THE PURPOSE OF EDUCATION

THE PURPOSE OF EDUCATION

Every now and then a question arises in every educated person’s mind: what is the purpose of education? Most of us think it as a way to get job or learn some skills. To some extent, it is true that through education we learn skills to get a job or do some work. But, is it the sole purpose of acquiring education? Is our education system only made for producing workers or are there some others purposes of it as well? Let’s find the answers.

There are many schools of thought in the world having different opinions on this subject; however, we may divide them into two broad categories: traditional and modern, on the basis of their approaches to the education system. The traditional approach signifies education only as an instrument to learn social norms and values so that a member of a society may comfortably perform the roles assigned to him. It’s a kind of indoctrination to put the child in a framework so that he does not challenge the existing structure and knowledge. Their purpose is to stop people from questioning the already framed things and established knowledge. The modern approach, however, is broader in its perspective. It asserts that the purpose of education is to train minds to think, question and solve the problems that a person may face in his life. Noam Chomsky elaborated it as “the Enlightenment – highest goal in life to enquire and create, search the riches of the past and try to internalize … and carry the quest” for understanding further in one’s own way.

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Terminologies

 Terminology used in BPSC past papers 


  HYPOCRATIC OATH: The Hippocratic Oath is an oath historically taken by physicians. It is one of the most widely known of Greek medical texts. In its original form, it requires a new physician to swear, by a number of healing gods, to uphold specific ethical standards.
  BULLS AND BEARS: bulls is rise in price of stock market or trade while bears market is down ward or reduction of market.
  OLIVE BRANCH: 1 : a branch of the olive tree especially when used as a symbol of peace. 2 : an offer or gesture of conciliation or goodwill.
 SHEET ANCHOR: 1 : a large strong anchor formerly carried in the waist of a ship and used as a spare in an emergency. 2 : something that constitutes a main support
 JORGON: special words or expressions used by a profession or group that are difficult for others to understand.
  EUPHEMISM: a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing.
 HOSTILE WITNESS: A hostile witness, otherwise known as an adverse witness or an unfavorable witness, is a witness at trial whose testimony on direct examination is either openly antagonistic or appears to be contrary to the legal position of the party who called the witness.
 SABBATH: a day of religious observance and abstinence from work, kept by Jews from Friday evening to Saturday evening, and by most Christians on Sunday.
HUMANISM
 EMERITUS PROFESSOR: n emeritus is a retired college professor or minister. When aprofessor stops teaching, she might be given the title of emeritus, which basically means she can still be remembered as a successfulprofessor. The word emeritus, pronounced "eh-MER-ih-tus," is Latin, originally meaning "veteran soldier."
  IN CAMERA: in private, without the public, newspaper reporters, etc. being there.
  SLAPSTICK: a type of humorous acting in which the actors behave in a silly way, such as by throwing things, falling over, etc.
  UNCLE SAM: Uncle Sam (initials U.S.) is a common national personification of the American government or the United States in general.
  POLYTHEISM: the belief in or worship of more than one god.
  PLATONIC LOVE: Platonic love is a type of love that is celibate and non-sexual. The term is named afterPlato, who was the first to describe this kind of love.
  DECATHLON: an athletic contest comprising ten different track-and-field events and won by the contestant amassing the highest total score.
  PARALYMPICS: : a series of international contests for athletes with disabilities that are associated with and held following the summer and winter Olympic Games —called also Paralympic Games.
  SATIRE: the use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.  CATHARSIS: the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions. e.g. "music is a means of catharsis for them"
  BANANA REPUBLIC: A small country that is economically dependent on a single export commodity, such as bananas, and is typically governed by a dictator or the armed forces.
  MULTILATERAL: 1 : having many sides. 2 : involving or participated in by more than two nations or parties
  FACIST:Agovernmental system led by a dictator havingcomplete power, forcibly suppressingopposition and criticism, regimenting allindustry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing anaggressive nationalism and often racism.
 HEGEMONY: the dominance or leadership of one social group over others. Hegemony is political or cultural dominance or authority over others.
 NON-ENTITY: a person or thing with no special or interesting qualities; an unimportant person or thing. "a political nonentity" . 2. non-existence.
 APEX: the top or highest part of something, especially one forming a point. "the apex of the roof"  DILEMMA: a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two or more alternatives, especially ones that are equally undesirable.
 HORRENDONS: extremely unpleasant, horrifying, or terrible. "she suffered horrendous injuries"  COLLATERAL : Property or other assets that a borrower offers a lender to secure a loan. If the borrower stops making the promised loan payments, the lender can seize the collateral to recoup its losses.
  EQUITY: the quality of being fair or impartial; fairness; impartiality: the equity of Solomon.
  DEMOGRAPHY: the study of the characteristics of human populations.
 ALMA METER: the school, college, or university where you studied.
  HAT TRICK : hree successes of the same kind within a limited period, in particular (in soccer) the scoring of three goals in a game by one player or (in cricket) the taking of three wickets by the same bowler with successive balls. "he scored a hat-trick"
 INFLATION: A sustained, rapid increase in prices, as measured by some broad index (such as Consumer Price Index) over months or years, and mirrored in the correspondingly decreasing purchasing power of the currency.
  VETO: a constitutional right to reject a decision or proposal made by a lawmaking body.
 KNOCK OUT: a tournament in which the loser in each round is eliminated.
  CATHARSIS: the process of releasing strong emotions through a particular activity or experience, such as writing or theatre, in a way that helps you to understandthose emotions
 SINE DIE : "without assigning a day for a further meeting or hearing". To adjourn an assembly sine die is to adjourn it for an indefinite period.
  PLAINTIFF; a person who sues another person or accuses another person of a crime in a court of law
 EXTRADITION: extradition means sending someone back to the country or state where they've been accused of a crime.
  QUORUM: the minimum number of members of an assembly or society that must be present at any of its meetings to make the proceedings of that meeting valid.

