Pakistan: PTI and the mantra of education reform

Usman Malik

While discussing reforms liberal progressive folks, who support the PTI, are utmost fond of mentioning the party’s progressive stance on education. This, now passé, statement could not be further from the truth.

If actions speak louder than words and if intentions can, however faintly, be assessed from actions, then, in regards to policies, studying actions can be an enlightening exercise.

Take a look at the PTI’s 18-month track record regarding education in KPK.

The province’s last government, the ANP – widely regarded to be a liberal progressive party – instituted reforms regarding the exclusion of material bearing tinges of religious hatred and intolerance. Coming from a province most ravaged by the very real demon of terrorism, the reforms were a welcome step.

However, one of the first ‘changes’ that took place under the PTI-JI coalition were targeted exclusion of previous reforms under the garb of ‘objectionable material’.

Since then systematic exclusion and a return to pre-ANP curriculum has been ongoing. The PTI did take a cursory stand against what is now thought to be an entirely JI venture.

Nevertheless, in the recent months, the PTI has caved in on essentially every agenda point. Not only this but also the PTI education minister has said he is ready to “induct material to be proposed by Jamaat”. The question that arises here is:

Is PTI really the party with an uncompromising stance on education reform?

The ANP government not only removed retrogressive content, but also added contemporary, regional (more relatable) material in Social Studies. Removal of such content, as numerous statements from party spokespersons indicate, was fronted, not just acquiesced to, by the PTI.

So I want to ask: Does the PTI truly have a progressive stance on education? Or is it pushing ahead in the wrong direction?

The most interesting of all the nip-tucks by the PTI-JI coalition is the inclusion of religious references to the grade nine Chemistry book – Chemistry book!

Yes, folks. Zia’s Pakistan is alive and thriving.

A point of significance here is to note the level of intellectual and ethical bankruptcy that one would have to stoop to, were one to even suggest such a ‘change’.

In a province with a sizable share of Christian, Sikh, and Hindu minorities, this step is cringingly unscrupulous.

Try and imagine a human endeavour which is even infinitesimally more secular than science. Think of a subject with lesser schisms than science.

Have you ever heard of Hindu Physics or Japanese Biology?

There is a reason, why you have not.

Science does not work that way. It does not care from which authoritative tradition a particular insight is coming. Science does not consider to what language, national, cultural, or racial identity one belongs.

Learning in science is not predicated upon who did it first i.e. its history. Reading about Al-Beruni would be very little help in understanding chemical reactions. A Social Studies textbook is more suited for talking about historical contributions of scientists and these books contain plenty of such references.

Any progressive, educated person would recognise that a muddling of the two (science and history) is a disservice to both. The last KPK government removed names and contributions of ‘Famous Muslim Scientists’ from Science textbooks. One would, therefore, commend ANP on such a rectification.

The level of bankruptcy of scientific-literacy that one would have to plumb to even think of reforming back to old is phenomenal. Yet, the ‘visionary leaders’ did just that. So again, is PTI really the emblem of a party with an enlightened view on education?

As is evident from the antics of Imran Khan and the PTI’s ill-advised criticism of financial and infrastructural reform, the party does not really seem to understand economics either.

If a pattern can be descried here, it is this: The PTI ranks seem to be devoid of the academic depth required for scientific, rational and secular reforms. It is much too intellectually nascent to be expected to bring better educational reforms and not bungle them like other parties so often do.

About the party’s progressive policy regarding education reform, I am still open-minded but all the evidence of their own doing – not just their ‘strategic’, real-politik, ends-justify-means moves – says otherwise.

At best, the PTI is too weak in its resolve to put up a fight against retrogression. At worst, the party is too intellectually exhausted to handle reforms.

In any case, this mantra of ‘change’, at least in education, is an Obama-like rhetoric which has run its course.