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Educating to Hate:
The impact of fundamentalist ideas
on the
school text
books in India and Pakistan
education
Indoctrinating young mindsThe curricula being taught at both private and government schools are riddled with striking biases and omissionsBy Ali Shan Azhar
(The News on Sunday, October 14, 2007)
The
significance of meaningful school education cannot be overemphasised.
Today, all nations -- rich and poor alike -- pay homage to the right of
and access to the benefits of basic school education. In fact, school
education is considered indispensable, both for the individual and the
society in contemporary civilisation. Let us remind ourselves that the
word 'education' is derived from a Latin word that means 'to draw out'.
The development or the drawing out of mental faculties is the very
essence of education. The objective of school education, then, ought to
be the training of the latent powers of observation, reasoning and
thought in children; and, thence, awakening their intelligence. Also,
school education is the pillar on which rests the whole edifice of
learning / education systems. "School houses are the republican line of
fortifications," declared Horace Mann, the famous American educator.
Are
the schools in Pakistan doing their job? Are they playing their part in
nation-building and in creating an aware citizenry? Is the school
education, as it stands today, sufficiently capable to tap the sources
of the creative energies of the children and to adequately channelise
them? To find satisfactory answers to these critical queries, it is
imperative to have a survey of what is actually a part of the curricula
at the school level in Pakistan at present. Careful research reveals
certain broad trends of the curricula / textbooks being taught at
various levels in both government and private schools. These trends
merit particular emphasis to evaluate the quality of education being
imparted.
Islamisation of textbooks
The teaching of
Islamiat in preference to pure Ethics at all levels is in itself an
indicator of the desire to ingrain a distinct identity among the Muslim
children in Pakistan. Our Islamiat textbooks bring out the similarities
in the beliefs, modes of worship, and social and practical life of the
Muslims; and declare that the Muslims dwelling in every part of the
world constitute a single brotherhood. Even more interesting is the
claim made in a number of textbooks that all the non-Muslims (by
default?) constitute a single nation. This stress on Islamic identity
is carried over to the curricula for Social Studies and Urdu language,
as right from the first grade one comes across lessons about Islamic
rituals and beliefs in the textbooks of these subjects.
The
Islamisation of textbooks picks up as the child moves to higher grades,
with essays on religious personalities frequently adorning the
curriculum. Inevitably, this quest for the Muslim identity has led to
the Islamisation of the curricula for Social Studies and Urdu language
at all levels and in all schools, barring the elite English-medium
educational institutions. Some textbooks of these subjects are so
highly representative of Islamic personalities and concepts that their
first half is hardly indistinguishable from an Islamiat textbook. The
overwhelming religious content inevitably phases out a number of
essential topics of Social Studies that would have done much more to
shape the character and socio-political / socio-cultural perceptions of
the children. For instance, useful topics pertaining to geography,
history, culture, economy and society do not find enough space in most
Social / Pakistan Studies textbooks.
Adding insult to injury is
the sad realisation that the damage is happily inflicted merely to
accommodate religious lessons that already stand repeated ad nauseam in
the Islamiat and Urdu language textbooks. The results of Urdu language
instruction are not admirable either. The emphasis of school textbooks
ought to be on enabling understanding and analysis at a specific level
of vocabulary. However, in many cases, it appears that language has
been rendered subservient to religious instruction. As a result, the
children are missing out on true language training -- as evident from
their poor verbal skills despite studying Urdu language throughout
their 10 years at school. Many educationists ascribe the ill to the
'pushing out' of literary pieces of prose and verse to accommodate
religious essays, which do much lesser in terms of improving language
skills.
Pakistan as an Islamic state
The curricula for
Social / Pakistan Studies attempt to borrow directly from the founder
of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, in a bid to prove that
the country was originally meant to be an Islamic state: "Wherever you
are and whoever you are, you are a Muslim first and last. This land
does not belong to Punjabis, Sindhis, Pathans or Bengalis." So the
Quaid wanted the inhabitants of Pakistan to be Muslims and also that
they gave up provincialism on this basis (and not because they were
Pakistanis?). The Quaid's assertion that "Everyone of us should think,
feel and act as a Pakistani; and we should be proud of being Pakistani
alone" only finds a place in the O' level textbooks exclusive to the
elite English medium schools.