  EMBARGO: an official ban on trade or other commercial activity with a particular country. "an embargo on grain sales"
  PREAMBLE: 1 : an introductory statement; especially : the introductory part of a constitution or statute that usually states the reasons for and intent of the law. 2 : an introductory fact or circumstance; especially : one indicating what is to follow.
  RENAISSANCE: the period in Europe between the 14th and 16th centuries when there was increased interest in ancient Greece and Rome, which produced new developments in art, literature, science, architecture etc. 2. a revival of or renewed interest in something.
 BARTER: The exchange of goods or services for other goods or services, rather than for money.
 PREMIUM: an amount to be paid for a contract of insurance. (BEEMA KI KIST)
 ABDICATION: to renounce or relinquish a throne, right, power, claim, responsibility, or the like, especially in a formal manner: The aging founder of the firm decided to abdicate.
 COALITION: a temporary alliance for combined action, especially of political parties forming a government. "a coalition between Liberals and Conservatives"
  ASYLUM: the protection granted by a state to someone who has left their home country as a political refugee. "she applied for asylum and was granted refugee status"
 FREE PORT: a port open to all traders. a port area where goods in transit are exempt from customs duty.
  CASTING VOTE: an extra vote given by a chairperson to decide an issue when the votes on each side are equal.
  PAN-ISLAMISM: is a political movement advocating the unity of Muslims under one Islamic state – often a Caliphate – or an international organization with Islamic principles. 2. the idea or advocacy of a political union of all Muslim nations
  BLANK VERSE: Blank verse is a type of poetry that has a regular meter, usually iambic pentameter, but no rhyme. Most of Shakespeare's plays are written in blank verse.
 PROTOCOL: the system of rules and acceptable behaviour used at official ceremonies and occasions
 AGENDA: a list of items to be discussed at a formal meeting:
 WHITE MAN’S BURDERN: the alleged duty of the white peoples to manage the affairs of the less developed nonwhite peoples
  BALANCE OF TRADE: the difference between a country's imports and itsexports. Balance of trade is the largest component of a country's balance of payments. A country has a trade deficit if it imports more than it exports; the opposite scenario is a trade surplus.
 • DEMURRAGE: a charge payable to the owner of a chartered ship in respect of failure to load or discharge the ship within the time agreed.
  INDEMNITY: security or protection against a loss or other financial burden:"no indemnity will be given for loss of cash"synonyms:insurance, assurance, protection, security
  IAMBIC PENTAMETER: a line of verse with five metrical feet, or a type of poetic metre based on five pairs of metrically weak/strong syllabic positions.
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The Ticking Bomb

