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Sunday December 08, 2024
Shahid Siddiqui
Shahid Siddiqui

  • April 06, 2021

    New PhD policy

    The history of educational policies in Pakistan is replete with non-consultative abrupt decisions which disrupted the ongoing policies and put...

  • July 15, 2019

    Paradigms of education

    The major educational challenge of the 21st century is the acquisition of new sets of skills required by students and teachers alike. These skills...

  • June 29, 2019

    Ensuring translation

    Education and development have a potent correlation. It is said that the difference between progressive and developed countries is actually the...

  • June 15, 2019

    The challenge of implementation

    There has been a growing realization in the developing and developed countries about the pivotal role of teachers in improving the quality of...

  • June 01, 2019

    The curriculum recipe

    One of the major impediments to educational change in Pakistan is the oversimplification of notions, ideas and solutions. Certain stereotypes have...

  • May 18, 2019

    For the teacher

    “Without narrative, life has no meaning. Without meaning, learning has no purpose. Without a purpose, schools are houses of detention, not...

  • May 06, 2019

    Education and social justice

    In the 9/11 commission report it was recommended that Pakistan should be given more financial support in order to improve its education sector....

  • April 20, 2019

    Teachers as intellectuals

    “There have been no major revolutions in modern history without intellectuals; conversely there has been no major counterrevolutionary movement...

  • April 06, 2019

    The pedagogy of conformity

    A major objective of education, which most schools of thought subscribe to, is the broadening of mental horizons, personal and societal development...

  • March 23, 2019

    Education: the challenge of quality

    The problem of access had always been a serious challenge for the educational system of Pakistan, where even historically at the primary level...

  • March 12, 2019

    What constitutes power?

    “…power is everywhere not because it embraces everything, but because it comes from everywhere.” – Michel FoucaultPower, being a complex...

  • February 23, 2019

    Language matters

    Language plays an important role in the sociopolitical and education systems of a country. It acts as an important identity marker at the individual...

  • February 09, 2019

    Schools, not machines

    Gareth Morgan, a professor of organisational behaviour and industrial relations at York University in Toronto, is the author of a popular book...

  • January 26, 2019

    When a language dies

    Language and society constantly influence each other. Social factors, such as age, gender, class and religion, influence language; conversely,...

  • January 12, 2019

    The corporatisation of education

    A major objective of education, which most schools of thought subscribe to, is to broaden mental horizons, ensure personal and societal development,...

  • December 29, 2018

    When language divides us

    One of the most serious challenges faced by the education system in Pakistan is the education apartheid. Language plays a major role in the divide...

  • December 08, 2018

    Why education reforms fail

    Education is considered to be an important condition for development. The gaps between developed and developing countries are attributed to the gaps...

  • November 24, 2018

    Out of school, out of mind

    Education plays an important role in shaping our society. In the age of the knowledge economy, this role has become all the more important....

  • November 10, 2018

    Education apartheid

    Education is considered to be a potent force that paves the way for development, change and freedom. It is viewed as an important factor that...

  • May 02, 2018

    The education conundrum

    While visiting different parts of Pakistan, Chief Justice Saqib Nisar expressed legitimate concern about existing educational practices and...

  • August 07, 2017

    Closer synergies

    One of the major objectives of education is the holistic development of an individual. As a result, educational institutions are expected to...

  • July 19, 2017

    Are we free in these modern times?

    The relationship between the individual and society has been a recurring theme of discussion for decades. The nature of this relationship varies in...

  • July 03, 2017

    The politics of humour

    As a highly political phenomenon, language is linked with power and politics. It is not just a tool of communication that is used to reflect what...

  • June 19, 2017

    The humanising force

    The relevance of literature has assumed centre-stage in the wake of the challenges of extremism and intolerance that we are experiencing in society....

  • June 05, 2017

    The challenge of extremism

    The menace of terrorism – which is one of the potential outcomes of extremism – is a widely discussed topic these days. The acts of...

