If we want our nation to be innovative, productive, and successful in science and literature, we must reform our Education System, particularly the examination system

I walk to school, and along the way, I frequently meet mothers and grandmothers who share their children’s and grandchildren’s issues with me. Today after walking half a distance, I found a grandmother waiting for me on the way.

Following greetings and prayers, the grandmother informed me that her grandson was in sixth grade with me. He has not studied for the entire year, and now that the annual examination has started, he rushes out of the house to play and doesn’t even touch the book.

Grandma spoke with the voice of my heart. This is what I often talk about in my meetings with parents and teachers. When I was in school, we used to have the book in our hands, going to school in the morning. During the school recess, instead of playing, we tried to prepare for the next test so that there would be no confusion in the class.

Not long ago, exams were very organised. I still remember that our socks were taken off in the intermediate exams, and the sleeves were rolled up. It was extremely difficult to pass the exam in the first division. However, now students can easily obtain the first position in today’s examination system, even without studying.

I scored 57% marks in B.SC. I applied to two universities for a master’s degree. I was accepted to both and was ranked seventh out of 120 students on merit at the university where I studied. Nowadays the marks are more than 90% but their name does not appear on the admission list.

Why don’t students study? There is no fear of examination. They are passed even without appearing in the examination. It is obvious that when a system collapses, society loses its fear. This is not taken seriously by anyone. In Pakistan, children do not fail until they reach secondary school. Parents are so financially strapped that they are only focused on earning a living. Parents don’t assume responsibility for whether their children study or not. If the child does not fail, then how will they realize their faults? How will the strength and excitement that follows failure be generated?

If we want our nation to be innovative, productive, and successful in science and literature, we must reform our education system, particularly the examination system. If we do nothing and don’t provide our students with a good education system, we will continue to produce PhD doctors, but they will not be able to conceive a single question.

Read more from Dr. Afzal Badshah

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