Babar Sattar, Columnist, Lawer


The foremost conspiracy theory doing the rounds is that a government of technocrats is in the offing, and will be installed by utilising the Bangladesh model. The Bangladesh model is short for non-representative institutions – the military and the judiciary – stepping in to hold the skies together out of necessity when they are caving in due to corrupt and inept politicos. It’s a coup of sorts: a government of technocrats is installed and general elections delayed with a stamp of approval by the judiciary – supposedly to cleanse the system and make it ‘safe’ for democracy.
Javed Hashmi had claimed during Dharna I that such a plan was afoot. The Supreme Court headed by the then Chief Justice Nasir ul Mulk had considered the election rigging challenge and dismissed it saying there was no basis to conclude that Election 2013 was stolen through an organised conspiracy. Given that the Bangladesh model depends on the judiciary legitimising it, the conspiracy theory dissipated and so did Dharna I. The theory has been dusted and brought out again. Even PM Abbasi has asserted that a technocrats’ government is no solution for Pakistan.
There is no provision in our constitution permissive of the Bangladesh model. But there was probably none even in Bangladesh where it was conceived (and where it failed to attain its stated objects, like all martial laws in Pakistan). But let us assume for a moment that we have learnt nothing from our history (and that of others like Bangladesh) and a conspiracy is being brewed to transfer control to technocrats of the already diminishing domain of the state that is presently in the hands of politicos. How will it work?
A census has many critical purposes. One of them is that population count is used to allocate seats between federating units and to delimit constituencies. According to Census 1998, Pakistan’s population was 135 million. According to Census 2017, it has risen to 208 million. Thus, allocation of seats and delimitation of constituencies undertaken on the basis of the 135 million count will be inherently unfair when the number has gone up to 208 million.
If Election 2018 is held on the basis of seat allocation and delimitations resting on Census 1998, such election will be vulnerable to a constitutional challenge. In a democracy the ‘one person, one vote’ principle ensures political and legal equality. A federating unit gets representation in parliament on the basis of its respective population. According to the preliminary results of Census 2017, the overall share of Punjab in Pakistan’s population has decreased. Thus, the number of seats allotted to Punjab in parliament should also be reduced proportionately.
The size of constituencies ought to be comparable to uphold citizens’ right to an equally ‘weighted’ vote. If constituency A comprising 100,000 citizens elects one representative and constituency B comprising 200,000 citizens also elects one representative, citizens of constituency B will stand disenfranchised due to vote dilution. A fair delimitation process needs to guard against gerrymandering – that is, constituencies must not be drawn in an artificial way to bunch together and ‘waste’ the votes of a particular group likely to vote a certain way.
The bottom line is that if Election 2018 is held on the basis of Census 1998, it will be an open invitation to those interested in disputing results or disrupting transfer of power to the next elected government. And if Election 2018 is to be held on the basis of Census 2017, we are running late.
Article 51(3) of the constitution specifies the distribution of 332 seats in the National Assembly between the federating units (excluding 10 seats reserved for non-Muslims). Article 51(5) then states that, “seats in the National Assembly shall be allocated to each Province, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and the Federal Capital on the basis of population in accordance with the last preceding census officially published.”
The media has so far been focused on the “officially published” bit of Article 51(5). But can seats be allocated on the basis of Census 2017, even if officially published, without amending Article 51(3)? Article 51(5) doesn’t state that it will override 51(3). And 51(3) doesn’t say that seats will automatically stand adjusted on the basis of allocations made under 51(5). This might be a lacuna in the text. But it is one that will require judicial interpretation or else it can be exploited.
Let’s now come to Elections Act, 2017 and work backward on timelines.
Section 14 requires that the ECP, “shall, at least four months before the general election is due to be held on expiry of the term of an Assembly, prepare a comprehensive Action Plan specifying all legal and administrative measures that have been taken or required to be taken in respect of the election”, including, “delimitation of constituencies”, “revision of electoral rolls”, “preparation of constituency-wise list of polling stations and list of polling personnel”, etc.
If Election 2018 is due by August 5, this action plan must be ready by April. Section 17(2) mandates the ECP to delimit constituencies “after every census officially published.” If such delimitation is to be undertaken on the basis of preliminary census results, Section 17(2) and Article 51(5) of the constitution both need amendment. After such amendment or official publication of results, the ECP is to publish a preliminary report on delimitation (after holding inquiries, considering representations, summoning witnesses and recording evidence).
A 30-day period is prescribed after publication of the preliminary report to invite public representations in respect of such report, after which the ECP is to publish a final report after considering representations within 30 days of the last date fixed for receipt of representations. In other words, if the ECP were Hercules with magical abilities and who burnt the midnight oil, it would take it at least a month to undertake preliminary delimitation after receipt of census results, and then two further months for receipt of representations and preparation of the final report.
This brings us to the preparation of electoral rolls, which logically needs to happen after the delimitation process is complete. Under Sections 28, 30, 34 and 35 of the Elections Act, the ECP is required to publish the preliminary electoral roll for a 30-day period, followed by a 30-day period for receipt of complaints, which is followed by a 30-day period for corrections and publication of the final roll. In view of these timelines, the ECP needs three months to delimit constituencies and another three for roll preparation. And all this needs to happen by April 5, 2018.
Let’s say the April deadline is recommended but not mandatory. Section 39 states that there can be no change made to electoral rolls 30 days before the term of the assembly is about to expire. This makes May 5, 2018 the absolute cut-off date. In short only if the ECP initiates the delimitation process by November 5 could it possibly complete delimitation and preparation of rolls by May 5. So we have about two weeks to address the ambiguity in Article 51 and amend Article 51(5) and Section 17 to initiate delimitation on the basis of the preliminary census data.
The ECP has to undertake delimitation on the basis of the latest census. The tenure of assemblies expires on June 5. If delimitation and preparation of rolls hasn’t been undertaken on the basis of Census 2017, elections won’t be possible within the prescribed 60-day period. But Article 254 of our constitution states that, “when an act or thing is required to be done within a particular period and it is not done within that period, the doing of the act or thing shall not be invalid or otherwise ineffective by reason only that is was not done within that period.”
Planning to hold Election 2018 on the basis of Census 1998 or not taking all legislative and administrative measures to ensure that delimitation and preparation of rolls on the basis of Census 2017 take place prior to the installation of the interim government is tantamount to inviting a roll-out of the Bangladesh model. If politicos fail to act now, they must not yell conspiracy later.


