan. Technical and science subjects were rarely studied at a higher level, and facilities for scientific, technical, and vocational education were very limited.

The British had no consideration for primary education, placing the main emphasis on higher education, while primary and secondary education were subordinated to the requirements of university education. After the establishment of Pakistan, efforts were made to encourage the development of primary education. New primary schools were opened, qualified teachers were appointed, and modern equipment was provided.

After the creation of Pakistan, the Quaid devoted his entire energies to harnessing the newborn state. He was greatly concerned about the education system left behind by the colonial government and intended to replace it with a task-oriented Islamic education that could arouse the spirit among the people to build a strong society capable of advancing and supporting its citizens’ genuine needs. To create such a society, it was necessary to teach and train the young generation on solid footing. He defined the concept of education in his message to the All Pakistan Education Conference on 27 November 1947 as follows:

“Education does not merely mean academic education, and even that appears to be of a very poor type. What we have to do is mobilise our people and build up the character of our future generations. There is an immediate and urgent need for training our people in scientific and technical education to build up our future economic life. We should ensure that our people undertake scientific commerce, trade, and particularly well-planned industries. But do not forget that we have to compete with the world, which is moving very fast in this direction. Also, I must emphasise that greater attention should be paid to technical and vocational education.”

The Quaid declared that the newborn State of Pakistan demands nation builders, not clerks to administer Pakistan.

In his Convocation Address to Dacca University on March 24, 1948, he maintained, “The main object of the old system of education and the system of government existing hitherto was really to have well-trained, well-equipped clerks. Of course, some of them went higher and found their level, but the whole idea was to get well-qualified clerks... The whole principle was to create a mentality, a psychology, a state of mind that an average man, when he passed his B.A or M.A, was to look for some job in the government. I know, and you all know, what has been really the result of this. Our experience has shown that an M.A. earns less than a taxi driver, and most of the so-called government servants are living in a more miserable manner than many menial servants who are employed by well-to-do people. Now I want you to get out of that rut and that mentality, especially now that we are in free Pakistan. The government cannot absorb thousands. Impossible... There is no shame... But in the competition to get government service, most of you get demoralised. The government can take only a certain number, and the rest cannot settle down to anything else, being disgruntled and always ready to be exploited by persons who have their own axes to grind... There is no shame in doing manual work and labor. There is immense scope in technical education, for we want technically qualified people very badly. You can learn banking, commerce, trade, law, etc., which provide so many opportunities now. Already, you find that new industries are being started, new banks, new insurance companies, new commercial firms are opening, and they will grow as you go on.”

We have to build up the character of our younger generations, which means the highest sense of honor, integrity, selfless service to the nation, and a sense of responsibility. We have to ensure that they are fully qualified and equipped to play their part in the various branches of economic life in a manner that will do honour to Pakistan.

-This is an unpublished

piece which the author wrote before his death. The author was HEC eminent scholar and former director, Quaid-i-Azam Academy, Karachi.