A number of textbooks, however, do
find room for another extremely ambiguous quote from the Quaid: "We are
Muslims and have faith in one God, one Prophet (PBUH) and one book; so
it is binding on us that we should be one as a nation also." It is
obvious that our policy-makers, in order to promote a theocratic set of
mind, do not hesitate to quote out of context even the very founder of
the country. Many textbooks claim that Pakistan is the "fort of Islam"
and all efforts should be aimed at making it an "Islamic welfare
state". The deliberate and blatant promotion of a very questionable
logic as the very raison d'etre of Pakistan's existence certainly does
very little to promote responsible citizenship among the future
generations, while simultaneously distorting their vision of historical
events / personalities for the rest of their lives.
Such
attempts at Islamising Social Studies have efficiently deprived the
subject of its utility, which can be of invaluable significance in
explaining to the children the world around them in a simple,
interesting and classified manner. It is a discipline that can provide
them a peep into the world affairs; as well as the political, social
and economic structure of their native country. All this facilitates
the development of children into adults who can think for themselves
and who possess the power of critical analysis. The heavy doses of
religion and manufactured history, however, transform the very
framework of Social Studies from a modern, liberal and progressive one
to one with strict taboos and unquestionable assertions. In total
opposition to what true education envisages, school textbooks appear to
be encouraging tendencies among the children to be dismissive of highly
debatable issues.
Relations with non-Muslims
Accepting
the debatable premise of Pakistan being an Islamic state does not in
any way condone or connote that non-Muslims are not entitled to find a
peaceful abode in Pakistan -- it is not too much to expect that school
textbooks communicate to the young minds in no uncertain terms the
relevant Islamic teachings regarding relations with the non-Muslims.
Interestingly, however, only the Islamiat textbooks exclusive to the
elite English medium schools seem to convey the true tenor of the
Islamic teachings regarding relations with the non-Muslims -- for
example, they cite incidents of the hospitality that the Holy Prophet
(PBUH) extended to the non-Muslims; or highlight the fact that he
ensured complete security of life, property and practice of religion to
them in the Islamic state of Medina.
The non-Muslims were called
zimmies (protected people), because they lived in peace and tranquility
under the protection of the Islamic state. In fact, in safeguarding the
rights of non-Muslims, an Islamic state has gone to such extremes as to
give them the liberty of maintaining even those practices that are
entirely opposed to the teachings of Islam. For example, the
consumption of alcohol is forbidden for the Muslims in Pakistan; yet
the government itself issues permits to the non-Muslim to use alcohol.
These are facts and religious teachings that have been omitted in their
entirety from all Islamiat curricula, except those taught at most of
the elite English medium schools. Some Islamiat textbooks go the extent
of labelling all the non-Muslims as kafirs (infidels). Also, the
Quaid's opposition to religious intolerance is almost entirely
overlooked by all the school curricula in Pakistan.
National integration
The
task of providing a national identity to the Pakistanis is mystified by
the alternate pursuit of the curricula for a concocted Muslim identity
and Islamic recognition. The least that the curricula must do in these
circumstances, in order to stimulate the process of national
integration, is to encourage the people of all the four provinces to
better understand each other. To what extent do the curricula
accomplish this task? The Punjab Textbook Board's Urdu language
textbook for the grade 8 delves only into the Pakistani literature
produced in Punjabi language. Similarly, the Social Studies textbook
for the grade 4 totally ignores the geography and the history of all
provinces except Punjab. So, it is only in the grade 9 that the
children at government schools learn about the culture of the country
in a comprehensive manner and an organised form. In addition to
culture, most textbooks also miss out on the geography and the economy
of the country.
The luxury of comprehending the entity that
Pakistan is seems to be reserved exclusively for those fortunate enough
to be educated at the elite English medium schools. The O' level
textbooks, for instance, elaborate in detail the geography and the
economy of the entire country -- its climate, agriculture, industry,
means of communication, natural resources, occupations, etc. There is
also a chapter entitled The struggle for a cultural identity, which
incorporates the history and growth of the various regional languages
of Pakistan as well its national language Urdu. Similarly, the Urdu
language and Social Studies textbooks being taught at the elite English
medium schools describe the life and works of famous personalities from
other provinces. For instance, essays on Pushto poet Rehman Baba and
Sindhi poet Abdul Majid are included in the curriculum being taught at
the elite English medium schools of Punjab. The curricula in these
schools also adequately cover the culture, lifestyle and famous places
of all the provinces.