  • May 21, 2017

    How to tackle extremism with education

    In Pakistan, one of the current and urgent issues under discussion is extremism, which has an indirect link with terrorism or use of violence...

  • May 01, 2017

    Rethinking the curriculum

    Many discussions regarding the qualitative improvement in education have taken place. A number of recommendations have been given to revamp the...

  • April 10, 2017

    Social change through education

    Education, during different periods of history, assumed different meanings and focused on different objectives. It has usually been equated with...

  • March 27, 2017

    Decolonisation and the Nadvatul Ulema

    The post-1857 period was a depressing era for the Indians. A large number of freedom fighters were either killed in the War of Independence of 1857...

  • March 06, 2017

    National College and the British Raj

    The story of educational resistance to the Raj is not complete without the mention of the National College, which was set up in Lahore by Lala...

  • February 20, 2017

    Gandhi and the Raj

    Gandhi was an important figure in the 20th century and inspired a large number of people to join his non-violent movement to show resistance against...

  • February 06, 2017

    Bacha Khan’s resistance

    I have been writing in my column for these pages about different modes of resistance to the British Raj in India. Among these was a unique movement...

  • January 23, 2017

    Turangzai vs the Raj

    In one of my previous articles, titled ‘Frontier and resistance’, published in these pages I focused on the armed resistance in the...

  • January 09, 2017

    Tagore and decolonisation

    Rabindranath Tagore was a poet, novelist, short story writer, playwright, painter, musician, and educationist who influenced a large number of...

  • December 19, 2016

    Jamia Millia Islamia versus the Raj

    Nationalism was on the rise in India in the middle of the 19th century.  The despotic policies of the British Raj forced the Indians to come...

  • December 05, 2016

    Aligarh’s response to the Raj

    The war of Independence in 1857, in which all ethnic groups took active part, was the climax of upfront resistance to the British Raj. The...

  • November 21, 2016

    Deoband and resistance to the Raj

    The 1857 war of freedom brought together different strata of society to liberate India from foreign rule. A number of religious leaders, who were...

  • November 07, 2016

    Resistance through education

    The history of imperialism is ridden with treachery, guile and coercion. To control the colonised, all possible methods are used, ranging from...

  • October 19, 2016

    The desertion of Punjabi

    Recently a school campus in Sahiwal, Punjab issued a directive to the students to refrain from using foul language inside and outside the school....

  • October 17, 2016

    Ahmed Khan Kharal and the Raj

    The great War of Independence in 1857 brought different ethnic groups of India together to challenge the British Raj. A large number of local...

  • October 03, 2016

    Kakori martyrs and the British Raj

    The resistance to the British Raj in India came from different ethnic groups which converged on the objective of liberating India from British...

  • September 19, 2016

    Bhagat Singh and the freedom struggle

    In the story of the struggle for the liberation of India from the British Raj, Bhagat Singh and his friends deserve a prominent mention. Bhagat was...

  • September 05, 2016

    Resistance literature and the British Raj

    Literature is traditionally considered a means of pleasure and enjoyment that focuses on beauty and spreads happiness in an artistic manner. This...

  • August 22, 2016

    Media resistance in British India

    In my previous article, ‘Discursive paradigm of resistance’ published in these pages I discussed two major approaches of resistance:...

  • August 08, 2016

    Discursive paradigm of resistance

    The British Raj in India faced continuous resistance by different strata of society –  rajas of different states, peasants, religious...

  • July 25, 2016

    The Indian National Army

    In my previous articles on these pages I have been writing about various resistance movements against the British Raj in India. These movements...

  • June 27, 2016

    Post-1857 resistance

    The 1857 war led to the bloodshed of thousands of freedom fighters who, with meagre resources, outdated ammunition, insufficient training, and lack...

  • June 13, 2016

    War of Independence

    The 1857 War of Independence was not just a spontaneous happening but a natural culmination of a number of consistent resistance efforts going back...

  • May 02, 2016

    Linguistic imperialism

    Language is a vibrant phenomenon, which is linked with power and politics. Like education, language has also been used by colonial powers to control...