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EDUCATION SYSTEM OF PAKISTAN: Issues, Problems and Solutions :ESSAY

OUTLINES:
·       Introduction
·       What is Education System
·       Vision 2030
·       Issues/ Problems
·       Analysis of Problems
·       Solutions
·       Recommendations
·       Conclusion
Introduction
It is mandated in the Constitution of Pakistan to provide free and compulsory education to all children between the ages of 5-16 years and enhance adult literacy. With the 18th constitutional amendment the concurrent list which comprised of 47 subjects was abolished and these subjects, including education, were transferred to federating units as a move towards provincial autonomy. However, in spite of this constitution recommendation education system in Pakistan is the most neglected sector in the country. In the long history of 70 years no government has set education as majority goals list. It is not impossible to remedy our education system but it required serious and timely efforts to bring on track our this sector comparative to modern nations on all fronts.
What is Education System?
The system of education includes all institutions that are involved in delivering formal education (public and private, for-profit and nonprofit, onsite or virtual instruction) and their faculties, students, physical infrastructure, resources and rules. In a broader definition the system also includes the institutions that are directly involved in financing, managing, operating or regulating such institutions (like government ministries and regulatory bodies, central testing organizations, textbook boards and accreditation boards). The rules and regulations that guide the individual and institutional interactions within the set up are also part of the education system..
Vision 2030
Vision 2030 of Planning Commission of Pakistan looks for an academic environment which promotes the thinking mind. The goal under Vision 2030 is one curriculum and one national examination system under state responsibility. The strategies charted out to achieve the goal included:
(i)                  Increasing public expenditure on education and skills generation from 2.7% of GDP to 5% by 2010 and 7% by 2015.
(ii)                Re-introduce the technical and vocational stream in the last two years of secondary schools.
(iii)             Gradually increase vocational and technical education numbers to 25-30% of all secondary enrolment by 2015 and 50 per cent by 2030.
(iv)              Enhance the scale and quality of education in general and the scale and quality of scientific/technical education in Pakistan in particular.
Issues/Problems: 
The issues lead to the comprehension of the problems which are faced in the development of education system and promotion of literacy. The study outlines seven major problems such as:
1)      Lack of Proper Planning: Pakistan is a signatory to Millennium Development Goals and Education For All goals. However it seems that it will not be able to achieve these international commitments because of financial management issues and constraints to achieve the MDGs and EFA goals.
2)      Social constraints: It is important to realize that the problems which hinder the provision of education are not just due to issues of management by government but some of them are deeply rooted in the social and cultural orientation of the people. Overcoming the latter is difficult and would require a change in attitude of the people, until then universal primary education is difficult to achieve.
3)      Gender gap: Major factors that hinder enrolment rates of girls include poverty, cultural constraints, illiteracy of parents and parental concerns about safety and mobility of their daughters. Society’s emphasis on girl’s modesty, protection and early marriages may limit family’s willingness to send them to school. Enrolment of rural girls is 45% lower than that of urban girls; while for boys the difference is 10% only, showing that gender gap is an important factor.
4)      Cost of education: The economic cost is higher in private schools, but these are located in richer settlements only. The paradox is that private schools are better but not everywhere and government schools ensure equitable access but do not provide quality education.
5)      War on Terror: Pakistan’s engagement in war against terrorism also affected the promotion of literacy campaign. The militants targeted schools and students; several educational institutions were blown up, teachers and students were killed in Balochistan, KPK and FATA. This may have to contribute not as much as other factors, but this remains an important factor.
6)      Funds for Education: Pakistan spends 2.4% GDP on education. At national level, 89% education expenditure comprises of current expenses such as teachers’ salaries, while only 11% comprises of development expenditure which is not sufficient to raise quality of education.
7)      Technical Education: Sufficient attention has not been paid to the technical and vocational education in Pakistan. The number of technical and vocational training institutes is not sufficient and many are deprived of infrastructure, teachers and tools for training. The population of a state is one of the main elements of its national power. It can become an asset once it is skilled. Unskilled population means more jobless people in the country, which affects the national development negatively. Therefore, technical education needs priority handling by the government.
Poverty, law and order situation, natural disasters, budgetary constraints, lack of access, poor quality, equity, and governance have also contributed in less enrolments.