Democratic values
Democratic values
and systems find almost no mention in the textbooks and in the
curricula. A quote from Quaid-e-Azam can, however, be found in the
Punjab Textbook Board's Pakistan Studies textbook for the grade 10: "I
believe that the final shape of the constitution will be democratic and
based on the fundamental Islamic principles." Otherwise, even the
slightest mention of the meaning and the functioning of a parliamentary
democratic system is rare, even in the case of the curricula being
taught at the elite English medium schools. So is the case with the
description of a federal system of government and its prerequisites.
Similarly,
the concept of universal human rights is yet to find a place in our
school curricula; and, as a corollary, the class perspectives and
socio-political demands pertaining to basic human rights have also not
been found worthy of mention. What is noticeable, instead, is
degradation of the democracy and eulogising of the military -- an
institution widely acknowledged to have repeatedly sabotaged the
democratic process in Pakistan on one pretext or the other. The Urdu
language textbooks are immensely helping the Social / Pakistan Studies
textbooks in this task. A particularly favourite discussion topic of
the Urdu language textbooks for the grades 7 and 8 at the government
schools is the martyrs of the wars with India and those bestowed with
military honours like the Nishan-e-Haider.
To play down the
repeated military interventions in the history of Pakistan, all
textbooks overlook the latest episodes of the national history. The
worst being the Punjab / NWFP Textbook Board's Pakistan Studies
textbook for the grade 10, which totally overlooks the national history
beyond the promulgation of the 1973 Constitution. What type of aware
citizenship can be promoted by virtually hiding the better part of the
country's history? And how is it possible to prepare the youth for the
challenges of the modern age without providing them with the barest
idea of either the concept of democracy or the need for a democratic
political setup?
Perception of the West
No Social /
Pakistan Studies curricula being taught at the government schools makes
any attempt to study the international geography / history, except for
that of the Muslim countries. This is a strange grouping to study given
that the only commonality is religion, which has nothing to do with
geography and climate. The underlying message (explicitly stated at
places) is that the Islamic countries (somehow) constitute a single
block with common interests and hence the need for cooperation. Compare
it with the curricula being taught at the elite English medium schools,
most of which are teaching both medieval and modern world history, as
well as international geography. For a vast majority of the Pakistani
children, however, the sole introduction to the West remains the
alleged 'evil alliance' between the Hindus and the English to
jeopardise the existence of a newly created Pakistan. The theme of
Hindus as 'the enemies of Islam' recurs in both Social Studies and Urdu
language curricula.
Recap
Summing up, it is evident that
the curricula being taught at both English medium (mostly private) and
Urdu medium schools (mostly government) are riddled with striking
biases and omissions. Sparing the extremely elite, the school education
in Pakistan is burdening our future generations with distorted
perceptions and ideals. First, the products of our Urdu medium schools
are likely to misconceive Pakistan as an Islamic state where religion
and politics are inseparable. Second, it is improbable that they have
adequate knowledge of the geography, culture and history of their own
country, except for perhaps their home province. Third, even more
misleading are their perceptions of the world at large apart from maybe
a handful of Muslim countries. Fourth, they are not likely to have much
faith in the democratic process and/or an understanding of its dynamics
and necessity.
It is fair to assume that before the students
reach the college level they have been substantially deprived of the
abilities to think and observe. Their mental growth stands stunted,
thus undermining their capacity to acquire higher education and be able
to truly benefit from it. The didactic approach towards history and
social studies at school level is certain to hamper the vision of
children. Everything around the children has been branded as so sacred
that there is no room left for an objective analysis directed at some
sort of variation / improvement. If the curricula could at least
encourage the children to think for themselves, the intolerance and
obscurantism in the Pakistani society might see a decline.
Presently,
the textbooks are cultivating a mental outlook among children that has
its basis in the reinforcement of certain stereotypes and creating
fear. The children are encouraged to ponder in terms of absolutes --
they conceive every scenario as a picture of absolute good or else as a
caricature of absolute evil. Their mindset fails to appreciate that
differences -- whether they pertain to beliefs, culture or ideology --
are natural and often historical. They, instead, have fantasies of the
eternal struggle between their favoured creed and the 'enemies', who
are always busy conspiring and colluding to stall the ultimate triumph
of the 'truth'. I am tempted to conclude with an observation by eminent
historian K K Aziz: "The failure of democracy, the long spells of
military dictatorship, corruption, moral laxity, deterioration in
character, decline of moral values, sense of irresponsibility,
inefficiency, cynicism, indifference to what the future holds for us --
all this is the bitter harvest from the seeds we use in the cultivation
of the minds of the young. As you sow, so shall you reap!"
(Email: goldenstar2005@hotmail.com)