Teachers asked to preach value of empathy

LAHORE: Teachers can sow the seeds of tolerance in society, if they practise and preach the values of empathy – putting one-self in somebody’s shoes.

The universities should regularly host events promoting empathy. These are some of the findings of the “Academic and Intellectual Dialogue on Social Harmony, Tolerance and Education”, a study by Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), an Islamabad-based think tank, on six dialogues held with teachers of Pakistan’s higher-secondary schools and colleges from all over the country. Noted scholars and intellectuals led the dialogues.

Any country’s education system should end social disparity. Unfortunately, the report noted, Pakistan’s system widens those differences. Different schooling systems cater to different segments of society; children are made to imbibe those differences.

The report said that whenever authorities spoke of ending those differences, they tended to speak of a “uniform” education system, by which they meant centralising the system.This is not the way out. Diversity should be upheld. What is required is a proper understanding of what is allowed in terms of diversity in education, and what is not. Our debates are in black and white terms.

The existing schooling systems should provide for opportunities to look inside, to ask question. Students who have the ability to question excel in professional and academic lives. Unfortunately, students get discouraged from questioning the conventional norms.

A teacher can sow the seeds of inquiry. No student can learn all the facts and figures, but every student should be told how to approach any subject and any person. Students should be taught, by example, what it means to conduct dialogues – learning from each other. With these values, students can emerge as useful citizens.

The culture of interaction in universities has declined. This has led to growth of narrow ideologies, thrusting their opinions on others, said the report. Resource persons included Dr Khalid Masud, ex-chairman, Council of Islamic Ideology; Dr Khalida Ghaus, academic; Harris Khalique, human rights activist; Peter Jacob, minority rights activists; Ammar Khan Nasir and religious scholar.