Analysis of Problems:
An analysis of the issues and problems suggest that:
The official data shows the allocation of funds for educational projects but there is no mechanism which ensures the proper expenditure of those funds on education.
§                     The existing infrastructure is not being properly utilized in several parts of the country.
§                     There are various challenges that include expertise, institutional and capacity issues, forging national cohesion, uniform standards for textbook development, and quality assurance.
§                     The faculty hiring process is historically known to be politicized. It is because of this that the quality of teaching suffers and even more so when low investments are made in teachers’ training. As a result teachers are not regular and their time at school is not as productive as it would be with a well-trained teacher.
§                     Inside schools there are challenges which include shortage of teachers, teacher absenteeism, missing basic facilities and lack of friendly environment.
§                     Out of school challenges include shortage of schools, distance – especially for females, insecurity, poverty, cultural norms, parents are reluctant or parents lack awareness.

Solutions
There is a need for implementation of national education policy and vision 2030 education goals. An analysis of education policy suggests that at the policy level there are several admirable ideas, but practically there are some shortcomings also.
It may not be possible for the government at the moment to implement uniform education system in the country, but a uniform curriculum can be introduced in educational institutes of the country. This will provide equal opportunity to the students of rural areas to compete with students of urban areas in the job market.
Since majority of Pakistani population resides in rural areas and the access to education is a major problem for them, it seems feasible that a balanced approach for formal and informal education be adopted. Government as well as non-government sector should work together to promote education in rural areas.
The government should take measures to get school buildings vacated which are occupied by feudal lords of Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab. Efforts should be made to ensure that proper education is provided in those schools.
The federal government is paying attention to the vocational and technical training, but it is important to make the already existing vocational and technical training centres more efficient so that skilled youth could be produced.
Since education is a provincial subject, the provincial education secretariats need to be strengthened. Special policy planning units should be established in provinces’ education departments for implementation of educational policies and formulation of new policies whenever needed. The provincial education departments need to work out financial resources required for realising the compliance of Article 25-A.
Federal Government should play a supportive role vis-à-vis the provinces for the early compliance of the constitutional obligation laid down in Article 25-A. Special grants can be provided to the provinces where the literacy rate is low.
Recommendations
§                     Technical education should be made a part of secondary education. Classes for carpentry, electrical, and other technical education must be included in the curriculum.
§                     Providing economic incentives to the students may encourage the parents to send their children to school and may help in reducing the dropout ratio.
§                     Local government system is helpful in promoting education and literacy in the country. In local government system the funds for education would be spent on a need basis by the locality.
§                     Corruption in education departments is one of the factors for the poor literacy in the country. An effective monitoring system is needed in education departments.
§                     For any system to work it is imperative that relevant structures are developed. Legislation and structure should be framed to plan for the promotion of education in the country. After the 18th amendment the education has become a provincial subject, therefore, the provinces should form legislations and design educational policies which ensure quality education.
§                     Unemployment of educated men and women is a major concern for Pakistan. There should be career counseling of the pupils in schools so that they have an understanding of job market and they can develop their skills accordingly.
§                     Counseling of parents is required, so that they can choose a career for their child which is market friendly.
§                     There are two approaches to acquiring education: First, which is being followed by many in Pakistan is to get education to earn bread and butter. The second approach is to get education for the sake of personal development and learning. This approach is followed by affluent and economically stable people who send their children to private schools and abroad for education. The problem arises when non-affluent families send their children to private schools, and universities. This aspiration for sending children for higher education is wrong, because the country does not need managers and officers only. There are several other jobs where people are needed. Hence the mind-set of sending one’s children to university only for becoming officers and managers needs to be changed.

Conclusion:                                                       

The reforms required in the education system of Pakistan cannot be done by the government alone, public-private participation and a mix of formal as well as non-formal education can pull out majority of country’s population from illiteracy. Similarly, to make the youth of the country an asset, attention should also be paid to vocational and technical training.
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مائنڈ سیٹ یا تنزل؟

Dr. Safdar Mehmood, Columnist

مائنڈ سیٹ یا تنزل؟


ہمیں غور اور تجزیہ کرنا چاہئے اپنے قومی رویے، سیاسی روایات اور مائنڈ سیٹ کا کیونکہ مجھے کبھی کبھی یوں لگتا ہے جیسے صدیوں کا سفر طے کرنے کے باوجود ہمارا مائنڈ سیٹ اور فکری رویے نہیں بدلے، ہم صدیوں پرانے ذہنی سانچے سے نہیں نکلے حالانکہ ہمارا نظام حکومت بدل گیا، شرح خواندگی بڑھ گئی، اندرون و بیرون ملک سے اعلیٰ ترین ڈگریوں والے حضرات کی تعداد میں بہت زیادہ اضافہ ہوگیا اور سب سے بڑھ کر یہ کہ سیاسی شعور اور سیاسی آگاہی کی سطح نہایت بلند ہوگئی۔ صدیوں پہلے نہ اخبارات ہوتے تھے، نہ ٹی وی چینلز ہوتے تھے،نہ آزادی فکر و اظہارکی نعمت میسر تھی اور نہ ہی انفارمیشن سینکڑوں ہزاروں میلوں کا سفر منٹوں میں طے کرتی تھی۔ حتیٰ کہ اسکولوں کی جگہ مدرسے ہوتے تھے جہاں مذہبی تعلیم کے ساتھ تھوڑی سی اخلاقی تربیت کا ساماں ہوتا تھا۔ آج اسکولوں، کالجوں اور یونیورسٹیوں کا جال بچھا ہوا ہے اور ہمارا خواندہ طبقہ امریکہ انگلستان اور دوسرے اہم ممالک کے بارے میں اتنی ہی معلومات رکھتا ہے جتنی اپنے ملک کے بارے میں۔ ان علمی و فکری ’’ترقیوں‘‘ کے ساتھ ساتھ جمہوری عمل کے پروان چڑھنے کا سلسلہ بھی جاری ہے، انتخابات بھی ہوتے ہیں اور لوگوں کو رائے دینے یا ووٹ دینے کا حق بھی دستیاب ہے اور ظاہر ہے کہ وہ بیلٹ باکس میں پرچی ڈالنے سے قبل امیدوار کا فیصلہ بھی سوچ کر یا کسی نہ کسی جذبے اور محرک کے تحت کرتے ہیں۔ اس تمام تر تعلیمی، معاشرتی، معلوماتی (انفارمیشن) اورسیاسی ترقی کے باوجود ہمارے مائنڈ سیٹ یا ہمارے فکری و سیاسی رویے میں اس قدر ترقی اور بلوغت نظر نہیں آتی جو صدیوں کے سفر کا نتیجہ یا تحفہ ہونا چاہئے تھی۔ سوچنے کی بات ہے کہ دنیا بدل گئی، گھوڑوں کی سواری کی جگہ بسوں، ٹرینوں اور ہوائی جہازوں نے لے لی۔ بادشاہتوں اور علاقائی وڈیروں کی جگہ اسمبلیاں اور منتخب حکومتیں آگئیں، رعایا کی جگہ عوام اقتدار کاسرچشمہ بن گئے، ابا جی کو ڈیڈی کہہ کر پکارا جانے لگا، آنکھوں میں خوف کی جگہ بے خوفی کا مورچہ قائم ہوگیا اور ہر طرف انسانی برابری اور مساوات اورانسانی حقوق کا درس دیا جانے لگا لیکن اس قدر حیرت انگیز ترقی اور شاندار تبدیلی کے باوجود ہمارا مائنڈ سیٹ اور سیاسی رویہ کیوں نہیں بدلا؟
تاریخ ایک زبردست آئینہ ہوتی ہے جو نہ صرف ماضی کی عکاسی کرتی ہے بلکہ زندگی کے سفر پر بھی روشنی ڈالتی ہے۔ ہم سب جانتے ہیں کہ مغلوں نے ہندوستان پر دو صدیوں سے زیادہ موثر حکمرانی کی۔ اورنگ زیب کے انتقال کے بعد مغل حکمرانوں کی گرفت ڈھیلی پڑ گئی اور اٹھارویں صدی کے نصف تک بادشاہ سلامت محض علامتی یا ملامتی بادشاہ بن کر رہ گئے۔ مغلیہ دور حکومت کی نسبت رنجیت سنگھ کا دور حکومت مقابلتاً نزدیک کی بات ہے اور تاریخی حوالے سے صرف 168برس پرانا قصہ ہے۔ رنجیت سنگھ نے 1801سے لیکر 1839تک پنجاب پر حکمرانی کی اور اس کی سلطنت چند علاقوں کے استثنیٰ کے ساتھ تقریباً موجودہ پاکستان کے بیشتر علاقوں پر محیط تھی۔ میں اس بات سے محظوظ ہوتا ہوں کہ محترم ایاز صاحب صرف رنجیت سنگھ کو پنجاب کا لیڈر مانتے ہیں اور اس موجودہ سیاسی لیڈر کی لیڈر شپ سے بھی انکاری ہیں جس کے ہاتھ پر خود انہوں نے بیعت کی تھی حالانکہ بیعت کے بھی کچھ تقاضے ہوتے ہیں، کچھ ادب ملحوظ خاطر ہوتا ہے لیکن یہ بات سچ ہے کہ جمہوریت نے آزادی کی آڑ میں ادب آداب پر گہری چوٹ لگائی ہے اور اسے قصۂ پارینہ بنا کر رکھ دیا ہے۔ بہرحال مجھے رنجیت سنگھ کی یہ ادا پسند ہے کہ اس نے اپنا حرم رنگا رنگ حسینوں سے آباد کر رکھا تھا۔ یہ رسم آج بھی جاری ہے اور پنجاب کے بعض حکمران رنگا رنگ حرم کے حوالے سے منفرد شہرت بھی رکھتے ہیں لیکن رنجیت سنگھ کو یہ امتیاز حاصل ہے کہ اس کی وفات پر اس کی چار ہندو ’’رانیوں‘‘ اور سات لونڈیوں نے ستی کی رسم ادا کی اور یہ گنگناتے ہوئے اپنے آپ کو نذر آتش کر دیا کہ ’’تیرے بنا کیا جینا‘‘۔ سنگت سنگھ نے سکھ ہسٹری میں اس کا خوب ذکر کیا ہے۔
گورنمنٹ کالج لاہور میں میرے ایک کلاس فیلو نے بڑی دلچسپ نظم لکھی تھی جسے سن کر ہم لطف اندوز ہوتے تھے۔ اس نظم کا پہلا مصرعہ تھا ’’کھڑک سنگھ کے کھڑکنے سے کھڑکتی ہیں کھڑکیاں‘‘۔ جب میں نے ڈاکٹر سنگت سنگھ کی سکھ ہسٹری پڑھی تو اچانک یہ نظم یاد آگئی کیونکہ رنجیت سنگھ کی وفات کے بعد جب اس کی اولاد میں جنگ تخت نشینی شروع ہوئی تو اس کا پہلا جانشین کھڑک سنگھ تھا۔ دوسرا نونہال سنگھ تیسرا شیر سنگھ پھر مہارانی چاند کور پھر دوبارہ شیر سنگھ اور آخر میں پانچ سالہ کمسن بچے دلیپ سنگھ کو تخت نشین کردیا گیا۔ دلیپ سنگھ نے ساڑھے پانچ برس حکومت کی حتیٰ کہ مارچ 1849ء میں انگریزوں نے پنجاب پر قبضہ کر لیا اور اسے اپنی سلطنت کا حصہ بنا لیا۔ دلیپ سنگھ کو لمبا چوڑا وظیفہ دے کر لندن پیرس بھجوا دیا گیا یا جلاوطن کردیا گیا تاکہ وہاں کی گوریاں اس کی تربیت جمہوری خطوط پر کریں اور اس کے مائنڈ سیٹ میں یہ خیال شامل کریں کہ جب خاندان میں کوئی اہل حکمران موجود نہ رہے تو اقتدار کو مضبوطی سے جاری رکھنے کے لئے اپنے مخلص حمایتیوں میں سے کسی کوقیادت سونپی جاسکتی ہے۔ اگرقیادت پر صرف اپنے خاندان کا حق سمجھا جائے تو اس کا نتیجہ یہی نکلتا ہے کہ کوئی طاقتور جانشینی کے کھیل کو بکھیر کر رکھ دیتا ہے اور ہاں! یہی دلیپ سنگھ تھا جس سے انگریزوں نے روشنیوں کے پہاڑ جیسا لاجواب کوہ نور ہیرا ملکہ برطانیہ کو بطور ہدیہ عقیدت پیش کروایا؎ ہے جرم ضعیفی کی سزا، مرگ مفاجات۔
ہاں تو میں عرض کررہا تھا کہ مغلیہ بادشاہت تو بہت پرانی بات ہے مگر رنجیت سنگھ کی حکومت ابھی کل کی بات لگتی ہے حالانکہ اسے ختم ہوئے پونے دو سو سال ہونے کو ہیں۔ رنجیت سنگھ کے مرنے کے بعد سکھ دس سال حکمران رہے اور ان دس برسوں میں چھ حکمران بدلے حتیٰ کہ پانچ سالہ کھلونوں سے کھیلتے دلیپ کو تخت پہ بٹھا دیا گیا اور اس کے پس پردہ رانی حکومت کرنے لگی۔ ڈاکٹر سنگت کے بقول اگر کسی اہل اور مضبوط شخصیت کو عنان حکومت دے دی جاتی تو سکھ حکومت طویل عرصے تک قائم رہ سکتی تھی لیکن اقتدار کو گھر تک محدود رکھنا ہمارا مائنڈ سیٹ ہے۔ صدیاں گزر گئیں، سیاست، معاشرت، تعلیم اور ذہنی و فکری رویوں نے طویل سفر طے کر لیا ہے لیکن شعور کی اس چکاچوند ترقی نے ہمارا مائنڈ سیٹ نہیں بدلا اور نہ ہی جمہوریت نے ہمارے فکری سانچے میں سرنگ لگائی ہے۔ آج بھی ذوالفقار علی بھٹو کے بعد بے نظیر بھٹو اور بے نظیر بھٹو کے بعد بلاول زرداری بھٹو۔ اسی طرح میاں نوازشریف کے بعد مریم نواز یا مریم صفدر کیونکہ حسین نواز لندن ہجرت کر گئے ہیں ورنہ یہ تاج ان کے سر پہ پہنایا جاتا۔ اسی طرح شہباز شریف کے بعد حمزہ شہباز۔ گویا سیاسی حوالے سے ہم ابھی تک رنجیت سنگھ کے دور میں رہ رہے ہیں اور گزرنے والے 168برسوں نے نہ ہمارا مائنڈ سیٹ بدلا ہے نہ سائنسی، سیاسی اور تعلیمی ترقی نے ہمارے ذہنی رویے کا کچھ بگاڑا ہے۔ کیا آپ اسے ترقی کہتے ہیں؟ یا تنزل؟
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LIMITTED OPPERTUNITIES OF EDUCATION FOR WOMAN IN BALOCHISTAN

Balochistan is very backward in respect of women education. The reasons are numerous but top most are:


Lack of institutions
Job oppertunities
tribal mindset
early marriages etc.
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